The Hindu : Sport : Pakistan team members not under suspicion, says Ashraf

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Saturday, Mar 24, 2007
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Pakistan team members not under suspicion, says Ashraf

— Photo: AFP

ON THE JOB: Jamaica's Deputy Police Commissioner Mark Shields (right) leaves the Pegasus Hotel after interviewing Pakistan team members on Thursday.

Islamabad: Pakistan's outgoing cricket boss says his country's players are not suspects in the murder of their coach Bob Woolmer.

Police in Jamaica on Thursday said that Woolmer, 58, was strangled. He was found unconscious in his hotel room Sunday and later pronounced dead in hospital, a day after the team's surprise loss to Ireland in the World Cup.

Dr. Nasim Ashraf, who tendered his resignation as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board soon after the humiliating defeat, said on Friday the players were not facing any restrictions on their movements and would return home soon.

``The Bob Woolmer case is under investigation, but I want to make it clear that there is no suspicion on the Pakistani team,'' Ashraf said in Peshawar. ``That is the reason that Pakistan's team left Kingston, Jamaica, last night. And now the Pakistani team is in Montego Bay,'' he said. ``Our players are under severe stress and trauma and they will rest until tomorrow, and then they will come back to Pakistan,'' he added.

Ashraf said Jamaican police had interviewed all those who had contact with Woolmer, including West Indies skipper Brian Lara and manager Clive Lloyd, as the Pakistani and West Indies sides were at the same hotel at the time of his death.

Australia backs ICC

Australia, meanwhile, has backed the ICC decision to carry on with the World Cup. ``With the news from the Jamaican police, our thoughts at this time are very much with the Woolmer family,'' a spokesman for Cricket Australia said. 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, the chief executive of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, said.

Donald demurs

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.''

Match-fixing angle

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,'' he told Sky News.

Meanwhile, contradicting claims that details of a betting syndicate in his proposed book cost Woolmer his life, co-authors and family members said the manuscript did not even touch on match-fixing.

Soon after Woolmer's death, former Pakistan paceman Sarfraz Nawaz claimed the Pakistan coach was about to make some sensational revelations about match-fixing in his book and that cost him his life.

Woolmer's family and co-authors, however, dismissed the idea and sports scientist Tim Noakes said the manuscript did not delve into match-fixing.

``There is absolutely no truth in that story, besides, how could anyone know what's in the book, nobody in Pakistan could possibly have seen it,'' Professor Noakes was quoted as saying by the Sydney Morning Herald.

Woolmer's autobiography ghost writer Ivo Tennant also told London's Sun newspaper there was ``nothing incriminating'' in the manuscript. — Agencies

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