A load off my shoulders: Warner reunited with cherished baggy greens
Sydney, Jan 5: A relieved and grateful David Warner on Friday revealed that he has been reunited with his cherished baggy greens with the iconic cap mysteriously appearing in the team hotel here.
Ahead of day three in the third Test between Australia and Pakistan at the SCG, Warner took to Instagram to reveal that his two baggy greens have been found.
"Hi everyone, I am very pleased and relieved to let you all know that my baggy greens have been found.
"Any cricketer knows how special that cap is and I'll cherish this for the rest of my life. I'm very grateful to all those involved in locating it," Warner said in a video he posted on his Instagram.
"It's a load off my shoulders going into the last couple of days so I really appreciate it. Thanks to all involved and I am extremely grateful to Qantas, the freight company, our hotels and team management," he added.
According to a statement by Cricket Australia, "the bag in which they were packed was found at the team hotel (in Sydney) with all the contents inside."
However, how it got their is still a mystery.
"The movements of the missing bag are unknown despite extensive searches and the review of CCTV footage at multiple locations and the efforts of numerous parties since Tuesday," CA added.
Warner had made an emotional plea on social media for the return of his baggy greens after the backpack containing the cherished possession went missing en route from Melbourne to Sydney earlier this week.
The bag contained two caps as Warner had been given a replacement when he had lost his original Baggy Green in 2017.
However, Warner's wife had later found the original from his Test debut in 2011.
For his swansong Test, Warner wore a spare Baggy Green the team keeps on hand for emergencies.
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T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
