Bob Woolmer's last interviewðŸ˜
 Woolmer spoke to the BBC after Pakistan had lost to Ireland |
The murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer has overshadowed the start of the Cricket World Cup in the West Indies. In what is believed to have been his last media interview, Woolmer spoke to BBC Sport's Alison Mitchell after Pakistan had been knocked out of the tournament after defeat by minnows Ireland. Here is a full transcript of that interview.
Alison Mitchell (AM): What are your thoughts on losing to Ireland? Bob Woolmer (BW): "We batted abysmally, really - just made mistake after mistake after mistake. It just compounded, and eventually we were 40 to 50 runs short. "But I have to say we made some very injudicious shot selections - Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal and Azhar Mahmood are three off the top of my head who were playing shots which weren't necessary at the time. "That's sad because two-and-a-half or three years' work has gone in to this, and to fall out like this is very disappointing."
AM: How do you feel personally about it? BW: "I've accepted many bad days in cricket, but I'm just very disappointed for the Pakistan fans who were desperate for us to do well. "I don't really know what to say apart from apologise for the team's performance because quite frankly, we should have got through, and I thought we had a genuine chance at a higher level if we got through this round. "But pressure has told, and we're not going through."
AM: After the last World Cup, it prompted an inquest on behalf of the Pakistan Cricket Board and resulted in various changes of personnel. How do you view your future? BW: "My contract runs out on 30 June anyway, so I'll sleep on my future. "I have said that I'm reluctant to continue in international cricket, purely from a travelling [point of view] and so on, but I will stick to coaching at a different level. But I think a decision's probably been made for me."
AM: "Made for you", in that you think you may be leaving before your contract runs out? BW: "Well no, I'll talk to the PCB and [see] what they want me to do. If they want me to go, I'll go, if they want me to stay, I'll stay until 30 June. "But I've got a contract, I'm not going to break my contract, but if the PCB want to get rid of me that's their business. "As far as I'm concerned, I want to sleep on what I'll do, and what I want to do in the future in terms of cricket. "I don't think that just because I've lost this game, I'm any different as a cricket coach. "There are a number of extenuating circumstances in the last six months as you well know, that have made coaching Pakistan slightly different to normal sides, so those are certainly things that I would have to consider. "A lot of those things would have to change, a lot of those things, if I were to continue with Pakistan. "But in reality it's just a sad day for Pakistan cricket at the moment. I'm part of that, I don't feel very good about it, and we've just got to, sort of, pick ourselves up tomorrow and get on with it."
AM: If the PCB said that they'd like you to continue, would that make you more inclined to carry on? BW: "As I said, I would like to sleep on it a bit. I'll have a self-respect, we'll have a day off tomorrow and we'll just have a look and see what's happening, you know. "I try not to make too many decisions on disappointing days, you know, because those are, they tend to be negative decisions, and you can't, and disappointment, you know, means you get negative. "When you make negative decisions about your future, I don't think it's very good. "So I think, all in all, you know, I will reflect on what's happened, I'll talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman and see what he wants, but I think it's time, I'm nearly 60 now, or 59, and so I think it's time maybe to look at still coaching, because I have a lot of knowledge and I want to pass that on to people. "I'd like to do consultancy work, I'd like to do in England, I'd like to help anyone who would like to be helped in terms of my coaching career, sorry, in terms of their cricket careers. "Certainly from a coach [point of view], I don't think winning the World Cup is something I can achieve now, because by the time the next World Cup rolls round I'll be 63 and physically, you've got to keep going, you see, and it's difficult, it's not as easy..."
AM [interrupting]: Won't quite be slippers and pipe at 63 though, will it? BW: "Eh?"
AM: Won't quite be slippers and pipe at 63, will it? BW: "No no no no no, I want to, I want to continue coaching. "As I said, I think it's time for me to start coaching coaches, start coaching people who want to play youngsters again. "I enjoy that, and I'd like, you know, I've been writing about the game recently, so I'd like to continue that, perhaps a bit of radio commentary or something like that available one day - who knows. "As I said, I'd rather like to sleep on it, and it's a disappointing day for me."
AM: It is rather, it sounds a little bit as if you've almost made up your mind without sleeping on it, that you have been pondering these things for a little while? BW: "I have made up my mind, yes, but let me sleep on it first."
Suggestions / Comments
Health and Fitness
75