Warne's Baggy Green begins national fundraising tour

Shane Warne's Baggy Green cap has begun its nation-wide fundraising tour as the Commonwealth Bank fulfils the promise it made when it paid more than $1m for the iconic headwear.

When Warne, Australia's greatest ever Test wicket-taker and the game's finest leg-spinner, put his cherished Baggy Green up for auction earlier in the summer, it kick-started a wave of fundraising within the game for Australia's bushfire-affected communities.

That number has now topped more than $7.8 million – including the $1,007,500 the Commonwealth Bank paid for Warne's cap – following the Bushfire Bash charity game in Melbourne last weekend.

When CommBank CEO Matt Comyn was revealed as the buyer for Warne's cap in January he promised to take it on a fundraising tour across the country before handing it over to the Bradman Museum in Bowral as a permanent exhibit.

That tour began in central Sydney today and the cap will criss-cross the country for the next several weeks – including stopping at the Women's T20 World Cup Final at the MCG on March 8 – before it arrives at the Bradman Museum in late April.

The cap will visit more than 30 locations including schools, cricket clubs and community centres as well as select CommBank branches where cricket fans can see and take their picture with the cap, for a small donation to the bushfire relief effort.

Every dollar donated during the tour will go towards the Commonwealth Bank Bushfire Appeal to further support Australian Red Cross' disaster relief program and recovery efforts.

"After securing Shane's cherished Baggy Green, raising more than $1 million for bushfire relief, we wanted to ensure his iconic cap could raise even more funds at the same time as allowing cricket fans across the country to enjoy it, before it finds a permanent home at the Bradman Museum," Comyn said in a statement.

"Over coming months, we will be taking the cap to over 30 locations where the goal is not only to raise money but also to lift spirits and support local communities hit hardest by the recent and catastrophic fires."

Full details of the Warne's Baggy Green tour can be found here.

Fans can still bid on a range of items donated by players following Sunday's Bushfire Bash at Junction Oval, including the special retro Kookaburra bats used by the likes of Ricky Ponting, Justin Langer, Brad Hodge and Brad Haddin.

Click here to see remaining auction items.

The auction is due to close around 7pm AEDT on Thursday.