A life-size statue of Australian cricket legend Sir Don Bradman has been unveiled on the first anniversary of his death.

The statue, named The Final Salute, stands at the Bradman Museum in Bowral, and was made by artist Tanya Bartlett.

It was unveiled by Bill Brown, who played in the same Test side as Bradman in the 1930s and 1940s, less than 24 hours after Australia beat South Africa by an innings and 360 runs in Johannesburg, the team's biggest ever Test win.

"It's the first thing you see as you walk through the courtyard, The Don doffing his baggy green cap," said Richard Mulvaney, director of the museum, which attracts more than 50,000 visitors a year.

The design was chosen by the Bradman Foundation in preference to one of him playing a cover drive.

Bradman grew up in Bowral, which lies 50 miles south west of Sydney and made his first hundred for the local High School.

He scored more than 28,000 first-class runs at an average of 95.14 during a career which lasted from 1927-28 to 1948-49 and is acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time.

His Test record is unrivalled, with 6,996 runs in 52 appearances, at an average of 99.94, and his death at the age of 92 prompted mourning throughout the cricket world.

His memorial service last March was attended by Australian Prime Minister John Howard and many famous cricket names including Sir Viv Richards, and former Australian cricket captains Richie Benaud, Bill Lawry, Greg Chappell and Graham Yallop.

The service was also shown on TV in India and Pakistan and broadcast on a giant screen at the Adelaide Oval, where he played for many years for South Australia.

His ashes were later scattered at the Bradman Oval in Bowral, a ground which is regularly visited by sides touring Australia.