Bob Woolmer's Test Results r out-Poison - Page 3

Pakistan team in distress

Pavitra Sazawal | CNN-IBN | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 09:44 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 10:51


The biggest challenge for the Pakistan team will be to overcome the ghosts in their minds.

New Delhi: For Pakistan's cricketers the last few days have been traumatic. With no coach, no Board and a captain on his way out, they are bracing for their last match of this World Cup.

Their opponents will be Zimbabwe, but the bigger challenge will be to overcome the ghosts in their minds.

There was an empty place on the Pakistan team bus as it pulled into Sabina Park for their final training session, the intensity in the session was missing but that was easy to understand. Afterall, these boys had lost a coach; a friend and a mentor.

"The life is more important than the sports and the life, when somebody passes away, especially like the guy who actually spend, like as in a father, he left us that way, in that circumstance, that feeling, we can't explain the words. He was a great guy, Bob was a humble man and a great fellow, and a great coach. One of the best coaches I have ever come across," said Mushtaq Ahmed.

Although for Pakistan victory in this game would mean nothing in the context of the tournament as they are already out, the team is keen to win this one for Bob.

"Well we just have to letting the guys know this is a tribute to Bob, and the way Bob had a passion about the game and we should do it, this passion for Bob and obviously we are professional people we have to carry on this game for Pakistan," added Mushtaq Ahmed.

This will also be the farewell game for Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, who has announced his retirement from One-Day cricket. Shahid Afridi's four match ban is over and he is available for selection.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board confirms to CNN-IBN that the team will play its last match today unless there are any more disturbing developments -

A miserable Pakistan team will fight for some pride in their last game before flying back home.

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oh my good this looks like a total filmy murder mystery....
i hope none of the paki players are involved....that would be toooooooooo bad. 😭

I think he created suicide

Woolmer's death looms over Pak tie

Agencies | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 11:08 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 13:23

The shadow of Bob Woolmer's death loomed large over Pakistan's last match at the World Cup against Zimbabwe on Wednesday.

TOUGH TASK: Parvez Mir, media manager of the Pakistan team said the players are not in the right mental shape for the match.

Parvez Mir, media manager of the Pakistan cricket team, said hours before the match that the team was not in the right mental shape for the game after losing Woolmer. "Pakistan don't want to play the final game," Mir said.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has, however, confirmed that the match is on unless there are some more disturbing developments in this case.

"The Pakistan team will play the last ODI unless there are some more disturbing developments in this case," the PCB has announced.

The Pakistani team is shattered by failing to qualify for the Super-Eight stage following their successive losses against the West Indies and Ireland. The sudden death of their coach and the subsequent reports hinting at foul play behind the incident have only added to their woes.

While Inzamam-ul-Haq's men now want to fulfil their Group D obligation before flying home to begin the rebuilding process, there are difficulties ahead as the local police have reportedly banned the team from leaving Jamaica till the probe into Bob's death is over.

Wednesday's tie, however, has a lot of importance for Zimbabwe, who must win the match to have any chance of progressing to the Super Eight stage. As for Pakistan, the match will test the team's resolve as it will also be Inzamam's One-Day swansong.

"We are all victims of depression, but we are professionals and we will try our best to win the match," Mushtaq Ahmed, who has taken over as coach, said on Tuesday. Pakistan have yet to score a point after losing to the West Indies and Ireland.

The Zimbabweans will join Ireland on three points if they defeat the 1992 champions. But even if the Africans win, they are still not guaranteed a place in the Super Eights.

Their victory will lift them to the next stage only if Ireland lose their final group match against the West Indies on Friday. Then, if both teams finish level on points, the side with the highest net run rate would progress. Ireland's run rate is currently superior.

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Conspiracy theories flying since day one

Agencies | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 09:22 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 10:26

New Delhi: Numerous conspiracy theories have been doing the rounds ever since Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on Sunday less than 24 hours after the team's World Cup defeat by Ireland. Woolmer was pronounced dead in a hospital later that day.

Former Pakistani paceman Sarfraz Nawaz was among the prominent people to see a conspiracy behind the death. "There is little doubt that the death of Woolmer has been a hatched by the underbelly of cricket," he publicly claimed on Tuesday.

Sarfraz alleged the hand of a betting mafia "operational in the subcontinent" behind the death.

The former Pakistani player, in fact, dragged everyone in the net — from Pakistan Cricket Board to captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, fellow Pakistani cricketers and even International Cricket Council (ICC) whom he described as the fountainhead of the betting mafia.

"I urge upon cricket nations to stop taking part in the ICC-held events. They are havens for match-fixers. ICC is actively promoting it," Sarfraz alleged. "Bob must have seen how Pakistan team went about its business against West Indies. You could sense it from their body language that something was amiss. I believe he was writing a book and he would have come off with sensational disclosures," he alleged.

Sarfraz said he felt that Woolmer "has been bumped off".

"It was the betting mafia which eliminated Hansie Cronje. It was the same betting mafia which killed 'Cadbury', the well-known bookie from Pakistan who later settled in South Africa. Cadbury's body was cut into pieces. Now, that has been the fate of Woolmer," he claimed.

Sarfraz openly claimed that Inzamam, along with Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mushtaq Ahmed, Mohammad Yousuf and Shoaib Malik were involved in betting.

Other reports later confirmed that Woolmer was indeed writing a book, titled Discovering Cricket. Bob had, in fact, himself revealed that he was writing not one, but two books.

"I am writing two books, one is called Discovering Cricket. It is about my experiences with cricket," Woolmer had said in New Delhi in October 2006 when he was in India for the Champions Trophy.

One of the books is believed to be his autobiography that could have disclosed fresh details about the Hansie Cronje match-fixing row. The other book was a coaching manual.

Bob, who died aged 58 years and 308 days in Kingston, had met Delhi Police Commissioner KK Paul during Pakistan's tour of India in 2005 for one of his books that would have touched upon the 2001 Cronje case.

Other theories, however, talked of an "accidental drug and alcohol overdose" coupled with stress as the reasons behind his sudden death.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has, however, been insisting that Woolmer died of a massive heart attack.

Yet another theory talks about a match-fixing angle in the ongoing World Cup. The reports indicated that some current senior Pakistan team members might have fixed both Pakistan's matches, against West Indies and Ireland. It was speculated that Bob could have been killed to cover up the alleged match-fixing by the Pakistani team.

On their part, the Jamaican Police have been treating the case as a homicide.

There were also other reports that Woolmer had received death threats from Pakistani fans. The cops also confirmed this. "We are taking reports of death threats very seriously," the Jamaican police said. The police also questioned some persons who met Woolmer before his death.

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He didn't talk about match-fixing: Gill Woolmer

CNN-IBN | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 09:14 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 12:23

New Delhi/Kingston: Bob Woolmer's wife Jill said that he had sent an email on Sunday.

"He was fine but was upset about the loss to Ireland. He spoke about how bad he felt after the loss, and hinted that he might be sacked as Pakistan's coach, said Jill, adding, "Woolmer wanted to serve out his contract with Pakistan. But he did not say anything about match fixing."

She further clarified that Woolmer had not complained about chest pain or any other physical discomfort.

Meanwhile, Woolmer's death at the World Cup on Sunday is now being treated as "suspicious" by Jamaican police, the deputy commissioner Mark Shields told a news conference.

"Having met the pathologist, medical personnel and other investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death

of Mr Woolmer which we are now treating as suspicious," Shields said on Tuesday.

"We have already informed the Woolmer family of this development and we are also in close contact with the Pakistan team management, Cricket World Cup and the ICC to ensure that all the parties are kept informed of the ongoing investigation."

(With input from Agencies)

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Bob's autopsy report inconclusive: officials

CNN-IBN | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 02:41 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 08:52

THE MYSTERY REMAINS: The cause of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer's death is still not clear.

Jamaica: The autopsy report of Bob Woolmer has proved to be 'inconclusive'.

Officials of Jamaica Police have said that the report was not clear and further tests would be carried out.

"Autopsy report is inconclusive as of now and we are waiting for the final report to be given to us," Pakistan team media manager Parvez Mir said.

The toxicology and histology tests are yet to conducted and the officials have informed Woolmer's wife, Gill, and say that she is satisfied with the findings so far.

The Deputy Commissioner of the Jamaican Police Constabulary (crime division), Mark Shields, said that the body could not be released until the pathologist had completed his examination.

Meanwhile, Mir told CNN-IBN that they were satisfied with the way investigations were being carried out.

"We were hoping that we will get a complete autopsy report today but we have to wait for the gastrology and the toxicology reports that are expected in a couple of days. We are extremely satisfied with the way the Jamaica Police is handling the investigations, there is nothing to worry about. The Pakistan team is in Jamaica till Saturday," Mir said.

On Tuesday a group of doctors at the University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) conducted the autopsy on the 58-year-old Woolmer who had been Pakistan's coach since 2004.

Woolmer died on Sunday, a day after Pakistan were knocked out from the World Cup by debutants Ireland in what was one of the biggest upsets in the history of One-Day cricket.

The India-born Englishman, popularly known as the laptop coach, was found unconscious in his hotel room and taken to the UHWI where the doctors declared him dead.

Pakistan play their final group match against Zimbabwe on Wednesday at the Sabina Park in Kingston (Jamaica).

The date of return of the Pakistani cricket team is still unclear.

(With inputs from Vimal Kumar)

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well i dont think its poison really...it was the indian media that said it at frst...nd this match fixing and all is i think just crap just rumours...i think e personally died of stress... 😛

Cops claim foul play in Bob death

CNN-IBN | Posted Mar 21, 2007 at 07:57 | Updated Mar 21, 2007 at 13:15

POISONED? Police have confirmed that traces of poison were found on Woolmer's body in autospy.

New Delhi: Hours after the Pakistan Cricket Board revealed that the findings from a post-mortem into the death of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer were "inconclusive", Pakistan's Geo TV on Wednesday claimed that the probe is now focusing on a murder angle.

The Jamaican police later confirmed that Bob Woolmer's death was not natural and that he seems to have died of "poisoning".

The police termed the nature of death as "suspicious" and said it is possible that Woolmer's food was poisoned. They, however, clarified that suspicion doesn't necessarily mean a negative outcome.

Mark Shields, the deputy chief constable of the Jamaican police force, confirmed that the death was being treated as suspicious.

"The post-mortem into the death of Mr Woolmer was inconclusive," he said.

"But having met with the pathologists and other medical personnel, there is sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances of Mr Woolmer's death which is now being treated as suspicious."

"At this stage, we can't say it's a murder or anything else," the police said.

The cops did say that fingerprints have been found from Bob Woolmer's room. They also confirmed that the Pakistani cricket team has been advised not to leave the hotel. The police have already questioned the physio and the trainer of the Pakistani team.

Geo TV's Sports Correspondent Kamran Abdul Mannan told CNN-IBN that their Jamaican sources have revealed that "traces of poison" were found in Woolmer's body and this confirms that Woolmer actually died of "poisoning".

He, however, said it was not yet clear whether it was a case of murder or a suicide.

Mannan also revealed that the movement of the Pakistani cricket team has been restricted and all the players have been told to stay in their rooms.

However, PCB claims that no such restrictions has been put on the players and they are free to move around.

The PCB is also likely to hold a press conference later in the day.

Meanwhile, Pakistan team's spokesperson Pervez Mir said, "We are accepting whatever the police are saying. They say it is a suspicious death and investigations are on. But suspicious does not always mean that it is something negative."

The Pakistani Urdu television network earlier quoted the Jamaica police as claiming that the findings of the post-mortem have raised reasonable suspicion that Woolmer was actually murdered.

The report came after further investigations were carried out by a toxicologist and a histologist (scientist who examines body tissue) into Woolmer's death.

Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board had claimed that the findings from the post-mortem were "inconclusive". The press conference of the Pakistan Cricket Board was, however, held while the results of the toxicology and histology tests were still being awaited.

Mark Shields, deputy commissioner of the Jamaican police constabulary (crime division), said the body could not be released until the pathologist had completed his examination.

"I know that the scientists are treating it with the utmost urgency in order that we can hopefully repatriate the body to his family as soon as possible," Shields said.

Asked when the scientists' conclusions would be available, Shields replied: "I just know they are working as quickly as possible to provide the information that we need. I hope it's today, but it could be tomorrow," he said on Wednesday.

He added that it was quite normal for there to be delays over a post mortem findings and refused to speculate on the causes of the death. The police said Woolmer died in hospital at 1214 hours local time (1714 hours British time) on Sunday.

Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on Sunday after his team had been eliminated from the World Cup by debutants Ireland less than 24 hours earlier.

(With input from Agencies)

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Bob Woolmer's life was cricket

Trevor Chesterfield | | Posted Mar 19, 2007 at 17:47 | Updated Mar 19, 2007 at 23:15

It was about 11 months ago when Bob Woolmer, seated next to a swimming pool at a hotel in Kandy, Sri Lanka , admitted he was looking forward to enjoying a long rest after the World Cup.

Very much a warm, compassionate and family man, while he enjoyed the challenge of the Pakistan coaching job he was perhaps looking too far into the future. As always, when among those he has known for a decade or more, he would loosen a little and his bright blue eyes would twinkle.

It became a trade mark of his when cracking jokes or making prophesies.

'I owe it to my family,' he said when we chatted at the hotel poolside. 'I have been away a long time and they have sacrificed much so that I can indulge my love for the game. But I can't let them (the Pakistan team) down either. They are a great bunch of players and all so eager to learn. When the World Cup is over I'll have a serious think about my future.'

It was a frank admission. At the time, he was several weeks from turning 57 and as we chatted, he laughed about how he had invited me to watch his first South African practice session at The Wanderers. That was September 1994 and Mike Procter had not long been fired as South Africa's coach.

Bob's main interest at the time was whether I had a spare copy of a coaching book written by Trevor Bailey.

'There are some really good ideas on swing bowling in that book,' Bob admitted. 'These days coaching books tend to overlook the wrist and finger actions in bowling. You can never learn enough about techniques and how to improve the way a game is played. Coaching is all about taking the game forward. It is what I have tried to do all these years. It is why I look at the mechanics of the playing skills.'

At the time he took over as coach of South Africa, Kepler Wessels was still captain ('For one last tour,' Wessels explained) and it was during that 1994 tour of Pakistan he noticed so many areas of error in the side's playing make up. If South Africa hoped to be competitive in a tough market place, such an approach wouldn't do at all.

Initially with the help of Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Allan Donald (who had been with him at Warwickshire), De Villiers and Jonty Rhodes, Woolmer set into motion the strategies that turned the South African side around.

He didn't lose his affection for the team, despite some of the unnecessary brickbats flung in his direction by past South African administrators and those players who failed to measure up to the demands needed at international level. Before the Caribbean tournament, South Africa was Bob's 'personal favourites'.

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