Jamaican police begin inquest to find Woolmer’s death cause

KINGSTON: Jamaican police have began the inquest on Tuesday to know the reason of the death of Pakistan cricket team’s coach Bob Woolmer.

Jamaican police have not ruled out a violent crime in the death of Bob Woolmer.

The inquest aims to determine if anyone bears responsibility for the death of the 58-year-old coach, who was found unconscious in his hotel room March 18, a day after his team was eliminated from cricket's World Cup.

"There was a lot of speculation, and as a result of that speculation we are having the inquest,"

Sgt. Dwayne Jex of the Jamaica Constabulary Force said Monday.

More than 50 people are expected to testify. Jex estimated the process would take more than two months.

Jamaican authorities initially said a preliminary autopsy was inconclusive, but a few days after Woolmer's death police announced he had been strangled, setting off a worldwide homicide probe.

Investigators collected dozens of DNA samples and fingerprints from potential witnesses, including members of the Pakistan cricket squad and other teams.

Months later, Jamaica's police commissioner announced authorities closed their homicide investigation after getting opinions from three independent pathologists from Britain, South Africa and Canada and reviewing a toxicology report.

Police said it would be up to Jamaica's coroner to issue the official cause of death after the inquest.

Shoaib, Younis included in Pakistan squad

Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan have been named in the Pakistan squad to provide much-needed experience in the wake of Inzamam's retirement

Shoaib Akhtar and Younis Khan have been named in the 15-man squad for Pakistan's short trip to Scotland. While Younis opted to honour his county commitment by making himself unavailable for national selection after the World Cup, Akhtar not only missed the World Cup due to injury but was also left out of the squad for the Abu Dhabi series against Sri Lanka.

Chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said Akhtar's fitness is a good omen for Pakistan. "A fit Akhtar is an asset for Pakistan and we have watched him bowl so he was included," said Salauddin after picking the squad to play hosts Scotland on July 1 in Edinburgh followed by an ODI against India in Glasgow on July 3.

Akhtar, too, was delighted to be back in the national fold after proving his fitness as he was dropped from the Asian squad for the recently-concluded Afro-Asia Cup on fitness grounds. "I am happy and look forward to play for Pakistan once more. I have been bowling with full throttle and intensity and hope to do well," he said.

Younis, former vice captain, also returns to stabilise the middle-order after previously making himself unavailable for Pakistan until the end of the county season. Fawad Alam, after a disappointing debut in Abu Dhabi, has been retained in the squad but there is no room for the tall Najaf Shah due to the presence of the experienced quartet of Mohammad Sami, Umar Gul, Mohammad Asif and Rao Iftikhar. Mohammad Hafeez was dropped as well after playing only one match in the Abu Dhabi series while Abdul Rehman, the left-arm spinner, also missed out as Pakistan chose to rely on allrounders for the spin department.

Pakistan squad: Shoaib Malik (captain), Imran Nazir, Salman Butt, Younis Khan, Yasir Hameed, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Umar Gul, Shoaib Akhtar, Rao Iftikhar, Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Sami.

‘Time to move on after Woolmer nightmare’

KARACHI: Pakistan’s cricket chief said on Wednesday it was time for the national team to move on after Jamaican police revealed that coach Bob Woolmer was not murdered after all, but died of natural causes.

Nasim Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), said he was glad to see the end of a “traumatic” three months that began when Woolmer’s body was found in his hotel during the World Cup in the Caribbean.

“The chapter of Woolmer’s death is closed and we feel it’s time to move on,”

Ashraf told in his first comments since the announcement by Jamaican police late on Tuesday.

Cricket legend-turned-politician Imran Khan and some current players have called for the PCB to sue the Caribbean investigators because of the way the Pakistani team and the country were cast in a bad light by the affair.

But Ashraf appeared to rule out taking any legal action.

“I have given you Pakistan’s stance and I don’t want to comment on what individuals say,”

Ashraf said when asked if the PCB would take the Jamaican police to court.

The cricket board chairman said the case was made more difficult by “hurtful” speculation in the media, which threw allegations about gambling, poisoned champagne and even Al-Qaeda into the mix.

“There was a lot of unhealthy speculation about the cause of his death over the last few months, none of which eased the pressure,”

said Ashraf.

“We fully co-operated with the authorities so that the truth comes out in the case, (we) sent our diplomats and investigators to help them and we are now glad that the true findings have come out,”

he expressed.

The PCB head said that Pakistan would name the training facilities at its national cricket academy after Woolmer to honour his memory.

“Woolmer was literally a family member to us and we will always remember his services to Pakistan cricket,”

said Ashraf.

“I personally went to Cape Town to his funeral and consoled with his widow Gill and will continue to remember Woolmer as a great friend of Pakistan cricket,”

he added.

Looking to the future, Ashraf said Pakistan was rebuilding its side, which has also been hit by a series of crises over the past year including the Oval Test fiasco and a doping scandal.

Shoaib Malik has replaced Inzamam as captain to give the team a fresh start. The PCB is also nearing the end of an international hunt for a new coach.

Former Pakistan captain and coach Intikhab Alam said Pakistan should seek an apology from the Jamaican police but added that it was “too late” for any legal action. He said Pakistan also had to learn from the debacle.

Handing over of Niaz Stadium to PCB in doldrums

HYDERABAD: The handing over of the Niaz Stadium, Hyderabad to Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is lying in pending but the Board officials said that the agreement with the district government for handing over the stadium to PCB would be finalized next month.

In the past, the Niaz Stadium Hyderabad was utilized as wedding lawn and heli-pad for the arrival of the higher personalities. The Supreme Court itself took notice of the stadium’s utilization for wedding ceremonies.

Later, on the directive of the president General Pervez Musharraf, former chairman PCB Shaharyar Khan took over the control of the stadium and decided to renovate it up to the standard of an international stadium. For this, he made correspondence with the Hyderabad’s district administration but after his resignation the matter was put in pending.

On the other hand, a PCB official Abdul Hussain Shah claimed that the agreement between the PCB and the district government of Hyderabad would be finalized next month.

As per the ICC rules, a five-star hotel in the city is must for holding international matches at a stadium. In this connection, Hyderabad’s district government had got a Sindh government approval for building a hotel on a government land adjacent to the Niaz Stadium.

The citizens of Hyderabad demanded the PCB to take over the Niaz Stadium and start its construction as soon as possible.