Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer died in hospital on March 18 after being found unconscious in his hotel room, the team announced.
”I have to announce with great sadness that Woolmer has passed away. Doctors have pronounced him dead,” team spokesperson Parvez Mir said.
Woolmer (58), a former England Test batsman and coach of South Africa, had seen his team crash out of the World Cup on March 17 after a shock group-D defeat by Ireland at Sabina Park.
The former England batsman was made coach of Pakistan in June 2004. The job of coaching the national team of the cricket-crazy country is considered one of the most pressurised in the sport.
Woolmer, who has a distinguished career as a coach, appeared to take the three-wicket defeat to debutants Ireland in his stride following the match.
His contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board was due to expire on June 30, but it was widely expected he would part company with them after the World Cup, which is scheduled to finish on April 28.
”I would like to sleep on my future as a coach,” Woolmer said in Saturday’s post-match news conference. ”It’s what I do best, what I try to do best. Therefore I’m not going to throw away coaching just like that.
”However, internationally I will give it some thought. Travelling and being involved non-stop in hotels and so on takes its toll.”
International Cricket Council (ICC) chief executive Malcolm Speed was expected to make a statement later on Sunday in St Lucia, where England was playing Canada in a World Cup match.
Third time lucky
Woolmer had gone to the Caribbean hoping to be third time lucky after twice agonisingly missing out on World Cup glory.
Woolmer was South Africa’s coach in the 1996 World Cup in the sub-continent when a quarterfinal defeat at the hands of the West Indies shattered his dreams.
Three years later in England, his talented South African side were in tears after they tied their epic semifinal against eventual champions Australia and bowed out on inferior net run rate.
Woolmer never forgot those setbacks, but he appreciated that the challenge of coaching Pakistan, one of the most volatile teams in world cricket, was taking its toll.
However, he was driven by a desire to land the ultimate prize in the game.
”It is always disappointing as a team not to achieve the ultimate goal, but it was not for the lack of trying. Cricket is a game where anything can happen and nothing should ever be taken as granted,” said Woolmer.
A two-year stint as the ICC’s high-performance manager allowed Woolmer to work with fledgling cricketing nations such as Kenya, Namibia and The Netherlands during the 2003 World Cup.
Fate brought him to Pakistan in 2004 as coach, regarded as the country’s hottest post, which had seen five changes since 1999 until his arrival. He forged a strong relationship with captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and saw to it that the skilful cricketers always remained strong in basics.
Woolmer believed Pakistan had been moving in the right direction. ”There is completely different dynamics with the Pakistan team from that of South Africa. I have enjoyed coaching them,” he said.
Starting out
Born in the Indian city of Kanpur in 1948, Woolmer played 19 Tests for England in the 1970s but missed the inaugural World Cup in 1975 due to injury. ”I broke my left hand so I was left to do the 12th-man duties,” recalled Woolmer, whose career ended prematurely as he first joined Kerry Packer World Series Cricket and then went on rebel tours to South Africa in 1980s.
He steadily developed into a renowned coach, and was credited with pioneering the use of computers in cricket. His creative and adventurous ways helped South Africa become a formidable team who started the 1996 World Cup as one of the favourites.
”We had a good plan in 1996, but were undone by a great performance by [century-maker] Brian Lara in the quarterfinal,” said Woolmer, under whom South Africa won the inaugural Champions Trophy in 1998 and were hot favourites for the 1999 World Cup.
”It was cruel to lose by a run-rate of 0,01, which was the closest of margins. It was very depressing.” — Reuters, Sapa-AP, AFP