Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours

[DesiChap]

LAHORE: Though the Pakistan Cricket Board insists that team coach Robert Woolmer died of a massive heart attack, it is being speculated in cricketing circles that he could have been killed to cover up match-fixing by the Pakistani team. Former Pakistani fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz told reporters in Lahore on Monday that certain top players in the team were involved in fixing the matches against the West Indies and Ireland. Apparently certain PCB insiders told Nawaz that at least five leading bookies from Pakistan had reached the West Indies in the first week of March and were in touch with heavyweights in the team. ?The theory going around in West Indies police circles is that Woolmer might have been killed by those who wanted to silence him on the issue of match-fixing,? he claimed. A former PCB official who requested anonymity said Woolmer?s book, Discovering Cricket, which he was writing, could have exposed the cricketer-bookie nexus in Pakistan, India, and South Africa. The official claimed that Woolmer met Delhi police officers during Pakistan?s 2005 tour of India to gather material for the book. Nawaz said Woolmer had finished more than 50 per cent of the book. Meanwhile, Pakistan team media manager PJ Mir denied media reports that Woolmer died of a drug overdose. http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1085928

[DesiChap]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours Woolmers family has authorised post-mortem to find cause of death. It is really unfortunate that Sarfaraz Nawaz sitting thousands of miles away come on spewing garbage without waiting for the facts to come out.

[King]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours That's one bull shit story really. Sarfraz Nawaz is an insane anyways and now he has hit nadir. If that theory is to be believed bookies will not have bet on Pakistan to win as the odds would have been way too less. If they bet on Netherlands then they should have got Woolmer gifts and not kill him for having ensured they made money. All sorts of conspiracy theories will surely arise and unfortunately you can't question the conspiracy theorists either considering the timing of Bob Woolmer's death.

[DesiChap]

Woolmer death doubts emerge March 20, 2007 01:00am Woolmer died two hours after being found unconscious Unconfirmed reports of drugs and alcohol Urgent death inquest to be held BOB Woolmer had secretly planned to walk out on mainstream coaching into a blissful semi-retirement just four days after his mysterious death rocked cricket's World Cup. The Pakistani coach, 58, died in Jamaica's Kingston University Hospital on Sunday after been found unconscious in his room at the Pegasus Hotel two hours earlier. Woolmer was found by a maid on the floor in his bathroom surrounded by vomit and diarrhoea and with froth around his mouth. Officials last night would not comment on a report in London's Daily Mirror claiming he died of a combination of alcohol and prescription drugs. His wife Gill told the paper: "His job coaching there has been incredibly stressful." As Woolmer drifted in and out of consciousness captain Inzamam-ul-Haq visited his room and was stunned by his coach's appearance. "When I went to see him he was lying on the floor and it was shocking for me," said a distressed Inzamam, who last night retired from international one-day cricket. "Yesterday he asked me on the bus when we were coming back to the hotel 'what are your future plans? Can we discuss them tomorrow?' Tomorrow never came." Jamaican authorities will hold an urgent inquest into Woolmer's death. His family have been told by doctors it is likely to reveal he died of a stress-related heart attack but the cause of death was last night unknown. Only last month at a restaurant in Cape Town, he quipped to friends: "One thing I will never die of is a heart attack ... I've handled everything life can throw at me." That he had, until Pakistan's shock World Cup exit to Ireland on Saturday after a day of incredible tension. The loss eliminated Pakistan from play-off contention and sparked outrage among the nation's fanatical fans. Woolmer had secretly planned to return to Cape Town immediately after Pakistan's Cup campaign ends this week and was immensely looking forward to it. "He was really looking forward to it," said South African journalist Neil Manthorp. "He had sponsors lined up and he was going to try all the things he struggled to so now like play golf and go on safari with his wife Gill." http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599,21411916-2,00.html

[Mandrake]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours damn that attention seeking prick Nawaj...the guy is a total lowlife....and this heartless media only cashes in on such stories.Let the authorities release the facts of the matter before wildly speculating......

[gator]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours really screwed up person, this nawaz is....

[Bumper]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours This sarfraz Nawaz guy is really despicable. I really wish PCB appoints Sarfraz as their next coach, with Afridi as captain :hic: Imagine Sarfraz-Afridi working together, one guy never thinks before he speaks, the other never thinks.

[Vishwatma]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours its all friggin' politics...atleast leave the poor soul outta this crap :mad:

[Gaurav]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours As things stand cause of death is unknown. So let's wait for the official verdict whatever it may be.

[Chandan]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours

"He was really looking forward to it," said South African journalist Neil Manthorp. "He had sponsors lined up and he was going to try all the things he struggled to so now like play golf and go on safari with his wife Gill."

So sad!! Poor fellow just could not fulfill his wishes!!

[shailesh]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours what do you make of this article? http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=20_03_2007_018_018&typ=1&pub=47

[DesiChap]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours We want to go home By: Our Correspondent March 20, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KARACHI: The Pakistan team has had to delay its departure from Kingston, Jamaica following the tragic death of their coach, Bob Woolmer on Sunday. Sources in the team told MiD DAY from Kingston that the team was scheduled to leave for home on Thursday. ?But now they (World Cup organisers) have told us the first available flight is on Saturday and we suspect it has something to do with the post-mortem being carried out on Woolmer?s body,? a team source disclosed. Loose talk While the Pakistanis felt Woolmer may have succumbed to a heart attack as the condition of his body found on the floor of the bathroom of his hotel room indicated, the official cause of death would be revealed only on completion of the post-mortem. ?Some players are clearly upset at the reports in some of the newspapers here raising suspicions over the cause of Woolmer?s death,? a source said. ?The team members are already in great distress and shock and this (loose talk) has not helped at all.? He further said that some players including leg-spinner Danish Kaneria and team physiotherapist Darryn Lifsun, who were on the same floor where Woolmer died, decided to shift rooms out of fear. ?That is the extent of fear and the impact Woolmer?s death has had on everyone,? the source added. It?s eerie Sources said the Pakistani players were in no shape to play tomorrow?s game against Zimbabwe and were just keen to fly back home. ?As if the loss to Ireland was not bad enough, Woolmer?s death has come as a huge shock for everyone. He was like a father figure to everyone and it is eerie no seeing him around anymore,? one player said. ?After having seen Woolmer in the dressing room for the last three years it is going to be difficult to play without him around,? added the player. A team official, however, strictly ruled out any foul play behind Woolmer?s death and said the post-mortem was being conducted on the request of his family and as per the requirements of the local law. ?However, the Prime Minister of Jamaica has been very helpful and shared our sorrow and grief,? he said. With captain Inzamam-ul-Haq also having announced his retirement from one-day cricket and stepping down from the captaincy, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) meets on March 31 to appoint a new captain and now a coach. Younis Khan is expected to be named captain but there is no indication of who the coach will be in place of Woolmer whose contract was due to expire in June. No repeats Dr Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the PCB yesterday apologised to the nation for the team?s poor performance in the World Cup which saw them lose to Ireland and get knocked out of the competition. ?I am sorry for the team?s performance. But we can now only plan for the future and hope such performances are not repeated,? he said. President Pervez Musharraf also discussed the death of Woolmer and the team?s performance in an interview to a private television channel saying he is distressed with Woolmer?s death and disappointed with the team?s performance.

[Dhondy]

Re: Woolmer death draws out foul play rumours

what do you make of this article? http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/artMailDisp.aspx?article=20_03_2007_018_018&typ=1&pub=47

An article made out of nothing. What secrets did woolmer reveal? Unless Magazine spills that, it's just sensationalising. And of course, he would support Cronje. Allan Donald still speaks fondly of the latter. Think nothing of it.