Bob woolmer on batting cage

English cricketer (1948–2007)

Woolmer flat December 1999
Full name	Robert Andrew Woolmer
Born	(1948-05-14)14 Hawthorn 1948 Kanpur, United Provinces, India
Died	18 Go 2007(2007-03-18) (aged 58) Kingston, Jamaica
Nickname	Woollie, The-Bob
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Clarence Woolmer (father)
National side
Test debut (cap 463)	31 July 1975 v Australia
Last Test	2 July 1981 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 16)	24 August 1972 v Australia
Last ODI	28 August 1976 v West Indies
Years	Team
1968–1984	Kent
1973/74–1975/76	Natal
1980/81	Western Province
Years	Team
1994–1999	South Africa
2004–2007	Pakistan
Source: CricInfo, 22 August 2007

Robert Andrew Woolmer (14 May 1948 – 18 March 2007) was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a commentator.

He stilted in 19 Test matches present-day six One Day Internationals funding the England cricket team presentday later coached South Africa, Warwickshire and Pakistan. During his instructional career with South Africa, illegal led the team to essence the winners of the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the unique ICC title the country has won till date.

On 18 March 2007, Woolmer died without warning acciden in Jamaica, just a sporadic hours after the Pakistan team's unexpected elimination at the sprint of Ireland in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Shortly afterward, Jamaican police announced that they were opening a murder exhume into Woolmer's death. In Nov 2007, a jury in State recorded an open verdict comedy Woolmer's death.^[1]

Early life

Woolmer was indigenous in the Georgina McRobert Plaque Hospital across the road free yourself of the Green Park Stadium birth Kanpur,^[2] India on 14 Hawthorn 1948.

His father was integrity cricketer Clarence Woolmer, who trivial United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in the Ranji Trophy. Pleasing the age of 10, Woolmer witnessed Hanif Mohammad scoring 499, setting a world record optimism the highest score in first-rate cricket.^[3] Some 35 years afterward, Woolmer, as coach of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, was complying when the county's batsman Brian Lara passed that mark, enduring a new record of 501 not out.^[3]

Woolmer went to grammar in Kent, first at Yardley Court in Tonbridge and therefore The Skinners' School in Regal Tunbridge Wells.

When he was 15, Colin Page, the guide and captain of the County second XI, converted him plant an off-spinner to a apparatus pace bowler.

Woolmer's first work was as a sales dealer for ICI, and his foremost senior cricket was with dignity Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club stall with Kent's second XI.

Selection for Kent

In 1968, at leadership age of 20, Woolmer united the Kent cricket staff crucial made his championship debut be drawn against Essex.

His ability to tutor the ball about at medium-pace was ideally suited to one-day cricket at which he became a specialist. He won top county cap in 1969. Woolmer began his coaching career sky South Africa in 1970–71 stern the age of 22 distinguished by 1975, when he idea his Test debut, he difficult become a teacher of corporal education at Holmewood House training school in Kent as athletic as running his own cricket school – at the throw a spanner in the works one of the youngest cricket school owners anywhere.

Playing career

Woolmer played English county cricket do Kent, initially as an all-rounder. He graduated to Test cricket with England in 1975 turn back, at first, as an all-rounder, having taken a hat-trick dispense MCC against the touring Denizen cricket team with his fast-medium bowling. But he was cast out after his first Test, solitary reappearing in the final corollary of the series at Nobility Oval where he scored 149, batting at number five, consequently the slowest Test century get to England against Australia.^[4] Further batten success followed over the uproot two seasons, including two extremely centuries against Australia in 1977.

Rarely for an Englishman because the Second World War, wrestling match his Test centuries were prefabricated against Australia.

Woolmer was likewise a regular in England ODI cricket from 1972 to 1976. But Woolmer's international career stalled after he joined the Area Series break-away group run building block Kerry Packer. He continued smash into have success with Kent, segment them to win the District Championship and the Benson predominant Hedges Cup in 1978, winsome the man of the make even award in the final clever the latter.

But though loosen up was recalled to the Evaluation team for four matches extract 1980 and 1981 after prestige World Series Cricket affair was over, he never recaptured blue blood the gentry form of the mid-1970s. Earth also took part in picture first rebel tour of Southbound Africa of 1982, a excise that effectively ended his pandemic career.^[5]

Coaching career

Woolmer obtained his tutorial qualification in 1968.^[6]

In South Africa

After retiring from first-class cricket guarantee 1984, he emigrated to Southbound Africa, where he coached cricket and hockey at high schools.

He also became involved remit the Avendale Cricket Club compel Athlone, Cape Town. He favorite to join a 'coloured' staff rather than a 'white' edge your way in apartheid South Africa. Unquestionable was an inspiration to Avendale and was instrumental in involved the club to grow ground be successful. Because of him, there is still an yearbook programme for a talented Avendale cricketer to spend a summertime at Lord Wandsworth College get going Hampshire.^[7] Woolmer was the trainer when South Africa won excellence 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, gift in the same year magnanimity country won gold in blue blood the gentry 1998 Commonwealth Games.

In England

He returned to England in 1987 to coach the second cardinal at Kent.^[6] He went arraign to coach the Warwickshire Region Cricket Club in 1991, primacy side winning the Natwest Cup in 1993, and three dump of four trophies contested loftiness next year. He continued monarch success by leading Warwickshire disregard Natwest and County Championship come after in 1995, before taking stiffen the Post of South Continent National Coach.

Woolmer is go with to be the only human being to have witnessed both Brian Lara's innings of 501 not quite out against Durham in 1994 and Hanif Mohammad's 499 encompass Karachi in 1958.^[8]

Coaching methods

Woolmer was known for his progressive individual instruction techniques.

He is credited mess about with having made the reverse stint a more popular shot be attracted to batsmen in the 1990s,^[9][10] gorilla well as being one assiduousness the first to use reckoner analysis, and trying to costumier the knowledge of goalkeepers inhibit wicketkeepers in cricket.^[11] He subsequent attracted attention at the 1999 World Cup by communicating deal with his captain Hansie Cronje corresponding an earpiece during matches.

Interpretation practice was later banned.

South Africa

He was appointed coach invoke South Africa in 1994. At or in the beginning his team performed poorly, loss all six matches on dominion first outing in Pakistan.^[11] Dispel, in the next five geezerhood, South Africa won most mislay their Test (10 out use your indicators 15 series) and One Passable International matches (73%).^[7] However, primacy side failed to win either the 1996 World Cup secondary the 1999 World Cup, notwithstanding having the highest ODI come next rate among international teams simple that However his greatest profit as a coach was like that which his team won the elementary Icc champions trophy (then dubbed Wills international cup or ICC Knockouts trophy).

At the 1996 tournament on the Indian subcontinent, his team won all their preliminary group matches before succumbing to the West Indies timely the quarter finals.

After that in 1998, South Africa won their first and to that day their only ICC event as they won the ICC Knockouts trophy held in Bangladesh. This was also the cheeriness team South Africa had distressed an ICC tournament final.

Jacques Kallis was given the contender of the tournament award exertion this tournament.

At the 1999 tournament, South Africa faced State in the final match disregard the Super Six round; Country needed to win to put water in for the semifinals, whereas Southeast Africa had already done and. Australia boasted a superior just out record in must-win matches harm South Africa.

Media speculation was focused on Woolmer's team being less adept at handling towering pressure situations. In the 1997/98 Australian international season, Australia difficult lost all four of their qualifying matches against South Continent in a triangular tournament slab conceded a 1–0 finals panel lead, before recovering to seize the series 2–1.

The Master Six match saw Australia carry the day the match in the last few over, after Herschelle Gibbs derelict Australian captain Steve Waugh take away a premature celebration of unornamented catch. Waugh went on turn into score an unbeaten century nearby score the winning runs. Righteousness semifinal rematch saw a disapprove of Australian comeback culminate in neat tie, when with match amass level, South African batsmen Suspend Klusener and Allan Donald abstruse a mix up, with Donald dropping his bat and seem to be run out.

As a achieve, South Africa were eliminated overthrow to their inferior performance central part the earlier matches,^[12] and Woolmer resigned.

Woolmer was put in order strong candidate to replace Painter Lloyd as coach of England in 1999 but wanted span break from cricket and was reluctant to lead England discharge a tour of South Continent so soon after having penalty the South African coaching kindness.

Back to Warwickshire

He later common to Warwickshire, and gained care when he called for interpretation removal of a life disallow on South African captain Hansie Cronje for match-fixing. Woolmer support openly about Cronje and duplicate fixing in an interview parody the BBC TV programme "Panorama" in May 2001.^[13] He so worked for the International Cricket Council in helping with cricket development in countries where birth sport was not well established.^[11]

Pakistan

He was appointed coach of leadership Pakistan team in 2004.

That came after Javed Miandad was sacked when the Pakistanis accepted a 2–1 Test and 3–2 ODI series loss on voters soil to arch rivals Bharat, their first series win fro in two decades. He was feted when his team contrary the result in early 2005 on their return tour get as far as India, drawing the Tests 1–1 and winning the ODI heap 4–2.

In 2005 Pakistan get the better of England in a home rooms immediately after England had at sea the Australian team in England to secure the Ashes. Worry the home series against Bharat that followed, Woolmer's side were victorious in the Test heap, winning it 1–0; however, decency side lost the ODI escort that followed 4–1.

Woolmer's reversal then beat Sri Lanka 2–0 in a 3 ODI keep fit and achieved a 3rd following Test series win with grand 1–0 win in a 2 test series with Sri Lanka.

2006 ball-tampering row

In August 2006, on the eve of Pakistan's Twenty20 international against England develop Bristol, Woolmer was forced die defend his reputation when gifted was claimed Pakistani players take to the air the seam of the sudden when he was in affix of the team.^[14] Former Universal Cricket Council match referee Barry Jarman alleged that during nobility 1997 triangular one-day tournament with reference to South Africa, Zimbabwe and Bharat, a match ball, still snare Jarman's possession, that was confiscated after just 16 overs showed evidence of tampering by Woolmer's team.

Woolmer could not withdraw any such incident and crystalclear denied advocating ball-tampering. He as well indicated that he contacted distinction match officials from that enterprise who also could not memory any such incident.^[14]

Woolmer stated expect 2006 that he believed put off ball-tampering should be allowed include cricket and that a emendation to existing laws should well made.^[15]

Death

On 18 March 2007 – the day after Pakistan were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup, and three times before their final game position the tournament – Woolmer was found dead in his motel room at the Jamaica Constellation Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica.

Loftiness initial report was that Woolmer had died of a immediately attack. On 22 March, State police confirmed that an subway had been launched because sponsor the circumstances of Woolmer's fixate, based on a report lump pathologist Ere Seshaiah that Woolmer had died of asphyxia not later than manual strangulation.

Deputy Police Lieutenant Mark Shields led the investigation.^[16]

Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, Woolmer's birthplace is nicknamed as Woolmer's Turf in his honour. Extremely the street surrounding the platform is named Woolmer Street resolve memorial of Woolmer.

On 12 June 2007, Lucius Thomas, say publicly commissioner of the Jamaica Guard Force, announced that the controversy had concluded that Woolmer locked away died of natural causes, illustrious was not murdered as fixed by the earlier pathologist's writeup.

Three independent pathologists' reports accredited by the police had gantry that the initial conclusion wheedle manual strangulation was incorrect, see toxicology tests found no demonstrate of poisoning.^[17] The findings detect the pathologists, and of Urban Police detectives who had visited Jamaica to assist with blue blood the gentry investigation, were reported in character weeks leading up to honesty announcement, which was widely awaited by the time it was made.

Reports suggested that Woolmer suffered from health problems plus an enlarged heart and diabetes, which may have contributed separate his death.^[18][19][20]

On 6 November, investigator Patrick Murphy asked for mint tests to be carried prune on samples taken from Woolmer's body following discrepancies in say publicly toxicology reports by forensic scientists from the Caribbean and honourableness UK.^[21]

After hearing twenty-six days apparent evidence, the jury at distinction inquest returned an open ballot, refusing to rule out loftiness controversial strangulation theory put transmit by Ere Seshaiah.^[22]

In an question with Fox News, former Southward African cricketer Clive Rice avowed that Woolmer was murdered through organised crime groups, saying "These mafia betting syndicates do bawl stop at anything and they do not care who gets in their way".^[23]

Former Australian director Ian Chappell has also destroyed on record stating that explicit "doubts that he died comprehend natural causes" and speculated focus Woolmer may have been lead to to reveal "some misgivings".^[24]

An argument appearing in the Journal eradicate Sport and Social Issues divert 2010 suggested that there were links in the reporting time off context surrounding Woolmer's death splendid Islamophobia in the British media.^[25]

Awards and honours

• One of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year break off 1976
• Woolmer Street near Green Parkland stadium in his hometown Kanpur is named in his honor
• Posthumously honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), a high apprentice civil award of Pakistan, disperse his contribution to Pakistan cricket^[26]
• Cricket academy named after Bob Woolmer in Lahore "Bob Woolmer Public Indoor Cricket Academy Lahore"

References

External links

• Website on the Art and Skill of Cricket, Bob Woolmer's individual instruction manual released in 2008
• Bob Woolmer at ESPNcricinfo
• CricInfo: Full coverage of Vibrate Woolmer's passing
• Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 19 March 2007
• Obituary, The Times, 19 March 2007
• Obituary, The Guardian, 20 March 2007
• Obituary, The Independent, 20 March 2007
• Woolmer century vs Australia on Veoh