Langer plays down beating Bradman record

Justin Langer shrugged off surpassing Don Bradman as Australia's highest scoring batsman in first-class cricket yesterday.

The 38-year-old Somerset captain went past Bradman's total of 28,067 runs when making 107 - his 86th first-class century and 100th hundred in all competitions - in his side's 428 for six against Worcestershire in the English county championship.

The New Road venue was the ground where Bradman scored three double centuries - 236 in 1930, 206 in 1934 and 258 in 1938 - and then signed off with 107 on his final visit in 1948.

Langer, who has now scored 28,080 runs, said: "I'm thrilled to beat the record.

"Not so much to go past him because Bradman is in a league of his own. But just scoring this many runs is a tribute to having played for such a long time and having worked so hard to score lots of runs."