World Cup to continue despite Woolmer murder by AFP

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

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DateLine: 23rd March 2007

 

Shock waves from the murder of Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer reverberated through international cricket Friday but organisers insisted that the World Cup must go on.

 

Woolmer's death by strangulation a day after his team were knocked out of cricket's showpiece has stunned the sport's leaders and has become a diplomatic incident amid rumours of involvement by match-fixing gangs.

 

Pakistan said it was rushing an envoy to Jamaica to liaise with police there. But the International Cricket Council (ICC) decided against halting the tournament.

 

"What we must all do now is to show how resolute the game is by proving ourselves strong enough to move on from what has happened," ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed said in a statement.

 

"The best way to do that is for the teams that remain in the tournament to play out a great World Cup, something that will help put the smile back on the face of our great sport.

 

"By doing that we will demonstrate that cricket cannot be put off by a cowardly criminal act," he said.

 

"If the players and officials of all the competing teams can do that, then it would be a fitting tribute to Bob Woolmer and the contribution he has made to our sport as a fine player and an outstanding coach at all levels."

 

Australia backed the plan to carry on.

 

"With the news from the Jamaican police today, our thoughts at this time are very much with the Woolmer family," a spokesman for Cricket Australia said.

 

"This is naturally a distressing time for everyone involved in cricket. We must now allow the relevant authorities appropriate time and space to deal with their investigation into the circumstances surrounding Bob Woolmer's death."

 

Asked if Cricket Australia supported the decision to not abandon the tournament, he replied: "Absolutely."

 

Woolmer received more tributes from around the world.

 

"The news that Bob Woolmer was murdered has shattered us. It is a quite unexpected event which we cannot yet quite believe," Mahmudur Rahman chief executive of the Bangladesh cricket board told AFP.

 

"Our hearts go out to his family and we hope that the investigation can get to the bottom of his murder so the perpetrators can be punished," he added.

 

South African bowling great Allan Donald criticised the ICC decision however. "I just don't know how this World Cup can continue under the shadow of what's happened. World Cup 2007 will be forever remembered for this."

 

Donald, who was a friend of Woolmer and played under him at county level and for South Africa, told BBC radio: "My personal opinion would have been to stop, but knowing Bob he would have wanted this to go ahead."

 

"I think everyone will continue this World Cup but, at the back of their minds, know that a tragedy took place."

 

The ICC chief executive said the entire cricket world was shocked by the killing of Woolmer, a former England international, who was found unconscious in his hotel room on Sunday.

 

"When we first learnt of Bob's death a wave of sadness washed over the whole of the cricket community," said Speed.

 

"That sadness has now been replaced with a profound sense of shock at the news that his death is being treated as murder, and everyone connected with this event will assist the police in any way possible to ensure the truth emerges."

 

World Cup managing director Chris Dehring added: "We have reviewed security arrangements in conjunction with the ICC and local agencies and consulted with all the teams and they have told us they are comfortable with those arrangements.

 

"On that basis, it is up to the Jamaica Constabulary Force to get on with its job while our focus now is on some great cricket to come."

 

Among many rumours being put forward for the killing was that Woolmer was about to reveal all about match-fixing.

 

But asked if the Pakistan team had discussed the possibility that Woolmer's death might be linked to match-fixing, team spokesman Pervez Mir said: "Absolutely not. The players as far as I know have not spoken about any match-fixing or any match-fixing incident because there is no question of that.

 

"I think they are more concerned about what has happened to Bob," he told Sky News.

 

Woolmer was the South Africa coach at the time that former captain Hansie Cronje was bought off by bookmakers in 1996. Woolmer was never alleged to have been involved though.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)