Shane Warne's Baggy Green fetches more than $1m for bushfire aid

Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne’s iconic Baggy Green continues to go strong at the auction and has raised more than $1 million for victims of Australia‘s devastating bushfires. Earlier this week, Australia’s all-time leading wicket-taker in Tests had come up with the incredible gesture of auctioning his beloved Baggy Green.

Within moments of the cap becoming available, the website crashed as the bidders made it clear that they want to lay their hands on the prized asset. And after receiving strong bids, Shane Warne finally sold his Baggy Green for $1,007,500 through an online auction on Saturday. Hundred percent of the proceeds from the auction will go to the bushfire victims.

The former Australia spin spearhead took to Twitter to thank the bidders for their incredible response. He also stated that the final price for his cap was beyond his expectations. Warne made his feelings clear by writing Thank you as many as five times in his tweet, writing:

“Thankyou so much to everyone that placed a bid & a huge Thankyou/congrats to the successful bidder – you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou ❤️”

Thankyou so much to everyone that placed a bid & a huge Thankyou / congrats to the successful bidder – you have blown me away with your generosity and this was way beyond my expectations ! The money will go direct to the Red Cross bushfire appeal. Thankyou, Thankyou, Thankyou ❤️ pic.twitter.com/vyVcA7NfGs

— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) January 9, 2020

Meanwhile, two individuals from Sydney, listed on the website as “MC” from Sydney and “WC” of Gordon which is a suburb in the city went all out to buy the cap. Towards the end, the auction became a two-horse race and MC eventually lodged the winning bid. The winner of the auction would also get a certificate from Warne.

Other cricketers step forward for help too:

Not only Shane Warne, but other Australian cricketers have also come out in support of the bushfire victims too.  Former Australia pacer Jeff Thomson is also selling his Baggy Green cap and a knitted vest he wore while playing in the 1970s and 1980s to support bushfire victims. On the other hand, Chris Lynn, D’Arcy Short and Glenn Maxwell have pledged they would be donating sums of money for each six they hit in the ongoing Big Bash League.