|
|
|
| March 24, 2007 | Saturday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 4, 1428 |
Woolmer death timeline…
KINGSTON, March 23: AFP timeline on the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer, who died last Sunday. Jamaican police said Thursday that the 58-year-old had been strangled to death.
March 17 – Pakistan, the 1992 world champions and one of the leading teams in international cricket, lose to the part-timers of Ireland at Sabina Park in Kingston and are knocked out of the World Cup.
Coach Bob Woolmer tells reporters of the strain involved in handling such a high-profile, volatile team.
“I am deeply hurt and cannot tell you how it (defeat) is going to affect me,” Woolmer tells AFP.
March 18 – Woolmer is found unconscious in his room at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston and is pronounced dead later in hospital.
Later in the day, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq announces his retirement from one-day cricket after his team's humiliating exit from the World Cup and the death of Woolmer. He also gives up the captaincy.
March 19 – Woolmer's widow Gill, speaking from the family home in South Africa, tells of the stress her husband was under.
Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed reveals Woolmer's closeness to his squad means his death has hit them hard.
“He was a great man, a great human being. The guys are still crying and talking about it.”
Police say that the autopsy on Woolmer has proven inconclusive.
March 20 – Mark Shields, the deputy chief commissioner of the Jamaican police force, confirms that the death is being treated as suspicious.
“The post-mortem into the death of Mr Woolmer was inconclusive,” he says.
“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.”
March 21 – Inzamam breaks down in tears as he dedicates his last match as Pakistan captain, a win over Zimbabwe, to Woolmer.
“Thanks to Bob Woolmer, we dedicate this win to him. He is not in this world anymore but every Pakistani and every cricket lover is sad about what happened to him.”
March 22 – Jamaican newspapers claim reliable sources tell them that Woolmer may have been strangled to death.
As part of the investigation, the entire Pakistan World Cup squad is questioned and finger-printed before being allowed to leave on a two-day break in Montego Bay.
Late Thursday, Jamaican police confirm that Woolmer was strangled to death and that the hunt for his killer or killers is underway.
Despite the tragedy, the International Cricket Council (ICC) insist the World Cup, which runs until April 28, will continue.
|
|
|
|
