The Baggy Green Cap

Lore & Background

The baggy green cap was originally supplied to the player as part of a kit of equipment, and a new one was routinely issued for each tour, with the year number on it. Some former Australian players have used their cap for 'non-cricketing' purposes: Bill Lawry used the cap while cleaning his pigeon's nest. Ian Chappell never kept any of his baggy green caps. The importance of the baggy green as a symbol grew significantly in the 1990s, chiefly due to the efforts of captains Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh. Waugh regularly expressed his belief that the honouring of the traditions of the game was critical to the success of a team. In the early 1990s an unofficial practice emerged among Test players of never replacing their baggy green cap, most notably by Steve Waugh. During his captaincy Taylor instituted a pre-match ceremony for the awarding of a cap. This continued under Waugh, who introduced a refinement whereby new players would receive their 'baggy green' from a past player of a similar discipline. Ponting changed it again, making the presentation himself rather than using a former player. Another tradition instituted by Taylor (but suggested by Steve Waugh) is the practice of all players wearing the cap during the first session in the field of a Test match, as a symbol of solidarity. Modern players seldom wear the baggy green cap while batting, choosing a protective helmet instead.

Reader's Guide

The coat of arms on the Baggy Green cap is a pre-federation symbol representing Australian commercial endeavours: wool-growing, shipping, mining and agriculture. It consists of: a crest (rising sun); over a torse of red and gold; over a shield (bearing images of a sheep, a sailing ship, a pick-axe and shovel and a garb of wheat, all quartered by a southern cross); supporters (a kangaroo and an emu); all over a motto ('Australia') on a scroll. The baggy green worn by male players has the motto in gold on a red background; on the women's baggy green, the motto and background colours are reversed. Contrary to a common belief, with the exception of the supporters and the motto, this coat of arms is entirely different from the present and any former national coat of arms. The device on the cap is sometimes referred to as Australia's Cricket Coat of Arms, although it has otherwise been abandoned by Cricket Australia. Replicas of the Baggy Green are not licensed for sale by Cricket Australia; the item is not available from the Cricket Australia Store or from Kookaburra Sport. Any replicas available online are unofficial.

Did You Know?

• The baggy green cap worn by Sir Donald Bradman during his final season in 1948 sold in 2003 for A$425,000.
• The 1953 cap of Keith Miller sold at auction for A$35,000.
• Shane Warne's baggy green was sold at auction in January 2020 for A$1,007,500, with proceeds supporting emergency services responding to the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season.
• The women's baggy green has gold text on a dark green background, as seen on Ellyse Perry's cap.