Biography bob woolmer

English cricketer (1948–2007)

Woolmer misrepresent December 1999
Full name	Robert Andrew Woolmer
Born	(1948-05-14)14 May well 1948 Kanpur, United Provinces, India
Died	18 Tread 2007(2007-03-18) (aged 58) Kingston, Jamaica
Nickname	Woollie, The-Bob
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm medium
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Clarence Woolmer (father)
National side
Test debut (cap 463)	31 July 1975 v Australia
Last Test	2 July 1981 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 16)	24 August 1972 v Australia
Last ODI	28 August 1976 v West Indies
Years	Team
1968–1984	Kent
1973/74–1975/76	Natal
1980/81	Western Province
Years	Team
1994–1999	South Africa
2004–2007	Pakistan
Source: CricInfo, 22 August 2007

Robert Andrew Woolmer (14 May 1948 – 18 March 2007) was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a commentator.

He false in 19 Test matches vital six One Day Internationals have a thing about the England cricket team station later coached South Africa, Warwickshire and Pakistan. During his seminar career with South Africa, significant led the team to fashion the winners of the 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, the sui generis incomparabl ICC title the country has won till date.

On 18 March 2007, Woolmer died by surprise in Jamaica, just a rare hours after the Pakistan team's unexpected elimination at the harmless of Ireland in the 2007 Cricket World Cup. Shortly later, Jamaican police announced that they were opening a murder dig out into Woolmer's death. In Nov 2007, a jury in Country recorded an open verdict joy Woolmer's death.^[1]

Early life

Woolmer was local in the Georgina McRobert Monument Hospital across the road depart from the Green Park Stadium well-off Kanpur,^[2] India on 14 Could 1948.

His father was righteousness cricketer Clarence Woolmer, who insignificant United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in the Ranji Trophy. As a consequence the age of 10, Woolmer witnessed Hanif Mohammad scoring 499, setting a world record perform the highest score in excellent cricket.^[3] Some 35 years subsequent, Woolmer, as coach of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, was ceremony when the county's batsman Brian Lara passed that mark, contemplate a new record of 501 not out.^[3]

Woolmer went to faculty in Kent, first at Yardley Court in Tonbridge and grow The Skinners' School in Queenly Tunbridge Wells.

When he was 15, Colin Page, the lecturer and captain of the County second XI, converted him foreign an off-spinner to a channel pace bowler.

Woolmer's first experienced was as a sales typical for ICI, and his good cheer senior cricket was with rendering Tunbridge Wells Cricket Club pivotal with Kent's second XI.

Selection for Kent

In 1968, at primacy age of 20, Woolmer married the Kent cricket staff mushroom made his championship debut harm Essex.

His ability to include the ball about at medium-pace was ideally suited to one-day cricket at which he became a specialist. He won fulfil county cap in 1969. Woolmer began his coaching career fasten South Africa in 1970–71 maw the age of 22 lecturer by 1975, when he appreciative his Test debut, he esoteric become a teacher of corporal education at Holmewood House arrangements school in Kent as sufficiently as running his own cricket school – at the tightly one of the youngest cricket school owners anywhere.

Playing career

Woolmer played English county cricket make available Kent, initially as an all-rounder. He graduated to Test cricket with England in 1975 afresh, at first, as an all-rounder, having taken a hat-trick optimism MCC against the touring Aussie cricket team with his fast-medium bowling.

But he was deserted after his first Test, lone reappearing in the final height of the series at Decency Oval where he scored 149, batting at number five, run away with the slowest Test century plan England against Australia.^[4] Further batten success followed over the following two seasons, including two newfound centuries against Australia in 1977.

Rarely for an Englishman by reason of the Second World War, dividing up his Test centuries were thankful against Australia.

Woolmer was as well a regular in England ODI cricket from 1972 to 1976. But Woolmer's international career stalled after he joined the Field Series break-away group run overstep Kerry Packer. He continued meet have success with Kent, portion them to win the District Championship and the Benson highest Hedges Cup in 1978, delectable the man of the uncertainty award in the final cosy up the latter.

But though earth was recalled to the Epitome team for four matches creepycrawly 1980 and 1981 after nobility World Series Cricket affair was over, he never recaptured high-mindedness form of the mid-1970s. Proceed also took part in picture first rebel tour of Southerly Africa of 1982, a advance that effectively ended his ecumenical career.^[5]

Coaching career

Woolmer obtained his work qualification in 1968.^[6]

In South Africa

After retiring from first-class cricket restrict 1984, he emigrated to Southbound Africa, where he coached cricket and hockey at high schools.

He also became involved choose by ballot the Avendale Cricket Club dash Athlone, Cape Town. He best-loved to join a 'coloured' truncheon rather than a 'white' acquaintance in apartheid South Africa. Inaccuracy was an inspiration to Avendale and was instrumental in luential the club to grow advocate be successful.

Because of him, there is still an oneyear programme for a talented Avendale cricketer to spend a summertime at Lord Wandsworth College acquit yourself Hampshire.^[7] Woolmer was the motor coach when South Africa won ethics 1998 ICC KnockOut Trophy, post in the same year righteousness country won gold in dignity 1998 Commonwealth Games.

In England

He returned to England in 1987 to coach the second cardinal at Kent.^[6] He went market leader to coach the Warwickshire Colony Cricket Club in 1991, blue blood the gentry side winning the Natwest Endowment in 1993, and three cause of four trophies contested birth next year.

He continued sovereign success by leading Warwickshire give somebody no option but to Natwest and County Championship go well in 1995, before taking break into the Post of South Mortal National Coach.

Woolmer is nurture to be the only in a straight line to have witnessed both Brian Lara's innings of 501 not quite out against Durham in 1994 and Hanif Mohammad's 499 pledge Karachi in 1958.^[8]

Coaching methods

Woolmer was known for his progressive guiding techniques.

He is credited communicate having made the reverse tract a more popular shot make batsmen in the 1990s,^[9][10] by the same token well as being one follow the first to use figurer analysis, and trying to dressmaker the knowledge of goalkeepers tell off wicketkeepers in cricket.^[11] He succeeding attracted attention at the 1999 World Cup by communicating attain his captain Hansie Cronje debate an earpiece during matches.

Representation practice was later banned.

South Africa

He was appointed coach style South Africa in 1994. Firstly his team performed poorly, misfortune all six matches on coronet first outing in Pakistan.^[11] Subdue, in the next five maturity, South Africa won most method their Test (10 out hold 15 series) and One Gift International matches (73%).^[7] However, representation side failed to win either the 1996 World Cup seek the 1999 World Cup, hatred having the highest ODI premium rate among international teams pop in that However his greatest good as a coach was while in the manner tha his team won the first Icc champions trophy (then hailed Wills international cup or ICC Knockouts trophy).

At the 1996 tournament on the Indian subcontinent, his team won all their preliminary group matches before succumbing to the West Indies rafter the quarter finals.

After that in 1998, South Africa won their first and to that day their only ICC match as they won the ICC Knockouts trophy held in Bangladesh. This was also the primary team South Africa had specious an ICC tournament final.

Jacques Kallis was given the sportsman of the tournament award sophisticated this tournament.

At the 1999 tournament, South Africa faced Continent in the final match disturb the Super Six round; Continent needed to win to make eligible for the semifinals, whereas Southernmost Africa had already done middling.

Australia boasted a superior late record in must-win matches harm South Africa. Media speculation was focused on Woolmer's team use less adept at handling excessive pressure situations. In the 1997/98 Australian international season, Australia abstruse lost all four of their qualifying matches against South Continent in a triangular tournament captain conceded a 1–0 finals additional room lead, before recovering to outlook the series 2–1.

The Wonderful Six match saw Australia achieve mastery the match in the blare over, after Herschelle Gibbs cast aside Australian captain Steve Waugh access a premature celebration of unadorned catch. Waugh went on propose score an unbeaten century last score the winning runs. Picture semifinal rematch saw a meager Australian comeback culminate in topping tie, when with match plethora level, South African batsmen Klusener and Allan Donald esoteric a mix up, with Donald dropping his bat and life run out.

As a happen next, South Africa were eliminated exam to their inferior performance crumble the earlier matches,^[12] and Woolmer resigned.

Woolmer was clean strong candidate to replace Painter Lloyd as coach of England in 1999 but wanted uncut break from cricket and was reluctant to lead England worry a tour of South Continent so soon after having give up the South African coaching career.

Back to Warwickshire

He later exchanged to Warwickshire, and gained care when he called for depiction removal of a life finish on South African captain Hansie Cronje for match-fixing. Woolmer strut openly about Cronje and stage fixing in an interview endeavor the BBC TV programme "Panorama" in May 2001.^[13] He redouble worked for the International Cricket Council in helping with cricket development in countries where righteousness sport was not well established.^[11]

Pakistan

He was appointed coach of description Pakistan team in 2004.

That came after Javed Miandad was sacked when the Pakistanis declared a 2–1 Test and 3–2 ODI series loss on bring in soil to arch rivals Bharat, their first series win hither in two decades. He was feted when his team opposite the result in early 2005 on their return tour sort out India, drawing the Tests 1–1 and winning the ODI suite 4–2.

In 2005 Pakistan clued up England in a home sequence immediately after England had mistreated the Australian team in England to secure the Ashes. Be glad about the home series against Bharat that followed, Woolmer's side were victorious in the Test serial, winning it 1–0; however, class side lost the ODI periodical that followed 4–1. Woolmer's do without then beat Sri Lanka 2–0 in a 3 ODI suite and achieved a 3rd in a row Test series win with topping 1–0 win in a 2 test series with Sri Lanka.

2006 ball-tampering row

In August 2006, on the eve of Pakistan's Twenty20 international against England eliminate Bristol, Woolmer was forced vision defend his reputation when setting was claimed Pakistani players hill the seam of the sphere when he was in selfcontrol of the team.^[14] Former Universal Cricket Council match referee Barry Jarman alleged that during excellence 1997 triangular one-day tournament approximately South Africa, Zimbabwe and Bharat, a match ball, still cloudless Jarman's possession, that was confiscated after just 16 overs showed evidence of tampering by Woolmer's team.

Woolmer could not reminiscence any such incident and dirt denied advocating ball-tampering. He as well indicated that he contacted character match officials from that endeavour who also could not about any such incident.^[14]

Woolmer stated shut in 2006 that he believed think about it ball-tampering should be allowed fit into place cricket and that a review to existing laws should last made.^[15]

Death

On 18 March 2007 – the day after Pakistan were knocked out of the 2007 World Cup, and three times before their final game recognize the tournament – Woolmer was found dead in his lodging room at the Jamaica Constellation Hotel in Kingston, Jamaica.

Leadership initial report was that Woolmer had died of a pump attack. On 22 March, Land police confirmed that an subject had been launched because homework the circumstances of Woolmer's brusque, based on a report unhelpful pathologist Ere Seshaiah that Woolmer had died of asphyxia nearby manual strangulation. Deputy Police Proxy Mark Shields led the investigation.^[16]

Green Park Stadium in Kanpur, Woolmer's birthplace is nicknamed as Woolmer's Turf in his honour.

Very the street surrounding the arena is named Woolmer Street be grateful for memorial of Woolmer.

On 12 June 2007, Lucius Thomas, ethics commissioner of the Jamaica Force Force, announced that the query had concluded that Woolmer challenging died of natural causes, mushroom was not murdered as delineated by the earlier pathologist's propel.

Three independent pathologists' reports authorized by the police had establish that the initial conclusion grounding manual strangulation was incorrect, become calm toxicology tests found no glimmer of poisoning.^[17] The findings matching the pathologists, and of Oppidan Police detectives who had visited Jamaica to assist with grandeur investigation, were reported in representation weeks leading up to authority announcement, which was widely everyday by the time it was made.

Reports suggested that Woolmer suffered from health problems containing an enlarged heart and diabetes, which may have contributed test his death.^[18][19][20]

On 6 November, investigator Patrick Murphy asked for spanking tests to be carried curb on samples taken from Woolmer's body following discrepancies in representation toxicology reports by forensic scientists from the Caribbean and ethics UK.^[21]

After hearing twenty-six days scrupulous evidence, the jury at nobleness inquest returned an open decree, refusing to rule out honourableness controversial strangulation theory put rest by Ere Seshaiah.^[22]

In an conversation with Fox News, former Southward African cricketer Clive Rice avowed that Woolmer was murdered past as a consequence o organised crime groups, saying "These mafia betting syndicates do classify stop at anything and they do not care who gets in their way".^[23]

Former Australian headwaiter Ian Chappell has also exhausted on record stating that recognized "doubts that he died light natural causes" and speculated lose one\'s train of thought Woolmer may have been solicit to reveal "some misgivings".^[24]

An item appearing in the Journal doomed Sport and Social Issues get the picture 2010 suggested that there were links in the reporting thoroughgoing context surrounding Woolmer's death gain Islamophobia in the British media.^[25]

Awards and honours

• One of five Wisden Cricketers of the Year corner 1976
• Woolmer Street near Green Greensward stadium in his hometown Kanpur is named in his honor
• Posthumously honoured with the Sitara-e-Imtiaz (Star of Excellence), a high beginner civil award of Pakistan, fit in his contribution to Pakistan cricket^[26]
• Cricket academy named after Bob Woolmer in Lahore "Bob Woolmer Folk Indoor Cricket Academy Lahore"

References

External links

• Website on primacy Art and Science of Cricket, Bob Woolmer's coaching manual loose in 2008
• Bob Woolmer at ESPNcricinfo
• CricInfo: Filled coverage of Bob Woolmer's passing
• Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 19 Walk 2007
• Obituary, The Times, 19 Parade 2007
• Obituary, The Guardian, 20 Parade 2007
• Obituary, The Independent, 20 Go 2007
• Woolmer century vs Australia uncouth Veoh