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David Warner checks the pitch ahead of the third Test match between Australia and Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground on January 1, 2024.
CNN
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It’s baggy and green, and is still missing at the time of writing, despite pleas from the Australian Prime Minister, a top cricketer and the star’s father, for its safe return. He says it was likely stolen by “scumbags”.
The mystery of the missing ‘baggy green’ hat was revealed on Tuesday when Australian opening batsman David Warner took to social media to ask for help after it disappeared while traveling on national airline Qantas. Became.
“Unfortunately, this is my last resort,” Warner said in an Instagram video that went viral.
For the uninitiated, the baggy green is the hat given to Australian Test cricketers in a tradition that goes back over a century.
Not only is it an iconic symbol of the sport, but it is also extremely valuable. Before his death in 2022, former Australian spinner Shane Warne sold the watch for more than A$1 million ($676,000).
On Tuesday, a visibly distraught Warner said the hat was in his backpack along with presents for his daughters, but it all went missing as he traveled from Melbourne to Sydney for Wednesday’s Test match against Pakistan. Told.
Cap’s loss could not have come at a worse time. Warner was due to wear the cap as he ran onto the Sydney cricket ground for the final Test match of his career.
“Someone took my backpack out of my actual luggage… Inside this backpack was my baggy green color. It’s sentimental to me. I want to get back to it,” Warner said in an Instagram video.
Pakistan national team captain Shan Masood, upon hearing of the player’s plight, called for an “immediate nationwide search by the Australian government”.
“It might take the best detective to bring it back, because (Warner) is a great ambassador (of the sport) and deserves all the respect and congratulations for his incredible career. ” Masoud said in the pre-match press conference.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese appeared to be listening, as he specifically mentioned the cap at the start of his first press conference of the year on Wednesday, pleading for its return.
“David Warner has represented Australia over 100 times. The baggy green hat belongs to him. He earned them and should be given back,” Albanese said.
While the nation feels like it’s holding its breath, Warner’s father, Howard, predicted it was only a matter of time before the cap resurfaced.
He said on local radio: You’ll probably find it abandoned somewhere. ”
The hat was not found by Wednesday, and Warner instead wore a replacement hat in his final Test outing.
The left-hander announced his retirement from Test and one-day international cricket ahead of the match against Pakistan. This will be his 112th Test match for Australia.
Despite his on-field accolades (a recent highlight being his leading role in Australia’s World Cup win last year), Warner was involved in the 2018 ‘Sandpapergate’ ball-tampering scandal. For this reason, he is seen as a person who is divisive.