Australia
\nSkipper Bradman, who famously averaged 99.94 in Test matches, sported the cap during England\u2019s 1946-47 Ashes tour of Australia, the first to be played between the two sides after World War II.
\nNational Museum director Katherine McMahon said that with cricket far from people\u2019s minds during the war, the Test series represented a sign of hope and optimism.
\n\u201cSir Donald\u2019s baggy green marks the life of Australia\u2019s most celebrated batsman and reflects a time when sporting heroes gave Australians hope, following the heartbreak and hardship of World War II,\u201d she said late Friday.
\n\u201cWe are delighted this national treasure has found a home here at the National Museum of Australia for all Australians to enjoy.\u201d
\nThe cap, bought from a private owner, is one of 11 worn by Bradman known to exist.
\nOne that he used during India\u2019s 1947-48 tour of Australia, his final Test series on home soil, fetched US$250,000 last year.
\nAustralia\u2019s cricketers are awarded the dark green woollen caps before Test debuts and they are revered by players and fans alike.
\nArts Minister Tony Burke said the purchase safeguarded an important piece of national history.
\n\u201cYou\u2019d be hard-pressed to meet an Australian that hasn\u2019t heard of the great Donald Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketer of all time,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cNow to have one of his iconic baggy greens in the National Museum of Australia means visitors will have the opportunity to get up close and connect with our sporting and cultural history.\u201d
\nThe cap will go into the National Historical Collection in Canberra alongside other Bradman memorabilia, including an autographed bat from the first Test at Trent Bridge in Nottingham during the 1934 Ashes series.
\nBradman, described by cricket authority Wisden as the greatest to \u201chave ever graced the gentleman\u2019s game\u201d, died in 2001 aged 92.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Australia Skipper Bradman, who famously averaged 99.94 in Test matches, sported the cap during England\u2019s 1946-47 Ashes tour of Australia, the first to be played between the two sides after World War II. National Museum director Katherine McMahon said that with cricket far from people\u2019s minds during the war, the Test series represented a sign […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500180","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n