Cricket World Cup: Pakistan Cricket Official Say Bob Woolmer May Not Have Been Murdered

Bob Woolmer's death might have been due to natural causes - and not murder - a senior official of the Pakistan Cricket Board claimed today.

The official, who asked not to be identified, claimed that Jamaican police had acted hastily by declaring Woolmer's death as murder - and also that the PCB had received information that there could have been mistakes in the first autopsy on his body, which suggested he had been strangled.

"We believe that the autopsy by the pathologist may have had error counts and [the police] are now considering having a second autopsy to confirm the cause of death," said the official. "The feedback we have got is there are some contradictions in the version of events after Woolmer was found unconscious. But we will get a clearer picture after our manager briefs the board on what took place there."

Meanwhile, the man in charge of the murder inquiry, Jamaica's deputy police commissioner Mark Shields, has described claims by Pakistan team spokesman PJ Mir that his players are not suspects as "a pretty inaccurate statement".

The final members of the team left their London hotel last night to head back to Pakistan as mystery continued to surround the death of their coach. Mir told reporters outside the hotel that Jamaican police had confirmed team members were "not suspects". However Shields said: "That is a pretty inaccurate statement because nobody at this stage could be ruled out of the inquiry.

"I think probably he knows that, because we've had a number of conversations in the past with the Pakistan team - and I have to say this again, they have been nothing other than completely co-operative throughout the whole process. That worked very well. In fact, as many people know, two Pakistan diplomats arrived and that spirit of co-operation has continued throughout the whole process of the investigation so far. So I find it very surprising that statement should be made."