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GREG CHAPPELL was whacked by a cricket fan in Orissa. John Wright was allegedly caught by the collar by one of his players. Coach- es in India and Pakistan work un- der extreme pressure. In Bob Woolmer's case, the stress turned out to be kning. On Monday, Woolmer's widow was quoted as saying, "His job coaching (in Pakistan) has been in- credibly stressful." All the men who have been in charge of India and Pakistan would agree. "The job in any case is tough. You are travelling all the time, away from your fhmily It is very stressful and I can understand what must have gone through Woolmer He must have been a very lonely man that night," John Wright, former India coach, said, referring to the day Ireland beat Pakistan. "The expectations in the sub- continent are huge and that puts extra pressure... The buck stops with you. And since you are a for- eigner, the pressure is even greater, as you are viewed with suspicion in certain quarters," Wright added. Madan Lal, another former In- dia coach, agreed. "It has always been a very lonely world for a coach here. And if he is a foreigner, it is worse; you can well imagine his plight. Players usually go out and relax after a match, but the coach is always preparing for the next game. Woolmer was a hardcore professional and that probably took his life. It looked as if he took it (Pakistan's ouster from the World Cup) to heart." Day Whatmore, the man who transformed Sri Lanka and is now coach of Bangladesh, told Bangladeshi reporters in Trinidad that it was different coaching Bangladesh or Sri Lanka (where the pressures are less and reac- tions are not so extreme) than In- dia or Pakistan. "It (coaching India or Pakistan) is very stressful as you have to think about the game all the time and plan strategies days ahead," Whatmore said. He added Woolmer had looked stressed and very tired at a managers' meeting held earlier What of Greg Chappell, the man who Madan Lal believes is the "softest target in this part of the world"? HOW DID HE DIE? Suicide? A section of the Pak media says Woolmer could have committed sui- cide. But there is no proof Drug overdose? The Mirror, a British tabloid, says an "accidental drug and alcohol overdose" coupled with stress may have caused the death Stress? Family says his job was mentally taxing; could have contributed to the death Sleep apnea? He was said to have had sleep apnea - a dis- order characterised by pauses in breathing during sleep.Can cause death, but Woolmer was not found dead in his bed Foul play? No allegations, but bloodstains were said to have been found around him

INDIA'S MASSACRE of Bermuda was along expected lines. The good news: Virender Sehwag, de- spite immense pressure from the selectors, was retained in the side, and went on to justify Rahul Dravid's faith by hitting a spectac- ular hundred. At the time of going to press, Bermuda were 53 for 3, still 361 short, and needing over 10 runs an over to win. It looked almost im- possible. It did not, however, mean India can breathe easy Even if they won, they would still be in real danger of being eliminated in the group stage itself. The arithmetic would not change. If Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh and India lose to Lan- ka on March 23, there is no hope. Yet, the massive 413 for 5 brings reason for cheer. India not only crossed 400 for the first time in one-dayers, they also racked up the highest score ever in World Cup history, and equalled the one- day record for sixes. The death saw some breathtaking hitting from Yuvraj Singh - he showered the ground with a barrage of six- es, seven in an innings of 83, made off only 46 balls. The old guard shone too. In the beginning, Souray Ganguly an- chored the innings and, in the end, Sachin Tendulkar joined the party The massive score would have boosted India's morale after the shocking loss to Bangladesh. A win should do wonders for their net-run rate. This might be vital, for in case of a three-way tie with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India may have a better chance of sneaking through to the Super Eights on the basis of a better net run rate. And if that does not happen, world record or not, they will be heading home.

THE DEAD don't speak. And to write about them, when you know they are incapable of a response, is as difficult as visualising life after death. Bob Woolmer was to many one of the finest coaches in the world, a pioneer in introducing laptop technology to crick- et. He is also credited with making South Africa one of the strongest out- fits in the world after their return to in- ternational cricket in the post- apartheid era. It is nothing short of a tragedy that his last day in office, his last day in this world, was his worst as a professional. Whatever reasons one may attribute to Pakistan's loss to Ireland, some of the blame will always stick to Woolmer, the coach of the team. No one will ever know the real rea- son behind his death. Was it the shame of that defeat that he could not bear? Was it a natural failure of the heart? Or did coaching an intrigue-ridden team and dealing with an equally self-seek- ing, ambitious administration finally take its toll and bring to a premature end a life fully lived? One will never know, whatever be the final verdict of the doctors. I have a few memories of the man, a few shared moments that are now sud- denly acquiring a meaning and a life of their own in my mind. When Pakistan toured India in 2005, Woolmer endeared himself to a lot of people, including journalists with whom he came in con- tact. He would often be seen reading a book while sitting in the hotel bar in the evening, sipping a pint of lager He, strangely, would open up to people and would not mind sharing a secret or two with even unknown journalists while talking about the Pakistan team. On that tour, the Pakistan tour man- ager, the tall and the rather over- whelming former paceman Salim Altaf, became a good acquaintance and a tennis partner I, thus, unwittingly be- came a witness to the soured relation- ship between the two. Woolmer was not liked by a certain section of the Pak- istan Cricket Board and was surviving only because of the support of the then PCB chairman, Shahryar Khan. On the final leg of the tour, A1taf said that Woolmer wanted to meet the man who ex- posed the match-fixing scandal in which Hansie Cronje, his beloved cap- tain, was charged with taking money to throw away matches. Could I arrange the meeting? The day the Pakistan team was to leave for Karachi, Woolmer and I met Delhi police chief KK Paul at his resi- dence in the morning. For an hour and so, Woolmer defended Cronje and Paul very firmly defended his stand and told him that the case was based on facts. To the surprise of both Paul and me, Woolmer disclosed many secrets of Pakistan cricket, which won't be right of me to reveal here, for dead men ney- er speak. On our way back to the hotel, Woolmer said he was writing a book, an expose on a television scam that in- volved the embezzlement of a lot of money My second meeting with him was in his hotel room in Islamabad last year when he talked about the pressures of coaching a team that was rooted in or- thodox, religious upbringing. He did not think language, food habits and a different religious environment from his were in any way an impediment to his functioning as a coach. In fact, he felt that religion was a binding factor for the outfit. But he had his problems with the administration and said that the day Shahryar Khan goes, he too would put in his papers. But whatever his inner turmoil at that moment, he was outwardly calm, unhurried and in control. A lot has happened since then - the Oval fiasco, a string of defeats, Shahryar's exit and the advent of a new PCB boss. I wouldn't know what his relation- ship with the new regime - of which Altaf remains an integral part - was, but it is safe to as- sume that it must have been very strained. The day the Pakistan team arrived in Montego Bay on the eve of the opening ceremo- ny, Woolmer appeared to be his usual self and had a smile on his face while greeting people around him. No one could have even dreamt at that time that his end was near, and that too in cruel, tragic circumstances. Ironies never cease, even in death; he was part of the disgraced team whose captain Cronje later died in a plane crash. Woolmer, a man widely respect- ed, passed away after he had seen the worst defeat of his cricketing life. Two unrelated incidents, but they go on to show that death, like life, is under no one's control. pmagazine@hindustantimes.com BOB WOOLMER (1948-2007) m He was a fatherly figure to all of us... We owe him a great salute and would like to do anything his family wants from us - Inzamam-ul Haq m He was an outstanding coach. I have so many good memories of those five years in the 1990s and Bob is central to them - Gary Kirsten, former SA opener mi used to call his wife, Gill, mom so he used to tease her that I am their third son. I know how it feels when you lose your close ones - vice-captain Younis Khan, who has lost his father, sister and two brothers in a series of tragedies a He was a very, very close friend, more than a coach. Bob was an extremely pro- fessional man, an extremely soft person who gave his life to cricket and probably paid for it - Allan Donald, former SA paceman m Saturday's loss... was a great triumph for him because he was the man who started the ICC devel- opment programme and one of the coun- tries he coached was Ireland - ICC boss Malcolm Speed a We get a bit carried away with what we do... But when something like this hap- pens, it certainly rams home that there are other things happening... - Ricky Ponting DAY With Bob Woolmer in charge, South Africa won 73% of their one-day internationals and 10 out of 15 Test series - an outstanding, seemingly unbeatable record indeed

INDIA'S MATCH against Bermuda, a nation of just 65,000 and with no cricketing history worth the name, can be viewed from dit^ferent view- points. India's massacre of their bowling was expected. Their getting a huge score was expected, except perhaps, not in excess of 400 (they got 13 more). The barrage of sixes that Yuvraj Singh smacked all over the ground was exhilarating, but still part of an expected script. And, what is now also expected, is a record margin of victory, given that Bermuda are 106 for seven in 30 overs at the time of go- ing to print. What might not have been expect- ed was Virender Sehwag being re- tained. The pressure on Rahul Dravid to drop him was immense, so immense that it is believed that the manager-cum-selector here, Sanjay Jagdale, even called India to tell chief selector Dilip Vengsarkar, "he (Dravid) is not letting us drop him (Sehwag)". When Sehwag reached his hun- dred, after playing a typically sledge- hammer-like, brutal knock, some- thing he had forgotten to do lately, his usually impassive captain clapped and clapped and then raised his hands, a gesture indicating, 'be calm, don't lose your wicket'. Whatever the quality of the oppo- sition attack - which had got rid of Robin Uthappa, who exchanged his batting order with Sehwag on the day - this hundred could be of some significance. And the breakneck rate at which it came helped India to a mammoth score, something they needed badly, if, in the end, their qualification to the Super Eights de- pends on the net run-rate (NRR). Had India not lost to Bangladesh, whatever they achieved on Monday would have been viewed with a bit of scepticism, not something to gloat over Now, every win matters, as does every run and every wicket, no mat- ter the strength of the opposition. The man who anchored India at the start was Souray Ganguly, once again. Yet, for the first time since his return, he looked out of depth, un- able to time his shots, even being dropped early on. But he saw off that early period of uncertainty and thereafter, it was business as usual. Though he missed another opportu- nity to score a hundred, it is great to be Ganguly these days. Bermuda, a team of part-time cricketers, did themselves no dis- credit on the field, despite the Indian onslaught. They fielded with bound- less energy and never once gave the impression of having thrown in the towel. Their medium pacers bowled a decent line and when the portly Dwayne Leverock, his 37 years show- ing in his bulging girth, dived full length to his right to take a stunning catch, all the Bermuda players went wild. Later in the innings, when MS Dhoni was threatening to pound the ball mercilessly, Janeiro Tucker ran from his long off position, dived ful- ly forward and picked the ball up sec- onds before it hit the ground. But India had enough firepower left in Yuvraj Singh and Sachin Ten- dulkar, who took them towards a huge score. What they achieved in the end made World Cup history India's build-up RB 46 Uthappa c Leverock b Jones 3 4 0 0 Edged, Leverock dives, taken, 3-1 (1.1 overs) Ganguly st Minors b Borden 89 114 6 2 Charges down the wicket, stumped, 238-3 (34.5) Sehwag c Jones b Hurdle 114 87 17 3 Leading edge to the fielder at mid-off, 205-2 (29.5) Dhoni c Tucker b Borden 29 25 2 I Tucker rushes in from long-on, dives, taken, 269-4 (38.2) Yuvraj c Jones b Leverock 83 46 3 7 Lofted shot, taken by the man at long-off, 391-5 (48.4) Tendulkar not out 57 29 2 4 Dravid not out 7 2 0 I Extras: (Ib-7, w-17, nb-7) 31 Total: (for 5 wkts; 50 overs) 413 Bowling: Hurdle 10-0-53-1, Jones 7-0-74-1, Tucker 9-1-67-0, Hemp 2-0-32-0, Leverock 10-0-96-1, Bor- den 5-0-30-2, Cann 7-0-54-0. Bermuda's chase R B46 Pitcher b Zaheer 0 6 0 0 inside-edge, takes away the off stump with it, 0-1 (0.6) Outerbridge b Zaheer 9 16 I 0 Enters the bat-pad gate and clip the bails off, 18-2 (6.3) Borden Ibw b Patel 13 38 I 0 Full length, hits in front of off stump, plumb, 47-3 (13.5) Hemp batting 49 66 6 I Romaine lbw b Kumble 0 10 0 0 Skids in and raps in front of middle and leg, 57-4 (16.4) Tucker b Kumble 0 6 0 0 Sneaks through bat and pad into the stumps, 63-5 (18.3) Minors c sub (Karthik) b Agarkar 21 36 3 I Leading edge and an easy catch at mid-off, 108-6 (29.2) Cann c Uthappa b Agarkar 0 2 0 0 Extras: (Ib-7, w-5, nb-2) 14 Total: (for 7 wkts; 30 overs) 106 Bowling: Zaheer7-1-27-2, Agarkar 8-0-31-2, Munaf 8-2-20-1, Kumble 6-0-20-2, Sehwag I-0-1-0. Highest innings totals in WC Total For VS Venue Year 413-5 Ind Ber Trinidad 2007 398-5 SL Ken Kandy 1996 373-6 Ind SL Taunton 1999 350-4 WI SL Karachi 1987 359-2 Aus Ind Jo'burg 2003 Note. AM scores are in 50-over games Compiled by MANOJ KUMAR

INDIA'S MASSACRE of minnows Bermuda, a nation of just 65,000 people, was along expected lines. But it was good for them that Virender Sehwag, despite immense pressure from the selectors, was retained in the side and went on to justify Rahul Dravid's faith by hitting a spectacular hundred. By scoring 413 for 5, India not only crossed 400 for the first time ever in one- dayers, they also racked up the highest score ever in the history of the World Cup and equalled the one-day record for sixes. The final overs of the match saw some breathtaking hitting from Yuvraj Singh, as he showered the ground with a bar- rage of sixes, seven in his innings of 83 made off only 46 balls. And along with Yuvraj, a symbol of In- dia's future, there was a vintage per- formance from the old guard. In the be- ginning, Sourav Ganguly anchored the innings and, in the end, Sachin Ten- dulkar too joined in the party. Finally, the great news for India is that their massive score will boost their morale, on a down- er after that shocking loss to Bangladesh, while the expected win will do wonders for their net-run rate. This might be vital, for in case of a three-way tie with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, India may have a better chance of sneaking through to the Super Eight on the basis of a better net run rate. But be clear on one thing. India are still in real danger of being eliminated in the group stage itself. The arithmetic has not changed. If Sri Lanka beat Bangladesh and India lose to Lanka on March 23, there is no hope. If that hap- pens, world record or not, they will be heading home. pmagazine@hindustantimes.com WHERE DO WE STAND NOW? India's next target will be to beat Sri Lanka convincingly. Sri Lanka play Bangladesh — who- ever wins goes to the Super Eight. The suspense for India doesn't end there, though. If Bangladesh lose to Sri Lanka, they have another shot at victory when they take on Bermuda in their last league encounter. India will be hoping that Bermuda pull off an upset a la Ireland, but Bangladesh have an advantage. They will know the exact average they need to score at to deny India a place in the next round.