It's official now, Bob Woolmer was murdered

KINGSTON: A shocked cricket world was on Friday plunged into turmoil following the revelation that coach Bob Woolmer had indeed been murdered by strangulation, prompting widespread speculation that someone involved in betting and match-fixing may be responsible.

Two days after disclosing that they treated the 58-year-old Englishman’s death in his hotel room here five days ago as suspicious, the Jamaican police quoted the pathologist’s report to state that the bulky coach had died due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation.

Marking the most brutal and sensational incident in international cricket’s 132-year old history, the police announced that Woolmer’s death was, therefore, being treated as murder.

After the police announcement, reports came in that members of Pakistan’s World Cup squad, who had been interviewed and fingerprinted on Thursday, may be asked to stay back and not leave for home immediately. However, the police said on Friday night that they would be allowed to leave Jamaica.

Although Pakistani TV channels reported that one person had been detained in connection with the murder, Jamaica’s deputy police commissioner Mark Shields said police had no suspects. “There are certainly a number of lines of inquiry that we are looking at and we have some theories of what may have happened, but it is too early to go public with them,” he said.

Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room on Sunday hours after Pakistan had suffered a shocking defeat at the hands of Ireland which led to their exit from the World Cup. Pakistani team was staying on the same floor.

Mr Shields said, “Bob was a large man and it would have taken some significant force to subdue him. At this stage, we don’t know how many people were there in the room. It could be one or more people involved in the murder.”

According to the police, Woolmer probably knew his killer. “It is imperative that we keep an open mind, but I have to say at this stage it looks as if it may be somebody somehow linked to him, because clearly he let somebody into his hotel room and it may be that he knew who this person was,” Mr Shields said.

Pakistan decided to send their Washington-based top diplomat to Jamaica to assist the cricket team in the ongoing police investigation. He will be accompanied by legal experts.

The ongoing World Cup has been overshadowed by Woolmer’s murder and swarmed with rumours that he may have been killed to avoid exposure of those involved in betting and match-fixing. The International Cricket Council (ICC) said the ongoing World Cup would go ahead as scheduled.

Chief executive Malcolm Speed said ICC’s anti-corruption unit would help the Jamaican police in the probe. Sensing Woolmer’s death may lead to safety concerns, the ICC has written a letter to the Indian squad, assuring them of utmost security for the rest of their stay in the Caribbean during the World Cup.