Bradman’s war. Malcolm Knox. 2012.

Hailed as one of the greatest cricket teams of all time, the 1948 Invincibles are the only Australians to complete a tour of England undefeated. Their crushing victories under Bradman’s captaincy wrote them into the record books, even if the Don himself, on his final tour, was left forever stranded on a Test batting average of 99.94 after his duck in the fifth Ashes match.

But often forgotten are the mixed feelings about the manner in which these feats were achieved. In his absorbing account of the legendary tour, Malcolm Knox exposes the rift between players who had experienced the horrors of active duty, epitomised by the fiery but sporting RAAF pilot Keith Miller, and those who had not, such as the invalided Bradman. Knox reveals the discomfort among fans, commentators and player - from both teams- at Bradman’s single-minded tactics, on and off the field. Bradman’s ruthlessness, even against the war-ravaged veterans of the country clubs, scotched hopes that the postwar game might presume in a more friendly spirit than the angry competitiveness of Bodyline.