Pakistanis see conspiracies in 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

 

Conspiracy theories swirled in cricket-obsessed Pakistan Friday after police said coach Bob Woolmer was strangled following his team's shock exit from the World Cup.

 

Leading them was former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz, who alleged that Woolmer's death in Jamaica was linked to powerful underworld betting and match-fixing gangs.

 

"I have been saying that he was a target of gambling mafia. I was very concerned the way Pakistani team lost to West Indies," Nawaz, who was known as the pioneer of reverse swing in his 1970s and 1980s heyday, told AFP.

 

"The gambling mafia has invaded the game."

 

He added: "Nothing was stolen from Woolmer's (hotel room) except for his diary and papers. I am not sure about his laptop. But the diary and the papers could only be of interest to bookie mafia."

 

Jamaican police said Friday they think it likely that Woolmer was strangled by someone he knew because he clearly let someone into his hotel room. They have stressed they do not suspect anyone in particular yet of the crime.

 

Woolmer earned respect from many Pakistanis despite being a foreigner, and the country has been left dazed by the double blow of the coach's death and the end of hopes that Pakistan could repeat its 1992 World Cup triumph.

 

Fans across the country pointed fingers at various groups, mainly shadowy match-fixers, although they all agreed it was impossible to believe that any members of the Pakistani team were involved.

 

"It has to be by the bookie mafia," said Sultan Qureshi, who works at the US consulate in the eastern city of Lahore.

 

"I believe that the match against West Indies was fixed, Pakistan should have won the match," he added. "But I firmly believe that no Pakistani players could be involved in the murder.

 

The West Indies beat Pakistan by 54 runs on March 13, in a match whose result was on the face of it less surprising than Pakistan's humiliating defeat by Ireland on Saturday, the day before Woolmer's death.

 

Pakistani players have been caught up in match-fixing rows before.

 

Former captain Salim Malik and paceman Ataur Rehman were banned for life in 2000 after a judicial inquiry. Six others including recently retired captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and acting head coach Mushtaq Ahmed were fined.

 

"Bob Woolmer's murder has brought the issue of match-fixing alive once again," said Karachi taxi driver Rehman Gul, who bought a new television to watch Pakistan's World Cup matches.

 

Raza Ali, a former police inspector from Islamabad, said there were "three possibilities: either Woolmer was killed by the bookie mafia, by a thug or a disgruntled Pakistan fan."

 

"No players could be involved or commit such a crime. Pakistan should send a team of police officers to assist the West Indian police and coordinate in the investigation," Ali added.

 

"It is a very serious matter for the nation and cannot be taken lightly."

 

Jamaican police were to blame for not providing enough security, said Malik Naveed, an avid cricket fan who runs an electricity shop in Islamabad. He added that staff at Woolmer's hotel had to be questioned.

 

"This shows the slackness of the West Indian police that they cannot protect the Pakistani coach in his own hotel room," he said.

 

Ayesha Rasool, a 24-year-old fan in Islamabad, said she was keeping an open mind -- but added that the scandal was hard to bear on top of Pakistan's World Cup failure and at a time when the country is reeling from a political crisis over the sacking of its top judge.

 

"It is so depressing. I pray that God ends this relentless trial of the nation with one piece of bad news after another," she said.

 

Karachi businessman Ahmed Shah lamented the fact that Pakistan was in the headlines again for the wrong reasons. "In the past we have been called cheats, are we going to be called murderers as well? I hope not," Shah said.

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)