Floppy Gold to rival Baggy Green?

Australia's George Bailey says the gold coloured wide-brim hat he sported in the first Victoria Bitter One-Day International in Perth will one day be held in the same regard at the iconic Baggy Green cap.

And the Tasmanian has gone one step further, throwing his support behind the return of terry towelling hat to international cricket, making the extraordinary claim that the vintage fabric is underused both in the sporting arena and life in general.

Bailey produced one of his greatest performances in Australian gold at the WACA Ground on Tuesday, posting 112 in a record stand with captain Steve Smith that guided his side to a five-wicket win over India.

WATCH: Highlights of Bailey's brilliant WACA ton

But it was Bailey's broad-brimmed gold hat that was the talk of social media, spawning two Twitter accounts in its honour and earning praise from both past and current players.

The home side are wearing traditional Australian gold uniforms during this series, a variation from recent home limited overs series when they have worn a dark green strip.

Australia returned to the gold uniform for last summer's triumphant World Cup campaign, and players were keen to keep the 'canary yellow' tradition going. It has now sparked the comeback of the Floppy Gold hat, whose last known citing was in the latter years of the 20th Century.

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The Australian team sport the Baggy Gold hats in 1992

Bailey, sporting a dead-pan expression and displaying the dry wit a professional comic would be proud of, said the return of a fashion accessory that is both stylish and sun smart was long overdue.

"We've been pushing it for years, to bring back the coloured floppy," Bailey said.

"I'd imagine in 10 or 15 years, the coloured floppy will have the same sort of significance as the Baggy Green.

"I think there'll be youngsters growing up wanting to don the floppy. It's got that sort of power.

"I wouldn't be surprised if a few more boys weren't wearing one in game two."

Bailey sported the Floppy Gold at Australia's training session on Monday, along with Mitchell Marsh, but the allrounder opted for the traditional gold cap against the Indians on Tuesday.

When asked about the suggestion of injured fast-bowler Pat Cummins that the terry towelling hat – made famous in the 1980s – should also make a return to international cricket, Bailey claimed that the highly-absorbent fabric had been unfairly shunned by Australians of all walks of life.

"It's a fabric that isn't used enough," he said.

"Not just on the sporting field but in general life. Absolutely."

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Bailey has always been at the forefront of cricket fashion

Bailey's comments are sure to attract controversy around the country, while his stance has the backing of Cricket Australia.

A Cricket Australia spokesperson said: "Every tradition has to have a starting point and maybe, just maybe, people will look back at the WACA Ground and 12 January 2016 as the start of this one, the start of the rise of the Floppy Gold.

"Wearing it was an impressive statement of intent at the start of the Victoria Bitter ODI Series from George and he’s shown himself to be a leader rather than a follower in the fashion stakes.

"George is aware of the sensation the hat has caused on social media but the hat itself has remained grounded despite all the hype; in fact, it was urged to attend the post-match media conference with George but declined to do so, happy to let George – and Steve Smith – take the plaudits for their batting rather than hogging the headlines on its own, as it inevitably would have done had it made an appearance.

"We all hope the hat – and George – goes from strength to strength as the series continues in Brisbane on Friday."