Sport | Cricket
Foul play suspected in death
Police in Jamaica confirmed they were treating the Pakistan cricket coach's death as suspicious and a team official said Bob Woolmer may have been murdered.
- By K.R. Nayar, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:37 May 3, 2009
- Image Credit: Reuters
- Pakistani cricketers observe a minute of silence in remembrance of coach Bob Woolmer before the match between Pakistan and Zimbabwe in Kingston.
Port of Spain: Police in Jamaica confirmed yesterday they were treating the Pakistan cricket coach's death as suspicious and a team official said Bob Woolmer may have been murdered at the World Cup.
As part of a full-scale inquiry, the hotel room in which Woolmer stayed has been cordoned off and all hotel staff have been summoned for interrogation.
Police are studying footage from hidden cameras in the hotels - put up following the ICC anti-corruption unit's instructions - to find out if Woolmer received any visitors before his death.
Reports from a pathologist and other medical experts have given the police "sufficient information to continue a full investigation" into the "suspicious" death of Woolmer, according to Jamaica's deputy police commissioner.
Several theories about his death have emerged, one of them noting that he had scratch marks on his neck suggesting there might have been a scuffle before his death.
However, police said Woolmer did not die of strangulation. The general belief is that Woolmer was poisoned as his body had turned blue. Police are also investigating whether the match-fixing mafia is behind Woolmer's death.
Woolmer's wife Gill has confirmed that her husband would not drink, especially under stress. She claims that Woolmer was aware of his health problems and would not commit such blunders.
E-MAIL EVIDENCE
He was keen on completing book
One of the last e-mails that Bob Woolmer wrote is to the publishers of his forthcoming book on coaching. It says:
"We might have to do this from afar. I don't know what is going to happen next. We will first play our game against Zimbabwe and then fly back to Pakistan. This will give me more time to work on my book. The articles
will have to be more general from now on."
This e-mail proves that Woolmer is unlikely to have committed suicide. Woolmer's wife had also received an e-mail saying how depressed he was after Pakistan's loss to Ireland.
Do you feel there is any substance in the conspiracy theories? Will his death reduce any amount of media hype over cricket in the Sub-continent?
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