Bid for Shane Warne's 'Baggy Green' cap crosses AUD 500,000

The 'Baggy Green' cap that former Australian spinner Shane Warne put up for auction for donating the amount to the bushfire relief fund, has crossed AUD 500,000.

There is still one more day left for the bidding.

Warne decided to auction his cap in order to raise funds for the bushfire appeal.

"Wow! This is incredible. Thank you so so much. Remember auction closes on Friday the 10th of January at 10 am Melbourne, Australian time. Not long to go, so please place a bid here. Thank you so much again for this maxing generosity," he tweeted.

Along with Warne, former Australian pacer Jeff Thompson has also put his cap for auction.

The 50-year-old Warne is the most successful Test bowler for Australia, scalping 708 wickets in the longest format.

"It is hard to say what these pieces may go for. But I just hope that they can raise some decent funds that will really make a difference for all of those in need right now," cricket.com.au quoted Thompson as saying.

Warne on Monday announced to auction his Baggy Green cap to raise funds for victims of the devastating bushfires in Australia.

Taking to Twitter, Warne made an announcement and posted a statement.

"The horrific bushfires in Australia have left us all in disbelief. The impact these devastating fires are having on so many people is unthinkable and has touched us all. Lives have been lost, homes have been destroyed and over 500 million animals have died too," Warne said.

"Everyone is in this together and we continue to find ways to contribute and help on a daily basis. This has led me to auction my beloved baggy green cap (350) that I wore throughout my Test career," he added.

Warne joined a growing list of cricketers, who are raising money for the bushfire victims. Australian players Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell and D'Arcy Short have already announced that they will donate AUD 250 each for every six they hit in the ongoing Big Bash League (BBL) to support the bushfire victims.

Athletes from other sports too joined the movement as tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Novak Djokovic decided to donate 25,000 dollars each for Australia's bushfire relief fund.

Wildfires have been raging across Australia for months, killing 23 people, burning about 6 million hectares (23,000 square miles) of bushland and killing a billion animals.

Naval and air rescue operations were launched last week as mass evacuations of towns at risk of being engulfed by flames got underway.