Cricket: Police Treating Bob Woolmer's Death As Suspicious

The death of Pakistan cricket coach and former England Test batsman Bob Woolmer is being treated as suspicious, Jamaican police said today.

Mr Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica on Sunday morning - the day after his side crashed out of the World Cup with a shock defeat to Ireland. He was taken to hospital in Kingston, but is not believed to have regained consciousness at any point, and was pronounced dead shortly after noon.

Scant details have been released about any possible cause of death, but many have blamed stress and diabetic Woolmer is reported to have been suffering from breathing difficulties in the period leading up to his death. Commentators in Pakistan, on the other hand, suggested he was simply too heartbroken by defeat to carry on.

Mark Shields, deputy commissioner of the Jamaican police constabulary, told a press conference in Kingston at 2.30am British time: "At the press conference earlier today we reported that the cause of death was inconclusive.

"Having met with the pathologist, other medical personnel and investigators there is now sufficient information to continue a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer, which we are now treating as suspicious.

"We have already informed the Woolmer family of this development, but we are also in close contact with the Pakistan team management, Cricket World Cup and the International Cricket Council to ensure that all the parties are kept informed of the ongoing investigation."

Asked if he was saying that Mr Woolmer had been murdered, he said: "No, we are not saying that."

Mr Shields said police did not have an official, final report from a pathologist about Mr Woolmer's death, but would update the media on the investigation later today.

James Fitzgerald, from the International Cricket Council, told Sky News that Pakistan's final World Cup match against Zimbabwe today would go ahead, saying the match would "get under way at 9.30am local time and will be preceded by a minute's silence as a mark of respect" for Mr Woolmer.