NEW DELHI: A cap once worn by Australia’s legendary batsman Don Bradman is set to go under the hammer in Sydney on Tuesday, with the iconic “baggy green” expected to fetch up to US$260,000.
Bradman wore the woollen cap during India’s historic 1947-48 tour of Australia, the first Test series played by the visitors on foreign soil after gaining independence.
Auction house Bonhams described it as “the only known baggy green” worn by Bradman during one of his most prolific series.
In that series, Bradman amassed 715 runs in six innings at an astonishing average of 178.75, including three centuries and a double-hundred.
The dark green caps, awarded to Australian Test cricketers, are held in high regard by players and fans alike.
Despite its faded color, insect damage, and a torn peak, the cap is expected to attract bids between US$195,000 and US$260,000.
Bradman, widely regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history, retired with an unmatched Test batting average of 99.94. Cricketing bible Wisden has described him as the greatest to “have ever graced the gentleman’s game.”
A different “baggy green” worn by Bradman during his 1928 Test debut was sold for US$290,000 in 2020, setting a record for one of his caps at the time.
However, that figure was eclipsed by the US$650,000 paid for Shane Warne’s baggy green, auctioned earlier that year to raise funds for Australian bushfire relief.
Bradman passed away in 2001 at the age of 92, while Warne died in 2022 at 52.