Steve Smith speaks out amid debate around sorry state of baggy green

Steve Smith has spoken out amid debate around the tattered state of his 'baggy green' after fans accused him of mistreating the iconic Aussie Test cap. Smith returned to the Test captaincy for the first time in 12 months last week after regular skipper Pat Cummins was ruled out of the second Test against the West Indies.

But with Smith's return to the captaincy came some extra scrutiny, and some sections of the cricket public took exception to the look of his baggy green cap. The cap is worn by all Australian Test cricketers and is an iconic piece of Aussie sporting folklore.

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After wearing it for 88 matches to date, Smith's baggy green is looking a little worse for wear. There are a number of areas where the fabric is missing and showing through to the inner seams, while the general shape of the cap has also seen better days.

Fans took to social media last week pleading for Smith to get a new one, accusing him of disrespecting the national icon by continuing to wear it in such shape. “Such disrespect for a national icon”, one user wrote on Twitter, while another commented: “Why accept this defacing of an iconic and treasured garment of national pride? Please do better.”

Addressing the situation on Tuesday, Smith told The Australian that some rats had gotten into his kit bag during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year. “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 said. “I’m going to try and get it fixed this week, it’s falling apart.”

Former Matildas captain Melissa Barbieri was among the many to defend Smith. She wrote on Twitter: "If your baggy green doesn’t look like this it’s because it’s sitting on the sidelines… much rather a baggy green that’s been doused in blood sweat & tears."

Debate erupts around look of baggy green

Aussie Test great Michael Hussey expressed similar sentiments back in 2017. He said: "The baggy green is the greatest thing I have ever earned. I love the look of my cap. It shows the battles I have been in. It's everything I dreamt of and more. I wouldn't change it for the world."

But late Aussie legend Dean Jones was among the many who didn't like the tattered look, questioning why players of the modern era always seem to pour beer on it after winning a Test match or series. "I hate how the players wear it today," he said previously. "The peak of the cap starts to split and it starts to look like my dog Norman has been chewing on it for an hour. In my eyes, it just looks dreadful.

"(Allan) Border always wore new caps. They never looked dull or tattered. That's the way I want my Australian Test cricketer to look."

In eras gone by, Aussie players used to be given a new baggy green for every tour they went on. But players nowadays see the tattered and worn look as a badge of honour.

Former Test captains Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were also known to wear a worn and faded cap in the twilight of their careers. Glenn Maxwell previously said he would need a new baggy green if he ever played a Test match again because it “completely disintegrated” while in storage, while Mark Waugh also revealed his baggy green had been “eaten by a rat” while in a safe.

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