Steve Smith has revealed why his baggy green is looking so ragged after the Australian star’s prized cap was a little worse for wear in the recent series against the West Indies.
Smith’s tattered baggy green caused a stir on social media with debate over whether his well-worn cap was a sign of “disrespect for a national icon”.
However, Smith told The Australian there was an innocent explanation for the extensive wear and tear on his baggy green after some rats got into it on the tour of Sri Lanka in July.
Watch Australia v South Africa. Every test match live and ad-break in play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
NEW FOLLOW-ON PODCAST – Ultimate test series preview; summer of Smudge?
Listen below or subscribe in Apple Podcasts or Spotify
“I left it overnight in the change room in Galle like I do everywhere and turned up next day and rats had got to it I think,” he told The Australian.
“I’m going to try and get it fixed this week, it’s falling apart.”
Smith has proudly worn his baggy green for 88 Tests since his debut in 2010, but its ragged appearance in the West Indies series had some people calling for him to get a replacement.
The baggy green is arguably the cricket world’s most iconic symbol and the reverence for the cap and its meaning to the Australian team and cricket community has only grown over the years.
MORE CRICKET NEWS
‘FANS ARE OFF HIM’: Clarke calls for SA to sledge Warner over ‘sandpapergate’
BBL SQUADS ANALYSED: Scorchers’ mammoth blow; Strikers’ shock superstar coup
‘FOR A MAN OF THAT GIRTH…’: New cult hero emerges as legend’s son’s catch stuns
‘CROSS NEXT TO YOUR NAME’: Snubbed South Africa batsman hits out at selectors
Aussie cricketers used to be awarded a new cap for each tour and there remains no set rule for players not to get a replacement from Cricket Australia.
However, the players privately see an ageing cap as a badge of honour and the more worn the cap, the more senior the player.
But Smith’s “shaggy green” caught the ire of some unimpressed fans prior to him issuing his explanation.
Get all the latest cricket news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now!!!
On Twitter, one fans asked “is the shabby look of Steve Smiths Baggy Green a bad look?” while others labelled it “terrible”, “looks like it’s been chewed by his dog” and “even more putrid than what West Indies have served up in the last two tests.”
Another said it was “Such disrespect for a national icon”, while another tweeted: “Why accept this defacing of an iconic and treasured garment of national pride? Please do better.”
However, former Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri defended Smith’s look prior to his rat revelation.
Smith is not alone in having a cap that looked like it had been through the ringer.
Former captain and 168-Test legend Steve Waugh, who is credited as being one of the players to enhance the esteem of the baggy green during his career, famously needed to have his restored in 2002 before his retirement in 2004.
Watch BBLI12. Every game live and ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >
Another former captain Ricky Ponting, who also played 168 Tests had a similar issue, only repairing his baggy green when the peak was about to fall off.
Glenn Maxwell revealed if he made the Aussie Test team again, he would need a new baggy green after it “completely disintegrated” in storage, while Mark Waugh revealed his baggy green had been “eaten by a rat” while stored in a safe.