LONDON: Former Pakistan captain Asif Iqbal has called for legal action against those elements that had maligned the national team in the wake of the death of coach Bob Woolmer during the World Cup.
Commenting on the Jamaican police embarrassing reversal that Woolmer died of natural causes and was not strangled following Pakistan’s surprise World Cup loss this spring, Asif said certain individual players and a section of media must be penalised for pointing wrong fingers at the Pakistan team and its players.
Asif agreed that although Jamaican police had totally mishandled the case from the outset but according to him more damage was done to the team by the irresponsible statements from some of the Pakistani former Test players and a section of print and electronic media in a bid to outdo each other and increase their circulation and rating.
He said Woolmer’s death was related by these elements to match-fixing and Pakistan cricket culture which damaged the image of the country.
The former all-rounder was of the view that legal action be initiated against these elements for defaming Pakistan and for insinuations against the national team and the players.
Asked whether Jamaican Police should apologise to Pakistan cricket team, Asif said the Jamaican Police had said at the very onset that Woolmer’s death was being treated as ‘suspicious’.
Commenting on the Jamaican police embarrassing reversal that Woolmer died of natural causes and was not strangled following Pakistan’s surprise World Cup loss this spring, Asif said certain individual players and a section of media must be penalised for pointing wrong fingers at the Pakistan team and its players.
Asif agreed that although Jamaican police had totally mishandled the case from the outset but according to him more damage was done to the team by the irresponsible statements from some of the Pakistani former Test players and a section of print and electronic media in a bid to outdo each other and increase their circulation and rating.
He said Woolmer’s death was related by these elements to match-fixing and Pakistan cricket culture which damaged the image of the country.
The former all-rounder was of the view that legal action be initiated against these elements for defaming Pakistan and for insinuations against the national team and the players.
Asked whether Jamaican Police should apologise to Pakistan cricket team, Asif said the Jamaican Police had said at the very onset that Woolmer’s death was being treated as ‘suspicious’.
“The apology should be rendered by those persons and the media who had spread all sorts of malicious stories about Pakistan cricket and its culture,”he said.
