Former Pakistan cricketer, Shoaib Malik and Inzamam Ul Haq paid touching tributes to late coach Bob Wolmer, who passed away on this day in 2007. Woolmer, who coached Pakistan from 2004 to 2007, died under mysterious circumstances on March 18, 2007, just a few hours after Pakistan’s shock loss to Irelands at 2007 ICC Cricket World Cup in West Indies. Woolmer was 58-years of age at the time of death. Malik, who one of the key players under Woolmer, took to social media to pay his respects to the former coach, while Inzamam dedicated an episode on his YouTube channel to the late coach. Ravi Bopara Comes Up With a Hilarious Suggestion As PSL 2020 is Postponed, Here's Why England Cricketer Feels Multan Sultans Should be Handed the Trophy.
“Miss you coach,” wrote Malik on his twitter page paying tributes to the late Woolmer, who passed away in his hotel room in the Caribbean Island under mysterious circumstances. Inzamam, on the other, dedicated an episode to the former coach on his YouTube channel. “Woolmer and I spent time together in the Pakistan team in the capacity of coach and captain,” said the 50-year-old. “We shared many great moments together. He was the most organised coach that I ever came across. Did Shahdab Khan Troll Hassan Ali for his Tweet in English, At Least That’s What the Netizens Think So.
RIP Bob Woolmer
Miss you coach ❤️ #RIPBobWoolmer 🙏🏼
— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) March 18, 2020
“I got to learn a lot from him. He never used to force things upon the selectors. He simply used to bring me the stats and never undermined the captain with respect to the selection of players. When we lost the match against Ireland, we entered the dressing room very quietly. He asked me ‘what’s the plan?’ and I said ‘let’s talk tomorrow over breakfast’. But he never came for it. I went back to my room and got a call from someone asking to come to his room,” added the former Pakistan captain in his show. Inzamam was the Pakistan captain under Woolmer.
Inzamam-ul-Haq's Tribute to Late Bob Woolmer
“Police had come to his floor and they didn’t allow me to go inside Woolmer’s room. He was taken to the hospital and soon news came that he was no more. The entire team was shocked. The doctors had declared the death as murder and we were all left stunned by it.”
That 2007 World Cup was disastrous for Pakistan with the Asian heavyweights losing two of their three group stage games. They began the campaign with a defeat against hosts West Indies before succumbing to a shock loss against minnows Ireland. In a must-win game against Ireland, Pakistan folded for 132 batting first which was comfortably chased down by Ireland with fiver overs and three wickets in hand.
A day after their defeat to Ireland, Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room. There were investigation from both Scotland Yard and the Caribbean Police but none found any evidence that could lead to charges of murder and Woolmer was declared to have died by natural causes. The Pakistani team, led by Inzamam, assistant coach Mushtaq Ahmed and team manager Talat Al was also questioned on the case.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 18, 2020 04:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).