A piece of cricketing memorabilia that has spent years on ice is making a special Australia Day appearance ... in Antarctica.
In a tale of many twists, researchers at Casey Station on the frozen continent will on Saturday pad-up for their traditional January 26 tussle, with a special guest in their midst.
While Aussie Test captain Tim Paine and his team continue their Gabba contest against Sri Lanka, a bat signed by former legends from both nations and taken to Antarctica by the skipper's father-in-law will feature on the chilly pitch.
Players including Alan Border, David Boon and Merv Hughes, along with Sri Lankans Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga in 1988 signed the bat, which was dedicated to the opening of the then-new Casey Station.
The bat reached Antarctica courtesy of dog handler and Casey Station leader, Tom Maggs, whose daughter Bonnie married Paine in 2016.
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For a couple of decades afterwards the bat's whereabouts were unknown, until it surfaced and has assumed pride of place at the station.
On Saturday the bat will be removed from its glass display case and used in the toss ahead of the fun fixture, one of many activities on Casey's Australia Day line-up including a barbecue and dip in the freezing ocean.
"The game we play down here is typical of what people will be playing in backyards and beaches all around Australia, except it's quite a lot colder," station leader Christine MacMillan said.
"The bat is a great link to the history of Australian and Sri Lankan cricket, so it's obviously been a big talking point with the Test now on in Brisbane."
Who gathered the autographs and why the bat was sent south, remains a mystery to the current team at Casey, who are keen to learn more about its history.
"Cricket has always been part of life on all OF Australia's Antarctic stations, so it's great to have such a significant link to history," Ms MacMillan said.
The forecast for Saturday at Casey Station is sunny and cool with a low chance of blizzards.
