Baggy green replaced by VB blue

Perkins’ back-to-back golds

Freeman’s historic Olympic 400m victory

Aloisi sends Aussies to World Cup

Most popular articles

The most read articles on WWOS

1.Police blamed for triathlon crash

2.Saints suspend Milne from AFL

3.Ferguson stood down by Raiders

4.Heat beat Spurs to force game seven

5.Cherry-Evans' dream after Test nightmare

6.Attitude a major concern: Maroons

Wide World of Sports TV partners

Footy ClassifiedOur award winning panel tell it how it really is in the AFL world.

AFL Footy ShowAustralia's favourite team takes you through the week in AFL.

NRL Footy ShowFatty and the gang bring you an entertaining look at rugby league.

Wide World of SportsCatch up with Ken Sutcliffe and the team on Wide World of Sports.

Baggy green replaced by VB blue

By WWOS Staff

12:00 AEST Sun May 18 2008

Australian cricketers wearing the VB blue. (Getty Images)

Latest Cricket:

Ahmed off to Africa but in Ashes frame

Pat Cummins set for cricket return

In-form Voges, Bailey wait on Ashes outer

I don't need back surgery now: Clarke

Hughes needs runs in Ashes lead-up

Have your say on Australia's choice of headwear.

Cricket Australia has been accused of selling out on the famous baggy green after Australian players wore a sponsors cap in a tour match against Jamaica.

Former Australian player Greg Matthews has told News Limited publications that he would never have abandoned the traditional baggy green cap in favour of a sponosors cap.

"Money talks," Matthews said. "You're selling your pride, selling the baggy green. It just cheapens things.

"If someone said to me I had to wear a VB hat, I'd tell them to piss off," he continued emotionally.

Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, Philip Pope, said that the decision was made for the sake of uniformity, with commercial considerations not coming into it.

Players receive a baggy green cap when making their Test debut, so not all tourists have one. Brad Haddin was the only player in the side facing Jamaica who hasn't made his Test debut.

Greg Matthews replied that every player on tour should be entitled to wear the traditional headwear.

"They're making someone feel not as important because, what, they haven't played Test cricket?" he said.

"They're saying you're not an equal to the bloke you're sharing a dressing room with, an aeroplane with, that you're going out to bat with, that you're walking on the field with."

Former Australian Test captain Kim Hughes said he couldn't recall a precedent.

"The only alternative was the floppy wide-brimmed hat, always with our coat of arms on it," he said.

Keith Stackpole said he was disappointed.

"There are certain things that should be sacred," he said. "You are representing Australia, not VB."

Is wearing the VB Blue an insult to the baggy green?
Can uniformity really be an excuse when the helmets worn in the field are green?
Is this a bad precedent to set?
Is Cricket Australia just moving with the times?

User comments

It is an absolute joke that an issue has been made out of this. Blue VB caps were used in a tour match, now seriously guys, who really cares? In my opinion the famous baggy green should only be worn in Test Matches because this is where the players are really playing for their country. The idea of tour matches is for individual players to get themselves into form and to try out some new team strategies. If the Australian Cricket Team were to wear a blue VB cap in a test match, then there would be an issue and reasonable anger throughout the Australian community who support cricket.

The baggy green cap is for test players playing in tests. This game wasnt a test and had uncapped players so they should be able to wear whatever caps they want. Get over it and stop your whining....

Good comments by bigdamnheroes, its time they got rid of Ponting he should be the one responsible for what happens on the field.

ACB has confirm my suspisions that they put the dollar before tradition. Lets keep our ethics and pride, remember we are the lucky country. Our kids need to believe in our heritage, our sports men and woman reprsent Australia not commercial marketing.

pretty average choice, but it is only a tour game, this better not happen in tests.

shame shame shame have a good look at yourself ACB

My respect for Australian cricket stems from the fact that in Australia cricket is indeed like a religion and not a mania the way it is in India. The latest development of the VB Blue cap is surely detrimental to the reputation of Aussie cricket which has always been identified with the Baggy green. It's indeed a sad das day for the great tradition of Australian cricket

they wore the vb cap to preserve the baggygreen reputation not damage it! i fully agree with what they have done. brad haddin and others who have not played in a test yet dont have a baggygreen and nor should they till the play a test for australia!!! anyone who has had to keep in a wide brim hat would know they are annoying and therefor a cap is the best thing to wear. although mayde a ODI kit hat might have gone down better. and c'mon now, qld baggygreen.com.au is not the offical site for australian cricket it has until recently been maintained by cricinfo. the offical site for cricket australia is cricket.com.au

Every email and comment on the headwear has strengthened the position of the ACB. Their decision has been vindicated by the exposure given to the preduct. This wasn't a test match so lets not be so precious. Who cares what they wear on their in a 'nothing' game.

While I agree sponsorship is important to keep the game alive and to keep the best players here I think it is a pity that the sponsors dont take into account history and standing for something - as they would probably get more support

it is interesting to note that the official web site for Australian criket is the "baggygreen" Pehaps, givent the bull that Cricket Australia's Phillip Pope would have us beleive, they should change it to the VB blue caps or something similar!

I spit on the Australian Cricket Board - the ACB - and anything or anybody associated with it. This swill has no pride in being Australian and the "Baggy Green" is Australia. Is the mighty dollar $ more important than the Nations Pride. To the swill sitting on the Board it obviously is. SHAME, SHAME, SHAME.

This is the greatest load of "rubbish" I have ever heard from CA. When we have officials come out and lie in their statements that it was not a case of MONEY that players opted to wear sponsor's caps, cannot be accepted. CA are so obsessed with making money at the expense of both our players and the tradition, they have no integrity or respect to the quality our players and the "Baggy Green". So "P-P-P"(please *** Pope?)and leave our "Tradition and Wonderful Game" alone. There are enough "IMPOSTERS" in sport administration and we certainly do not need them in cricket. DO NOT DESTROY THE BAGGY GREEN ICON forget the $2 cap and the worst beer of all time VB -"IT'S JUST NOT CRICKET"!!!!

Say goodbye to the traditions of Aussie cricket. Anyone with a few dollars can buy the whole f***ing bunch.They wonder why people refuse to watch cricket.Thank goodness we have replays, so the young ones can see how the game should be played.

I think there is enough room on the uniforms for sponsors to put their logos. The baggy green cap should never be replaced, no matter how much the sponsor pays. What next? Will the sponsors product be brought out at drinks? Unfortunately, money does talk and Cricket Australia has let the nation down by allowing this to happen. Are we encouraging our youth to play sport or drink beer? I sometimes wonder. Anyway, I wish the team wearing the baggy green cap all the best.

It could be purple, pink or yellow with pink polka dots as long as it had a sponsors logo on it, the ACB doesn't give a rats, money is money. They have become so money hungry as have the Aussie cricketers. Money is spoiling the game and it shows in the team. To keep rebuilding the team needs a mixture of young and older players but the older players won't retire because they cannot see past the dollar sign. Cricket has lost me as the ACB has lost the plot.

Greg Matthews and others should get a grip. I am sure they would have been equally shocked, dismayed and disgusted at the lowering of standards if the touring party had decided to allow Brad Haddin to wear his baggy green a few days early. He is, after all, the presumptive Australian 'keeper. But no, tradition states that you cannot wear the sacred cap until you have earned it by playing your first Test match. So, the team did the RIGHT thing by wearing something different. The oversight of course, was in not having an alternative tour cap of some sort, as opposed to the Test headwear. By doing what they did, they have made EVERY MEMBER of the team that is currently representing Australia in a tour match, part of the team by all wearing the same outfit. This is an indication of true sportsmanship and being part of a team. I think the old boys brigade should thank the tourists for upholding one of the most outstanding traditions of Aussie cricket.

What a tragedy to see the Aussie team standing around looking like a bunch of Poms after a bad Boxing Day. We have our sporting colours and selling out for sponsors, and hiding behind claims of 'uniformity'... what rubbish. Cricket Aust. are joining the Aussie rugby league team and our Olympic team in trading off our sporting pride and heart for filthy bucks.

What colour caps do we ware in the one dayers, and twenty 20.

It's an absolute disgrace to wear a Vb cap instead the Baggygreen, surely, they could wear the vb logo somehwre else on their clothing, like on their shirt sleeves or trousers or somewher else!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's so disgusting, to replace the Baggygreen, in that way because everybody can relate to the Baggygreen cap!!! It does cheapen it to replace it with a beer cap!!!! disgraceful!!!!!!!!!!!

Cricket Australia needs to play a leading role on the importance of the baggy green if its to stop the onslaught of the best players leaving test cricket to become cashed up basher's in the IPL. By using sponsors caps they send a signal that representing your counntry is not as important as representing the sponsor. American sports dont even allow sponsors logos on the team strips of many of the biggest codes in the country.

If you are representing your country in anything. You should use your country's official piece of clothing, (Baggy Green) you are representing your country, not an alcoholic beverage

Since when do our cricketers represent a company?Are they representing Australia or VB? This is rubbish!!!! It leaves the door open for other sporting org to mess with sporting history,all for$$$.We have seen what has happened to the Olympic swimm finals. As the saying goes when money talks bull%^^

Hey C'mon whatever happened to Australia? Stick traditional, let's keep it green.

It was a silly tour game.

QUOTE "Cricket Australia's public affairs manager, Philip Pope, said that the decision was made for the sake of uniformity, with commercial considerations not coming into it." If this is the case..that is... commercial considerations not coming into it... then why wouldn't they be wearing a PLAIN BLUE CAP!!!!! Of course commercial considerations come into it... how dumb does this idiot think we are? I realise the economic truth about sport today but PLEASE... STOP treating us like idiots!!! It is wrong, to me and some other sports fans, that this has occurred but at least be honest about it...

I don't think it is so bad not wearing the baggy green for one tour match. It is not any disrespect to Australia and all you people should learn to sotp whinging and grow up!!!!!!!!!!

Who am I supposed to support now, England..??? I'm confused. I wholeheartedly agree with those who say keep the adverts to the shirts, bags and pants (as the creative person who wrote the 'rap' song said). The whole fact of the matter is "there is a uniform that they MUST wear". There are many places that use full uniforms to recognise their place by, so why change the uniform?! From an aesthetic viewpoint it looks completely ridiculous having blue caps and a green helmet and you can't tell if England and Australia have become one complete team or not. GET THE BAGGY GREEN CAPS BACK CRICKET AUSTRALIA YOU'RE MAKING A JOKE OF US BY SELLING US OUT!!!

Absolutely disgusted. Yes, it is only a sport, yes it is only a hat and yes money talks.. BUT, tradition, pride and ethics must come into it. Wonder what Steve Waugh would have said.

you should be ashamed of yourselves,and Sir Donald Bradman will be spinning in his grave!Money doesn't make you a man,men make money.I am disgusted at the ACB