Warne auctions Baggy Green for bushfire victims

Legendary leg-spinner Shane Warne is auctioning off his Baggy Green to raise money for victims of Australia's devastating bushfires.

Warne, Australia's most prolific Test wicket-taker and arguably the greatest spin bowler of all time, made the announcement on Monday at the SCG during the third Domain Test between Australia and New Zealand.

"The impact these devastating fires are having on so many people is unthinkable and has touched us all," Warne said.

"I hope my baggy green can raise some significant funds to help all those people who are in desperate need."

The 50-year-old joins an army of cricketers raising money to a cause close to the hearts of millions of Australians during an unprecedented summer of bushfire tragedy, with KFC BBL players donating sums of money for sixes hit and wickets taken, and Australia's Test bowlers also following suit.

Just how much Warne's Baggy Green will fetch is difficult to estimate, though one of Sir Donald Bradman's caps earned a staggering $425,000 when auctioned off for charity in 2003.

And while the legend of Bradman remains incomparable, Warne could be considered a close second in terms of Australia's most celebrated cricketers.

It is unknown how many Baggy Green caps Warne received through his career, though he once gifted one to former media mogul and close friend, the late Kerry Packer.

Within 25 minutes of Warne launching the auction on Twitter, former England captain Michael Vaughan had bid $25,000.

The mystique around the Baggy Green cap has grown in recent eras, starting under the captaincy of Mark Taylor and famously increasing during the tenure of Steve Waugh, who was passionate about the headwear's legacy and helped make it perhaps the most treasured article of clothing in Australian sport.

Warne preferred to wear a white floppy hat in the field during his career but under Waugh's leadership, all Australian players would wear their Baggy Green caps in the opening session of a Test.