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Team trainer likely to be present at post mortem
Woolmer death: Hard news takes a back seat
Dileep Premachandran in Kingston
March 19, 2007
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Woolmer's death has led to a spate of conspiracy theories
© Martin Williamson
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The conspiracy theories were plentiful but, a day after Bob Woolmer's sudden death, the lack of credible information meant a shocked cricket fraternity was no closer to finding out what caused it.
Sources within the Pakistan squad revealed that neither Woolmer's wife nor his sons would be travelling to the Caribbean. Instead, Murray Stevenson, the team's South African trainer, will be at the University Hospital while the the post-mortem is performed on Tuesday morning, though it's unclear as to whether the results will be publicised 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. It doesn't help that the concept of media management is an alien one for every Asian side except Bangladesh. Whatever happens with Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies or Bangladesh, you can rest assured that there'll be an email heading your way. Not so with Asia's big three, who just can't be bothered with such niceties.
Much of the speculation has centred around 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 rumours.
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
airconditioners audible, and after that it was time to play. Woolmer, or
the real Mr Cricket as one commentator referred to him, would have approved.
Dileep Premachandran is features editor of Cricinfo
© Cricinfo
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