Woolmer's death silences Pakistan protests by AFP

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Player:	RA Woolmer
Event:	ICC World Cup 2006/07

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DateLine: 19th March 2007

 

Grief washed away anger on the streets of Pakistan Monday as the country reeled from the death of cricket coach Bob Woolmer a day after the national team's humiliating exit from the World Cup.

 

On Sunday protesters in the city of Multan had shouted slogans against Woolmer and skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq after Saturday's loss to Ireland, while others in Hyderabad city reportedly held mock burials for the team.

 

But by Monday supporters had changed their tune and were saying that Woolmer's huge commitment -- and his disappointment about the team's World Cup failure -- may have led to his death in Jamaica at the age of 58.

 

"Bob Woolmer's death has saddened us. He took the responsibility for the team's defeat very seriously and that led to his death," cricket fan Munir Akhtar Langah told AFP in Multan.

 

The president of Multan Cricket Club, Maulvi Sultan Alam Ansari, said internal politics and not Woolmer were to blame for Pakistan's defeats, adding: "He performed his duties with devotion and honesty."

 

Private television channels meanwhile erased vitriolic text messages left by viewers on Sunday before news of Woolmer's death had come through.

 

"We have deleted all the earlier SMS and public reaction, after Woolmer's death," Ather Viqar Azeem, a producer for a sports programme on HUM TV, told AFP.

 

"Pakistanis are emotional people," said Irfan Ahmed, a cricket fan and a student of University of Karachi's mass communication department.

 

"They were very angry at the weekend and were passing all kinds of SMS messages against Woolmer and Inzi, but they have changed their view within 24 hours," he said.

 

An earlier SMS message which spread like wildfire here said: "Pakistan cricket has died. Maulana (prayer leader) Inzamam-ul-Haq will lead the funeral prayers after Pakistan's last match on March 21 against Zimbabwe."

 

Woolmer, a former England batsman, was largely treated with goodwill in this cricket-obsessed Muslim nation of 150 million people, despite concerns about having a foreign coach.

 

However he began to come under fire after Pakistan's notorious forfeit of the Oval Test against England last August, followed by a doping scandal involving fast bowlers Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif.

 

President Pervez Musharraf and Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz led tributes to him late Sunday.

 

The foreign ministry followed on Monday, saying it was "very sad that he died after a very poor performance by the team, and his life didn't end on a happy note."

 

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Nasim Ashraf said Woolmer had "always termed Pakistan as his home."

 

Former captain Javed Miandad, whom Woolmer replaced as coach in 2004, said he believed "Pakistan's shocking defeat against Ireland has a lot to do with his death." Another ex-skipper, Asif Iqbal, agreed.

 

In the city of Lahore, Humaira Waheed, a cricket fan and a teacher for handicapped children, said Woolmer's death "confirms he was committed to the Pakistani cricket team."

 

"Being a true coach, he could not bear the shameful defeat of his team at the hands of Ireland and, as such, collapsed in his room. However, his death has made everyone sad in Pakistan."

 

Arsalan Rafiq, a medical doctor in Lahore, said that "nobody in Pakistan will be happy at his death".

 

"His services for the Pakistani cricket team will be remembered for a long time," Rafiq said.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)