The cap worn by Eric Hollies, the England [ Images ] leg-spinner who denied the great Don Bradman the chance of averaging 100 in Test matches, is to be auctioned in Melbourne [ Images ] this month.

Australia's [ Images ] Bradman, widely regarded as the finest batsman in cricket history, needed four runs in his final innings at the Oval, London [ Images ], in 1948 to achieve the phenomenal statistic.

But Hollies, who died in 1981 aged 68, bowled 'The Don' second ball for a duck, leaving the Australian with an unprecedented average of 99.94 runs in 52 Tests.

The cap, which is accompanied by a letter of authentication from Australian opener Arthur Morris to whom it was handed after the match, is expected to raise up to A$30,000 when it goes up for auction on August 16.