Australian cricketers speak about the pride and emotions attached to the Baggy Green

Mike Hussey, Simon Katich, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris, Clint McCay, Brett Lee and Marcus North, recall their experience when they first received their Baggy Green.

Australian Test cricketers first wore the Baggy Green in 1899 and since then it has become the ultimate symbol for the game in the country.

The Baggy Green cap that a Test player receives on making his first Test appearance for the nation, is considered by many cricketers as the foremost achievement. In fact in an Australian Cricketer’s Association survey of international and state players, majority had voted that the opportunity to receive the sacred baggy green is more valuable than a million dollars Indian Premier League (IPL) contract.

For Mike Hussey, it was his ultimate dream to receive the cap.

“It was probably the combination of 10 years of First-Class cricket and hard work. Lot of ups and downs. And heartache a lot of times. But it was all of those emotions coming together,” recalled Hussey.

Speedster Brett Lee called it his “most prized possession.”

“You feel bullet proof, invincible,” said Lee about how he feels after wearing his Baggy Green.

Simon Katich summed it up perfectly when he said, “It was summed up for me when I received my baggy green by Richie Benaud. He said ‘there are many more important things in life than a baggy green cap but to an Australian cricketer it is the ultimate achievement.”

In this video, Hussey, Katich, Doug Bollinger, Ryan Harris, Clint McCay, Brett Lee and Marcus North, recalled their experience when they first received their Baggy Green.