Bradman’s iconic ‘baggy green’ cap sells for record A$479,700

Don Bradman’s 1928 debut cap previously sold for A$450,000, highlighting his enduring legacy

MELBOURNE:

A sun-faded and insect-damaged cricket cap once worn by Don Bradman has been sold for A$479,700 (£311,000), setting a record for caps associated with the Australian cricket legend.

The "baggy green" cap was worn during India’s first tour of Australia as an independent nation in 1947-48. Bradman scored an astonishing 715 runs in six innings, averaging 178.75. The series also saw him achieve 100 first-class centuries, a first for an Australian player, as he led the hosts to a 4-0 victory in the five-test series.

At the tour's conclusion, Bradman gifted the cap to India’s team manager, Pankaj "Peter" Gupta, who later passed it to wicketkeeper PK Sen. The previous owner acquired the cap in 2003, and since 2010, it had been on loan to the Bradman Museum in Bowral, Bradman’s hometown.

Sydney auction house Bonhams, which listed the cap with an estimated value of A$300,000-A$400,000, confirmed its sale to an Australian buyer. This surpasses the A$450,000 fetched by Bradman’s 1928 debut test cap in 2020 but falls short of the over A$1 million raised by Shane Warne’s baggy green in aid of bushfire relief.

Bradman, regarded as the greatest batsman in cricket history and one of Australia’s finest captains, retired with an unparalleled test batting average of 99.94 across 52 matches.

The sale coincides with India’s current five-test tour of Australia, where the visitors lead 1-0 ahead of the second match at Adelaide Oval.