Sydney: Sir Donald Bradman, universally acknowledged as the greatest cricketer who ever lived, died on Sunday, leaving Australia and world cricket in mourning. He was 92.

The Test legend and Australian sporting icon died peacefully in his sleep at his Adelaide home, said Richard Mulvaney of the Bradman Museum.

Bradman’s health had been o the decline and he was trying to recover from a bout of pneumonia. “I believe he died peacefully in his sleep and his family were there not long after.” Mulvaney said. “He was suffering from pneumonia before Christmas.”

Bradman will have a private funeral, followed later by a state memorial service at a cathedral overlooking Adelaide Oval, the scene of some of his greatest innings.

An intensely private man, Bradman had wanted a private funeral, likely to be held later this week, his family said. The South Australian government had offered a state funeral but his family declined, opting for a public memorial service.

Flags were half-mast across the country and tributes flooded in throughout Monday for Australia’s revered hero of the depression years.

Cricket-loving Prime Minister John Howard expressed his sorrow on behalf of all Australians. Howard said from New Zealand that Bradman had lifted the spirits of the Australian people during the depression of the 1930s.

“He was more than just a great cricketer and a great sportsman, he was a dominant Australian personality in a way that I don’t think any other person has been in the last 100 years.” he told ABC radio.