Australia bowler claims Wimbledon outfit blunder ended his Test career

19 January 2023 , 15:58

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Damien Fleming believes his Test career ended after he ignored a request from captain Steve Waugh to wear his baggy green cap to Wimbledon (Image: Hamish Blair/ALLSPORT)

Former Australia bowler Damien Fleming believes his failure to wear his iconic baggy green cap when the entire squad visited Wimbledon during the 2001 Ashes led to the end of his Test career.

They went to cheer on compatriot Pat Rafter as he faced Goran Ivanisevic in the final and captain Steve Waugh wanted every player to wear their baggy green cap. "In the 2001 Ashes tour, we finished a day early and there was a washout [at Wimbledon] so Patty Rafter and Goran played a day later," Fleming told SEN Cricket.

"Tickets were organised for us to go down and watch. I was very excited, we'd won so there was a big celebration, we were singing the song and a few people were talking about wearing the baggy green as we progressed through the alcohol. At night you're thinking it's just a bit of alcohol talking, but surely this won't come into play."

However, Waugh was deadly serious and the majority of the squad turned up to Wimbledon wearing their caps, aside from Fleming, Mark Waugh and Shane Warne. "Steve Waugh was not happy that everyone hasn't worn the Baggy Green," Fleming added.

"So there's got to be ramifications for this. You can't drop Shane Warne. Not again. I think he worked out that didn't go down very well. He can't drop his brother Mark Waugh. What would that be like at Christmas lunch?

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"So, someone has to go and it's the big-nosed Victorian. Not the smartest thing I ever did. I never played Test match cricket again."

And while Fleming says "genuine naivety" was behind him not donning the cap, the late great Warne later blasted Waugh's request as "embarrassing".

Shane Warne also refused to wear his baggy green to Wimbledon and later called Waugh's request "embarrassing" (PA Archive/PA Images)

Speaking to the BBC in 2018, Warne said: "The ultimate embarrassment was when Steve Waugh - we went to see Pat Rafter play at Wimbledon and he wanted the whole team to wear it.

"I looked at Mark Waugh and he said 'I'm not wearing it' and I said 'I'm not wearing it either'. So the guys that idolised Steve Waugh – Langer, Hayden, Gilchrist those types of guys, all wear the Baggy Green to Wimbledon.

"It makes me want to puke to think about that, these guys, grown men, wore baggy green caps to Wimbledon. So I refused. Looking back at some of those photos, it was embarrassing to watch."

Matthew Cooper