- Baggy Greens were with the rest of the team’s luggage
- Caps had been placed in another part of the room
- Warner’s name tag on the bag also faced the wall
The mystery surrounding David Warner’s missing Baggy Green caps appears to have finally been solved.
The veteran opener made a desperate plea for the return of his treasured caps after they were lost en route to his farewell Test at the SCG.
Warner posted a heartfelt video on social media saying his backpack was lost in transit between the second test in Melbourne and the team’s arrival in Sydney.
The Baggy Green caps appeared just after the Test started, but Warner gave no details of where they had been or who had taken them.
Candice Warner also dodged questions about the mystery when she appeared on Channel Seven’s Sunrise last Friday, saying it was a “safety management question”.
The backpack containing Warner’s caps traveled with the rest of the team’s equipment to Sydney – where a comedy of errors prevented it from being found sooner
The bag containing the caps was placed in a different part of the room from the rest of Warner’s equipment (pictured, Warner with wife Candice during his final test for Australia)
This has now been announced by the Sydney Morning Herald that the bag containing the caps never left its place with the rest of the luggage in the team room at the Intercontinental hotel in Double Bay.
Two sources speaking anonymously revealed that his bag had traveled from Melbourne to Sydney along with the rest of the team’s equipment.
That means Qantas’ search for the bag in Melbourne was a waste of time.
The backpack was placed in a smaller cricket bag known as a ‘half chest’, rather than a larger ‘full chest’ bag, which Warner believed was most likely to be found.
Adding to the confusion, the bag containing Warner’s backpack was placed in a different part of the room from Warner’s other belongings – and the “David Warner” tag was tucked under the bag and went unnoticed by those who were looking for it.
The Baggy Green saga became a big talking point, with Anthony Albanese joining the chorus of those begging for the return of Warner’s cap, and sending Sunrise reporter Liam Tapper a message that he read on air Wednesday morning.
“A missing baggy green? Well, that’s just not cricket!’ read the Prime Minister’s text.
“Davey has earned the right to wear it one last time. If you can help, let’s make it happen.’
Pakistan captain Shan Masood also backed Warner and called for the return of the baggy green during his pre-match press conference.
The backpack with the caps finally surfaced after what now appears to be a comedy of errors
“There should now be a nationwide search by the Australian government,” he said.
“Maybe we need the best detectives to get that back. (Warner) has been a great ambassador, and he deserves all the respect and celebration for his incredible career.”
Ultimately, upon re-checking all 64 bags in the room, the team manager found the half-chest bag that contained the backpack containing the Baggy Greens.
A very relieved Warner was allowed to wear his caps for the final two days of his final Test.
When asked after the game where the Baggy Greens had been, Warner said he had no idea.
‘You’ll have to ask security. I wish I had pulled off a prank like that,” Warner said.
‘You’ll have to ask Frank (Dimasi) or Stu Bailey (security staff). It was literally handed to me and nothing was said (said to me). That’s legit.’