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Pakistanis express shock at finding on Woolmer's death

In the turbulent world of Pakistani cricket, Bob Woolmer overcame cultural barriers and infighting to win the respect of players who remember him as a "thorough gentleman."

They maintained that the former England Test player, who police say was murdered in Jamaica last Sunday, a day after Pakistan's shock defeat to Ireland in the World Cup, had no major disputes during his nearly three-year stint mentoring a side dogged by controversy.

"I am in a total shock. He was such a lovely person that it's hard to believe that somebody has killed him," said fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed, who missed out on selection to the Pakistan squad for the tournament in the West Indies.

"He was a thorough gentleman who was nice with everyone. I had never heard that he had any sore relationship with anyone, be it players or anyone," he said.

Woolmer's death capped a rocky few months for the side which won the tournament in 1992 but is notorious for factionalism and backbiting, and labors under the impatient scrutiny of a nation of 160 million people fanatical about the game.

Last summer, during a losing tour of England, Pakistan became the first side in cricket history to forfeit a Test match after an umpire accused them of tampering with the match ball. The side was later cleared of the charge. The umpire was fired from the elite international panel of match officials after complaints by Pakistan.

Woolmer reportedly contemplated resigning at that time, but carried on, only to face another scandal in November when Pakistan's two top fast bowlers tested positive for steroids.

Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammed Asif were initially suspended from the game but later reinstated -- then left out of the World Cup squad because of injury.

Now some former Pakistani players are speculating that Woolmer's death could have been linked to gambling interests. The International Cricket Council says its anti-corruption unit will investigate whether match fixing had played a role in Woolmer's death.

In the past, international players from countries including India, Pakistan and South Africa have been linked to match-fixing scandals, and some faced bans. But Woolmer's wife Gill says her husband had not recently mentioned anything about match-fixing.

also see story:
Pakistan coach was strangled: Jamaican police

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