Sydney: A "baggy green" cap worn by the Australian cricketer acknowledged even by rivals as the greatest ever to lift a bat, the legendary Don Bradman, has been bought for a record 500,000 Australian Dollars, it was reported on Monday. "The Don", as he is affectionately known in Australian folklore, died two years ago but such was his prolific run-scoring talent that all things Bradman are prized possessions in his home country. His batting average was an unparalleled 99.94 - almost 40 runs better than the second best, South African Graeme Pollock on 60.97. Bradman scored his 100th first- class century in the cap - an innings he described as his most "exhilarating" on the field - during his final Test series on Australian soil against India in 1947-48. The unnamed buyer, "a prominent businessman under 40", is said to have long sought the traditional Australian team cap worn by national players, the Australian newspaper reported. "Our journeys have taken us around Australia and certain parts of the world and they simply don't exist," a spokesman for the buyer told the newspaper. After the series, Bradman gave the cap to his close friend, the then Indian team manager, to inspire the Indian game. It was later passed on to a relative who is said to have worn it while playing cricket in his garden. The buyer will likely put the cap on public display once it returns from England where its previous owner lives. It had been expected to fetch between 200,000 and 500,000 Australian Dollars at the London auction.
Copyright AFP 2001
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