A day before the start of his last Test match, veteran Australia batter David Warner gardened additional attention for losing his Baggy Green in transit. Warner, who received a Guard of Honour while coming out to bat in the 112th match of his 12-year old Test career, had taken to the social media platform Instagram yesterday to lodge a plea in the hope of being returned a priced possession.
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For those who are unaware, the incident happened while the Australian team was travelling from Melbourne to Sydney for the ongoing third Test. In his post, the southpaw requested the supposed thief to return his Baggy Green whilst assuring that no action would be taken against him/her. A desperate Warner even announced gifting his Australian backpack to the one who will return his cap.
Baggy Green, another name for an Australian cricketer’s Test cap, holds unmatched importance because it is presented right before a debut. Since it is a symbol of national pride for Test cricketers in the nation, one understands the distress behind Warner’s entreaty. Co-incidentally, this isn’t the first time when he has lost his Test cap.
Six years ago, during the only Test that Australia have lost against Bangladesh thus far, Warner had no option than to wear a new Baggy Green after apparently losing the original one. Warner, who scored a gritty hundred in the following match, was later informed by wife Candice Warner with regard to finding it at home.
Is David Warner’s Baggy Green Really Stolen?
Warner, whose Baggy Green was stolen in reality during his journey to Sydney, had also lost his bats back in 2016. Unlike the latest case, he had even posted a picture of the guy with his stolen bats.
In his post on Tuesday, the 37-year old player confirmed that the airline hasn’t been able to find a culprit in spite of going through the CCTV footage present at the airport.
“If you are the person, who was either working for the company driving it to and from the airport or working for @qantas and have, by chance, just wanted the backpack, I have one for,” read a part of Warner’s Instagram caption.
Adam Gilchrist and Michael Vaughan Sense A Conspiracy
Sharing their views on the unfortunate incident, former Australia wicket-keeper batter Adam Gilchrist and former England captain Michael Vaughan shared a plot about the same during their appearance on Club Prairie Fire Podcast.
While the pair laid emphasis on there hardly being anything in Warner’s Baggy Green for a thief, former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath, a guest on the show, was sarcastically blamed by Gilchrist for snitching to ensure that the left-handed batter wears the Baggy Pink in his farewell Test. For those unversed, converting the New Year’s Test into a Pink Test is a joint initiative by McGrath and CA (Cricket Australia).
As for the conspiracy theory, Gilchrist and Vaughan were confident that Warner’s Baggy Green had been stolen by a teammate, all-rounder Mitchell Marsh in particular. McGrath, who took no time to second the thought, even pointed out wicket-keeper batter Alex Carey‘s role in it.
“Yeah, I say Mitch [Mitchell Marsh] is up there. He’s a very funny lad. When you look at the batsmen, they are a bit boring, aren’t they, Vaughney [Michael Vaughan]? And then the fast bowlers are more exciting. It’s the wicket-keeper that sort of goes in between that you really have to keep the eyes on. So, you know, Alex Carey could be up there as well but Mitch Marsh, I think is a bit of a prankster,” McGrath responded.
Marsh, a certified prankster, had marked his run-up ahead of the first Ashes 2023 Test in an attempt to play mind games with the opposition despite not being a part of the Playing XI at Edgbaston. In the following match at the Lord’s, Carey had gathered immense headlines for stumping England wicket-keeper batter Jonny Bairstow in an astutely legal manner.
Did David Warner Get His Baggy Green Back?
Still to get his Baggy Green back, Warner wore a Baggy Pink at the SCG on Wednesday. In an interview with SEN Radio as quoted by Fox Cricket, Howard Warner, David’s father, expressed his anguish at the thief.
“Whatever scumbag has taken it is going to have to lay it off very shortly. They’ll find it dumped somewhere. I know he’s emotional. He would love to walk out with the baggy green on,” Howard said.
Warner, one of the modern-day all-format greats, has scored 26 Test centuries across 203 innings at an average of 7.7 innings per century. Since his Test debut in 2011, no other opening batter has been able to outperform Warner in this facet. Appreciated by fans around the world, Warner has best wishes aplenty with respect to finding his Baggy Green before the conclusion of this match.
