Letters written by Sir Donald Bradman during the 1980s and 1990s have revealed the icon’s admiration for the late Shane Warne, identification of a young Ricky Ponting and fears of a second World Series Cricket.

Watch every ball of Australia v India LIVE & ad-break free during play in 4K on Kayo | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.

The Age reported the findings from a collection of 20 letters Bradman wrote to his English friend, entertainer Peter Brough, which are now at the National Library of Australia.

Brough’s family donated the letters from between 1984 and 1998 which gave stunning insight into Bradman’s attitudes towards fame, as well his views on sport and politics, especially when they intertwined.

On May 14, 1985 Bradman wrote to Brough about his serious concerns for the state of cricket off the back of rebel tours to South Africa.

In objection to the Apartheid regime, an international sports boycott was put in place on South Africa in 1971, but in the 1980s some of the world’s best were offered lucrative sums of money to travel there and play matches against the wishes of their local cricket boards.

An English XI led by Graham Gooch were the first to tour in 1981-82, a West Indian XI made-up of players unable to break into their powerhouse Test team at the time went in 1982-83 and 1983-84, before an Australian XI travelled across the Indian Ocean in 1985-86 and 1986-87 led by former Test captain Kim Hughes.

The threat of the rebel tours prompted Kerry Packer to lock in Australian players on contracts to play for their country, but Bradman, who was famously a staunch opponent of World Series Cricket, was worried that might be a problem in itself.

“Since I last wrote, the cricket world has been in a ferment. What with players signing for England and South Africa and Packer separately signing players, goodness knows where it will end,” Bradman wrote.

“I don’t blame the players. One I know has been out of work for two years and to see a fair of $200,000 for two years was too good to turn down. Of course the whole thing hinges on dirty rotten politics. Our government freely trades with South Africa and it is total hypocrisy for them to prevent sporting contacts. The ‘black’ countries will never agree to re-admit South Africa and the final answer is a total split between the blacks and the whites.

“Actually I’m more concerned at Packer’s moves. I understand he now has contracts with nine players. He can get floodlit grounds for night television in Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth and so if he wants to start up a new WSC there is nothing to stop him. The effect on official cricket would be disastrous.”

Of course, there was no second Packer breakaway, and South Africa were re-admitted to the international sporting landscape in 1991 after the end of Apartheid.

Much to Bradman’s delight.

“What great news that South Africa has been re-admitted to the fold. It will help restore the balance on the ICC and in three or four years they will probably have a fine Test team,” Bradman wrote.

“I always found the South African cricketers charming fellows and some of them were my greatest friends.”

Back in 1985, Bradman was also not thrilled by the TV mini-series ‘Bodyline’ which had been released with Australian actors Gary Sweet as Bradman and Hugo Weaving as England captain Douglas Jardine.

The TV drama was focused on England’s 1932-33 tour of Australia where there use of short pitch bowling at the body to curb Bradman’s influence and stifle the rest of the Australian batting line-up sparked outrage.

“I was interested to know you had watched ‘Bodyline’. The thrust of the story was ok,” Bradman wrote.

“But lots and lots of detailed matters were utterly wrong whilst some of the casting was atrocious. They could never have picked a man less like Lord Harris.”

Fame never sat well with ‘The Don’.

The nation’s sporting hero from the days of the Great Depression who is still revered 23 years after death for his unmatched exploits with a Test average of 99.94 the willow, never enjoyed the attention.

In early 1998, Australia and England faced off at the SCG to celebrate the bicentenary of European settlement.

Bradman and his wife Jessie travelled to Sydney from Adelaide for the event and he wrote that “it nearly killed” them.

“The publicity, the functions. Being on display … is not my idea of enjoyment,” Bradman wrote.

Further letters also admitted that he preferred “to be far away from crowds and publicity” as he and Jessie got out of Adelaide for his 80th birthday to “dodge all the fuss”.

The fuss ramped up in the mid 1990s however when he did a televised interview with Ray Martin to help raise funds for the Bradman Museum in Bowral – the country New South Wales town where he grew up.

It led to an influx of attention, that was not necessarily welcomed.

“The government and Australia Post have announced the launch of stamps and envelopes bearing my image. It is the first time in history a living Australian has been so honoured – previously only royalty and the dead,” Bradman wrote on February 4, 1997.

“Of course it is a great honour to be officially dubbed a living legend but you should see my mail. It is colossal. People are crazy for autographs. I am doing nothing but answer mail.”

Life out of the public eye presented its greatest challenge when Jessie passed away in September 1998.

The following February, Bradman wrote to Brough that avoiding the hysteria had left him all alone when he needed people most.

“I am struggling to get on with life but wherever I turn there is sadness and memories. Even after a game of golf or bridge there is no one to talk to and as you rightly said the nights are so empty,” he wrote.

“I don’t go to cricket anymore – I can no longer tolerate the press, TV or autograph hunters who won’t leave me alone when I appear in public so really I am living the life of a recluse. Thank heavens there is TV otherwise I would have nothing to occupy my mind.

“We had an interesting series with South Africa. They were not a great side but they had dedication and great willpower to fight things out to the end. The real difference was Warne. It was really exciting to see him bowl in the Sydney Test where the ball was turning and he gave a wonderful display.

“Our boys go to India this week and they will be sorely [tested] under home conditions. Tendulkar is probably the best bat in the world and his battles with Warne should be fascinating.”

Bradman had long been a fan of leg spin bowling.

He famously declared in the interview with Martin that cricket it is at its most captivating when a leg spinner does battle with an attacking batter.

That is why the emergence of Warne in the early 1990s gave him much delight.

“But thankfully we may at last have produced a good leg spinner in young Warne. He’s only 23 and really spins the ball. I am impressed by his accuracy,” Bradman wrote on March 15, 1993.

“In the Test versus New Zealand now being played he is conceding less than two runs an over which is tremendous. He should do well in England.”

That prediction became reality when Warne stunned the cricket world months later when he knocked over Mike Gatting at Old Trafford with the ‘Ball of the Century’ – the first ball he bowled in an Ashes series – and a superstar was born.

By the time England came to Australian shores the following year, Bradman had seen enough to place the then 25-year-old among Australian cricket’s greats.

“Shane Warne is bowling brilliantly and causing all sorts of trouble,” he wrote in November 1994. “Excepting [Bill] O’Reilly, Warne is the best slow leg-spinner we’ve produced, better even than [Clarrie] Grimmett and that is very high praise.”

Warne was among many players from that golden era of Australian cricket that Bradman spotted when they were a young upstart.

In 1986, he wrote of how “young Steve Waugh gives every sign of being a class bat”, while three years later he was particularly impressed with a young South Australian, Darren Lehmann.

“Just before becoming ill I went to cricket one day and saw a youngster (19) named Lehmann make 228 v NSW,” Bradman wrote.

“It was his first century – he followed it with 86 versus New Zealand yesterday and looks like a possible selection, a left-hander in the mould of Neil Harvey but a bit more stocky as yet more risky. I love to see the young ones shine.”

In 1991 after Australia’s tour of the West Indies, Bradman once again made an accurate forecast that the Caribbean would be breached when the Australians returned in 1995.

He also made an intriguing claim about the Waugh brothers.

“Though we lost the rubber in West Indies I don’t think the gods were on our side and I would back us to beat them next time,” Bradman wrote. “We now have a super left-hand opener in Taylor and Mark Waugh is all class, better than his brother Steve who did so well on our last tour of England.”

In October 1995, Bradman was keeping a keen eye on the one-day domestic competition, which was then called the Mercantile Mutual Cup.

The introduction of a fan favourite initiative by the naming sponsor piqued his interest and so too did an enticing talent from Tasmania.

“Our cricket season is under way and there have been a couple of interesting happenings. Mercantile Mutual Insurance has erected signs around the grounds and offered prizes for anyone who can hit a sign on the full. In Perth yesterday Steve Waugh hit one and won himself $140,000. Yes you are right Peter – I think I played too soon,” Bradman wrote.

“Young Ponting of Tasmania played a beautiful innings here yesterday and looks a Test prospect.”

Ponting, of course, went on to become Australia’s all-time leading Test run-scorer and is widely regarded as one of the nation’s best batsman since Bradman.

It was yet another example of the cricketing legend being on the money in a treasure troves of words that provided fascinating insight into the later years of his life.