Deputy Police Commissioner of Jamaica Mark Shiellds has gone on
record to say
that
the overdose angle is being looked at very closely and that the
police are treating Woolmer's sudden death as a homicide:
(1)
Woolomer could not be conscious again up till reaching the hospital
from the hotel room. So it is possible that his death occurred
before.
Cricket analyst Ashish Shukla also said from Trinidad that poison is
the reason behind the Bob’s death. He took or other gave, could not
be said.
(2)
Police was probing why it took one hour to get Woolmer to hospital
when the hospital was only 15 minutes away by car.
(3)
Woolmer had received death threats from Pakistani fans and there was
plenty of motivation for a crazed fan to perhaps physically harm
Woolmer. Sources close to the probe have said the police is
questioning persons who met with Woolmer before his death.
(4)
police discovered signs of diarrhea, leading investigators to
believe that Woolmer may have struggled in his last moments in the
hotel room.
(5)
According to sources, the walls of Woolmer’s room were covered in
vomit.
(6)
Blood stains were detected in the bathroom
(7)
Mark
Shields has gone on record to say that the overdose angle is being
looked at very closely and that the police are treating Woolmer's
sudden death as a homicide
(8)
Forensic Experts do not rule out Poisoning
Dr Anil Aggarwal,
professor of forensic medicine, Maulana Azad Medical College
concedes that it could have been a cardiac arrest but "as a forensic
toxicologist, I find the presence of vomit and blood very
suspicious. To me it looks like a case of poisoning and I have two
in mind, arsenic trioxide and strychnine.''
Much of the
speculation has centered on a story in The Daily Mirror which
insinuated that Woolmer's death was probably the result of a
prescription drug-and-alcohol overdose. The circumstances, in which
the body was found, lying on the floor in the bathroom, have
probably helped fuel such rumors.
From the
possible, the theories range to the seemingly bizarre. One of them
is that Woolmer might have been poisoned by some local snake venom.
To try and reach a more scientific understanding of Woolmer's death,
TOI reached a number of doctors. Forensic experts aretalking about
chances of poisoning.
Fatal
shooting of Colombia footballer Andres Escobar
Woolmer
died within 24 hours of a result (defeat by Ireland, 22-1 outsiders
on Betfair) that sparked outrage in gambling-mad Pakistan. There's
no reason to believe his death was suspicious, yet that did not stop
punters comparing it to the fatal shooting of Colombia footballer
Andres Escobar.
Conspiracists still subscribe to the (unproven) idea Escobar was
murdered on the orders of a gambling cartel angry his own goal put
Colombia out of the 1994 World Cup.
Mystery
behind the death of Hansie Cronie
When
you consider Cronje, South Africa World Cup skipper under Woolmer in
1999, died in suspicious circumstances too, perhaps there's reason
to fear gambling has become more important to some than life or
death.
Hansie Cronje and
Bob Woolmer were almost inseparable during the latter's stint as
South African coach during the mid-1990s.
For Cronje and
Woolmer, the 1999 World Cup was a turning point in careers. Till
their semifinal against Australia, South Africa was on top of its
game, brushing aside opponents with ease.
During his
coaching stint and Cronje's captaincy, South Africa won 83 of 117
one-day internationals --an astounding winning percentage of 72.80.
However, the loss to Australia turned out to be a devastating blow
for both as their cricketing success petered out.
While Cronje's
life became a living hell due to his involvement in match-fixing,
Woolmer distanced himself from high profile coaching assignments and
took up a job with the International Cricket Council.
Cronje's
transformation from hero to villain was quite sudden. Despite being
South Africa's most successful captain, Cronje's involvement in the
match-fixing scandal had turned his life into a nightmare. Just
before his death in June 2002, he was under tremendous pressure and
in a state of depression.
His death too was
sudden and shrouded in mystery. Following the plane crash in which
he died, there were many conspiracy theories floating around.
Woolmer too found
the same fate waiting for him. Immediately after the humiliating
loss, one could see dejection writ all over his face. He admitted
that it was the worst moment of his career. Like Cronje, pressure,
depression and a sense of shame were his companions before he took
his last breath.
Like Cronje,
Woolmer's death too has had its share of conspiracy theories.
Post-Mortem will
be done
According to
senior officials in the Pakistan Cricket Board, the delay was
because there were no family members to authorize it. Sources within
the Pakistan squad revealed that neither Woolmer's wife nor his sons
would be traveling to the Caribbean. Instead, Murray Stevenson, the
team's South African trainer, will be at the University Hospital
while the post-mortem is performed on Tuesday morning, though it's
unclear as to whether the results will be publicized without the
consent of the Woolmer family.
Following the
autopsy, the Pakistan Cricket Board will arrange for the body to be
transported to Cape Town and some reports suggest that Inzamam-ul
Haq, the team captain, will join Stevenson in accompanying the
casket.
With information
hard to come by, most journalists covering the West Indies-Zimbabwe
game spent half their time focusing on the police investigation.
Meanwhile, at
Sabina Park, the flags flew at half mast and the West Indian and
Zimbabwean players came out with black armbands. The minute's
silence before the start of play was impeccably observed, with only
the hum of the air conditioners audible, and after that it was time
to play. Woolmer, or the real Mr Cricket as one commentator referred
to him, would have approved.
Chappell’s opinoion
And
who'd have thought the first two shock defeats would be for Pakistan
and India? The sudden death of Bob Woolmer has moved India coach
Greg Chappell to highlight the physical and emotional stresses of
coaching on the subcontinent and cast a grim shadow over the World
Cup.
As
Woolmer's wife, Gill, flew from Cape Town to the West Indies,
Chappell said the pressures of coaching on the cricket-mad
subcontinent were extreme. "It's a stressful job at the best of
times," the former Australian captain told Cricinfo. "There's a
great deal of emotional involvement. You have to be passionate about
it if you want to do the job well. The expectations are far higher
[on the subcontinent]. But in the light of this tragic event, I
think we need to take pause and make sure that we don't get too
stressed about what is after all only a game."
A
volatile cricket public in Pakistan and India reacted violently to
their group stage defeats by Ireland and Bangladesh respectively.
Rioters in Multan demanded the sacking of Woolmer and captain
Inzamam ul-Haq and in India the house of wicketkeeper-batsman
Mahendra Dhoni was attacked.