Former Australian test captain Steve Waugh and Shane Warne have not always seen eye to eye. Photo / Getty
Former Australian test captain Steve Waugh and Shane Warne have not always seen eye to eye. Photo / Getty
It's safe to say most Australian sports fans will agree the iconic baggy green is more sacred than the crown jewels.
The famous dark green cap — handed out to just 455 men in over 140 years of the sport — goes hand-in-hand with a number of great test cricketing stories.
If you ever needed reminding of the importance placed on a piece of fabric, take a look at the miniature ceremony, accompanied by a speech from a former player, held each and every time a player makes their debut.
Tales of current Australian coach Justin Langer sleeping with his prized cap sit atop the pile of bizarre baggy green worship stories.
But Shane Warne simply couldn't give a damn about all that pomp.
Speaking on BBC Radio overnight, the 145-test star shredded his former teammates' obsession with the cap. While reassuring us he always valued playing for Australia, the former leg spinner stressed that what you wore on your head had nothing to do with how much you loved performing for your country.
"I was embarrassed about some of the verbal diarrhoea that came out about the baggy green cap. I believed you didn't need a baggy green cap to say that you loved playing cricket for Australia," Warne said.
"Myself and Mark Waugh loved wearing a white floppy hat, it helped with sun protection and it felt more comfortable on our head. The green baggy was too tight, we didn't like the look of it on our heads."
Shane Warne is not a fan of the famous Baggy Green. Photo / Photosport
Warne said Steve Waugh's obsession with the cap became "the ultimate embarrassment" when he decided the team should all wear it while supporting Pat Rafter in a match at Wimbledon in 2001.
"We went to watch Pat Rafter at Wimbledon — and he wanted the whole team to wear it. And I looked at Mark Waugh and he said 'I am not wearing that'," Warne said.
"So the guys (who) idolised Steve Waugh, Langer, Hayden, Gilchrist, those type of guys, all wore the baggy green cap to Wimbledon," Warne scorned. "It makes me puke to think that these grown men wore green baggy caps to Wimbledon! So I refused.
"Looking back at some of those photos ... it was embarrassing to watch."
Taking a look back at Warne's career in photographs, it's tough to find an image of the nation's leading wicket taker taking the field without his floppy.
Earlier, Warne labelled former skipper Waugh the most selfish player he ever played with in his latest book, No Spin.
