By Frank Dalleres
David Warner has offered a reward for the return of his baggy green Australia cricket cap after it went missing from his bag on the eve of his final Test match.
In a video on Instagram, the veteran batter said the cap was taken from his backpack during transit to Sydney ahead of Australia’s third Test against Pakistan at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
Warner, a pantomime villain during Ashes series in England, has promised whoever took it can keep his backpack and said they “won’t get into trouble”.
“This is my last resort to do this,” he said.
“A couple of days ago, our bags got freighted via Qantas. We’ve gone through CCTV footage, they’ve got some blind spots apparently, we spoke to the Quay West Hotel who we absolutely trust and have gone through their cameras, no one’s come into our rooms.
“But unfortunately, someone has taken my backpack out of my actual luggage, which had my backpack and my girls’ presents in there, inside this backpack was my baggy green.
“It’s sentimental to me, it’s something I would love to have back in my hands walking out there come this week. If it is the backpack you really wanted, I have a spare one here, you won’t get into trouble.
“Please reach out to Cricket Australia or myself via my social media and I’m happy to give this to you if you return my baggy greens.”
Players selected for Australia’s Test team receive a baggy green cap in a tradition dating back more than a century, and typically keep the same one for their career.
They can fetch large sums in the sports memorabilia world, with legendary spin bowler Shane Warne’s cap going for more than A$1m in 2020, two years before his death.
The Sydney Test, which starts on Wednesday, marks 37-year-old Warner’s final red-ball appearance for his country after more than a decade as Australia’s linchpin opener.
At a press conference on Monday, Warner announced he was also retiring from one-day cricket, but would still be available for the T20 format.
He said Australia’s upset victory over India in the World Cup final in November was his last 50-over match on the international stage.
Additional reporting by PA.
