A Suspicious Death, Say Police, As the Rumours of Murder or Accident Abound

Jamaican police are investigating the final hours of former England all-rounder Bob Woolmer after announcing that they were treating his death in Kingston on Sunday as "suspicious".

The announcement at a press conference on Tuesday night destroyed any semblance of normality at the cricketing World Cup, and set off a storm of speculation. Rumours swirled around the players and reached Pakistan - with talk of match fixing, of betting syndicates, and of murder.

Detectives of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, led by former Scotland Yard chief superintendent Mark Shields, spent the day searching the coach's room, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel, removing items for forensic tests and leaving the white front door of room 374 covered in black marks from fingerprint analysis.

Mr Shields, deputy commissioner of the force, said early results from forensic tests on Woolmer's body had led him to launch a full investigation: "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."

Asked whether that meant a murder inquiry, he replied: "No, we are not saying that," adding with studied evasion: "It's the old adage - we have to keep an open mind."

The ambiguity sent local and international media into a frenzy. Last night, Radio Jamaica reported that it had been "very reliably" told that the cause of death had been identified as strangulation. Journalist Rohan Powell said marks on his body were consistent with strangulation.

P J Mir, spokesman for Pakistan cricket team, said that he had heard the rumours of strangulation but could not comment on them. He said he had seen Woolmer's body but saw no such signs of an attack.

He said the body had been moved from the toilet to the bedroom, but Mr Mir declined to say by whom: "That is a matter for the police," he said.

Earlier, one of the Pakistani team officials told reporters there was blood and vomit in Woolmer's room that his blood-testing machine had been found on the bathroom floor. The news that further toxicology results were expected sparked speculation that poison had been found.

The voluble former Pakistani fast bowler Safraz Nawaz, went furthest when he told Associated Press: "Woolmer's death has some connection with the match-fixing mafia." If there is any truth in Nawaz's contention that Woolmer was murdered because he was about to expose match fixing, it would be the biggest scandal to hit international cricket. It has already been tarnished by revelations that in 1996 the captain of the South African team, Hansie Cronje, took $350,000 from a bookmaker to lose matches. Cronje, who was captain while Woolmer coached South Africa, died in a plane crash in 2002.

The Pakistan team's first shock came on Saturday when the team fell to a humiliating defeat at the hands of World Cup debutantes Ireland which threw them out of the competition. Woolmer handled that defeat with typical dignity, saying: "I think you can say that March 17 2007, will be a historic day for world cricket."

But March 18 2007 may become a far more significant moment for the international sport. Initial theories around Woolmer's death at University Hospital focused on the diabetes he suffered from, as well as breathing difficulties he had been said to complain about before the start of the World Cup. His family mentioned stress or a heart attack as possible causes.

Woolmer's wife, Gill, interviewed on Indian television, said her husband had not been involved in match-fixing and they had never been threatened. She said he had emailed her on the morning of his death after the defeat to Ireland: "He did mention that he was really depressed and could not believe how this could have happened." Imran Khan, the cricket legend turned politician, yesterday also discounted murder theories. "Why would anyone want to kill Woolmer? That makes no sense. I don't believe in any conspiracy," he told the Guardian.

Woolmer, 58, first made his name as a medium-fast bowler for Kent before playing for England in 1975. He found greater success as a coach, but here too controversy was never far behind. Two years into his appointment to the job of coach of the Pakistan team he was embroiled in the ugly dispute over ball tampering, with the Pakistanis accused of cheating. On Woolmer's watch, two players Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif were banned for long periods after testing positive to the drug nandrolone. The ban was later dropped on appeal.

Friends talk of stress and plots


Medical problems

Even when he played for England, Bob Woolmer hardly cut a svelte figure. And by the age of 58 he appeared out of condition and suffered from type two diabetes. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Naseem Ashraf said Woolmer had complained of breathing difficulties and sometimes wore an oxygen mask to sleep. Although his coaching job was stressful, his wife, Gill, said he recently joked to a friend: "Don't worry about me, mate, I'm the last person to die of a heart attack." Mrs Woolmer told Indian TV channel NDTV there was no possibility he had succumbed to an overdose of prescription drugs or alcohol. The only medication he was taking were prescribed anti-inflammatory drugs, she said.

Cricketing concerns

Saturday's defeat to World Cup minnows Ireland (pictured above) meant an early exit from the World Cup for Pakistan, the latest in a disastrous series of events involving the team. In Multan, angry fans burnt effigies of Woolmer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, and shouted "Death to Bob Woolmer". His apartment was stoned and media coverage suggested the players' financial assets should be frozen. In his last posting on his website, Woolmer accused Pakistan's media of trying to "disrupt team spirit". His relationship with most of the team was said to be good, although there were tensions with former players, including Javed Miandad, as well as current stars fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar and captain Inzamam. Woolmer had come close to resignation over the forfeited Test match at the Oval in August 2006, when his team was accused by umpire Darrell Hair of ball-tampering. Two months later Shoaib and Mohammad Asif were sent home from the Champions Trophy after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone. Relations with Shoaib deteriorated further in January when the Pakistani media reported Woolmer had racially abused the bowler in South Africa. The coach threatened legal action.

The forthcoming books

Woolmer was writing two books - one on coaching, the other a sequel to his autobiography - his wife told NDTV: "I have the manuscripts with me, but I have not read them. I cannot tell you when they will published but they are in the final stages." Conspiracy theorists, led by former Pakistani bowler Sarfraz Nawaz believed one of the books would lift the lid on a new match-fixing scandal, and that Woolmer had been murdered by a betting syndicate on the subcontinent. Mrs Woolmer poured scorn on the idea of a murder plot: "Bob never spoke to me about match-fixing," she said.