Australian sporting legend David Warner ‘relieved’ to be reunited with missing ‘baggy green’ hat
(CNN) — It was a nervous few days, but finally David Warner has been reunited with his missing ‘baggy green’ hat.
After posting on social media asking for help after his iconic cap had gone missing, Warner provided an update on Friday saying that it had been found.
“I am pleased and relieved to have my baggy back in my hands. Any cricketer knows how special their cap is and I’ll cherish this for the rest of my life,” the 37-year-old said in an Instagram video.
“I am very grateful to all of those involved in locating it – the Qantas team, the freight company, the hotel and our own team management.
“It’s a load off my shoulders going into the last couple of days. I really appreciate it so thank you all.”
For the uninitiated, a baggy green is a cap given to Australia Test cricketers in a tradition spanning more than a century.
Not only an iconic symbol of the sport, they’re also incredibly valuable. Before his death in 2022, former Australia spinner Shane Warne sold his for more than a million Australian dollars ($676,000).
Warner had turned to social media for aid when the opening batsman’s hat disappeared during transit on national carrier Qantas.
The cap’s loss couldn’t have come at a worse time – Warner had planned to wear it as he ran onto the Sydney Cricket Ground for the final Test match of his career.
“Someone’s taken my backpack out of my actual luggage … inside this backpack was my baggy green. That’s sentimental to me. It’s something that I would love to have back in my hands,” Warner said.
The player’s plight was heard by Pakistan captain Shan Masood, who called for “a countrywide search right now from the Australian government.”
The hat wasn’t found before Wednesday’s first day of the Test in Sydney and instead Warner wore a replacement cap for his final outing.
The left-hander announced his retirement from Test and one-day international cricket ahead of the Pakistan encounter; it is his 112th Test match for Australia.
In what was likely his penultimate innings for Australia, Warner was out for 34 on day two of the Test in Sydney.
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