Police confirm Woolmer was murdered
Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was murdered in his hotel room, Jamaican police confirmed this morning.
Jamaican police Deputy Commissioner Mark Shields said Woolmer's death was "due to asphyxiation by manual strangulation".
The International Cricket Council said the World Cup would continue despite the continuing inquiry into Woolmer's death.
Deputy Commissioner Shields said there could be one or more people involved but added that there was no evidence of forced entry into Woolmer's hotel room.
"Hopefully we will bring the killers to justice as soon as possible," Deputy Commissioner Shields told a news conference in Kingston, Jamaica.
"We will use every energy we possibly have to track down the killers."
Deputy Commissioner Shields appealed for the killer or killers to give themselves up and also asked for witnesses to come forward.
He said that there was no evidence of any theft and would not be drawn on the motive for the murder.
The death of Woolmer, regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, has completely overshadowed the World Cup.
The 58-year-old Briton was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room early on Monday morning (Australian time), less than 24 hours after Pakistan's shock World Cup defeat by Ireland which knocked them out of the tournament.
He was pronounced dead in hospital shortly afterwards.
-Reuters
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Members of the Pakistan cricket team were fingerprinted today by police investigating the mysterious death of coach Bob Woolmer.
And Jamaican police are considering holding them on the island, even though they have been knocked out of the World Cup.
The revelations came as Sky Television reported that the coach had broken a bone in his throat while vomiting.
They reported that Woolmer, 58, suffered the injury after falling against a toilet bowl. The report was unsourced.
The report ran shortly before a news conference at the Pakistan team hotel in Kingston was expected to start.
The Pakistan team were due to take an early afternoon flight from Kingston to Montego Bay for a connection to London.
But police told them to miss the plane so their fingerprints could be taken at the team hotel, the Pegasus, where Woolmer was found dying in his room four days ago.
The players were addressed for more than an hour by the assistant commissioner of Jamaican police, Mark Shields, then left by a back door for a later flight to Montego Bay.
As Shields was leaving the hotel, he was asked if the Pakistan teams was free to leave the country.
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.," he replied.
When asked if it was a murder inquiry, he replied: "It possibly could be."
The head of the International Cricket Council, Malcolm Speed, also spoke to the players but refused to comment when the left the hotel.
Woolmer, 58, died on Monday morning, Melbourne time and an autopsy has failed to find the cause of death.
But a local newspaper reported today that a bone in Woolmer's neck was broken, adding weight to one theory that Woolmer may have been strangled.
"A bone in the neck, near the glands, was broken, and this suggests that somebody might have put some pressure on it," one police source told the Jamaica Gleaner.
"We are now treating this as a homicide."
But Sky Television reported that Woolmer suffered the injury after falling against a toilet bowl while vomiting.
Meanwhile, British detectives will investigate the death as speculation intensifies that the former Pakistan cricket coach was strangled in his bath.
Two Scotland Yard officers are due in Jamaica to help solve the mystery behind the tragic death of Woolmer, who held a British passport.
A Jamaican television station yesterday reported the former England batsman had been strangled within 24 hours of Pakistan's shock World Cup loss to Ireland on Sunday, and other sources were last night backing that assertion. Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Pervez Mir and the International Cricket Council would not comment.
Jamaica's deputy police commissioner of the constabulary force, Mark Shields, had nothing to add a day after branding the death "suspicious".
Woolmer, 58, was found in a pool of blood in his bathroom in room 375 on the 12th floor of the Pegasus Hotel, Kingston.
First pictures of the deceased coach appear to show cuts to his ear and eyebrow. The results of toxicology tests have yet to be released.
What will not help investigators is that 12th-floor surveillance cameras show only the area outside the lifts and stairs, but not down the corridors where a potential killer would have headed to Woolmer's room.
Police also want to talk to Pakistan team dietitian Murray Stevenson, who officially identified Woolmer's body.
Mr Mir said Mr Stevenson slept in the room next to Woolmer's but he did not know why police wanted to interview him.
Forensic officers searched Woolmer's room yesterday.
Suspicions surfaced on Tuesday that his death was linked to match-fixing and he was about to tell all in a new book that would have implicated several Pakistani players. But co-author and sports scientist Prof Tim Noakes dismissed that theory.
"There is absolutely no truth in that story: besides, how could anyone know what's in the book? Nobody in Pakistan could possibly have seen it," he said.
Mr Mir did confirm local police had seized Woolmer's laptop, which held private information.
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Sri Lanka should play smart, if to qualify for the super 8s
(Melbourne) 23-3-07
Sri Lanka should have a easy win over India to night in the Cricket World Cup If they play smart in this qualifying game. The Indian team goes under a lot of pressure for the qualifying round. The first five batsmen should perform as they did against Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka?s most experiences batsman Jayasuriya , will have to score another century and supported by the other front line batting maestros, as the batting line up is very strong up to number six.
Tonight If Sri Lanka wins against India; the odds are looking good for an chance in the finals which they could do.
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Group B Focus Shifts To India v Sri Lanka Match
22 March 2007
Group B Focus Shifts To India v Sri Lanka Match
Bangladesh are hoping for more scenes like these when Sri Lanka take on India.
?REUTERS/ Adnan Abidi (TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO) Picture Supplied by Action Images
After Bangladesh's huge loss against Sri Lanka in their group B tie in Trinidad on Tuesday, Bangladesh's second round hopes are looking bleak.
A 198 run loss has pummelled Bangladesh's net run rate which might become a crucial factor to decide their second round fate. On the other hand, the result will relieve some pressure from the Indian camp as a win against Sri Lanka would place them in a very comfortable position to secure a super 8 place.
Now, much depends on tomorrow's India-Sri Lanka tie at Queens Park Oval. It's a do or die match for India to keep their cup dream alive, on the other hand Sri Lanka will be looking forward to securing the vital 2 points advantage in super 8. A win by Sri Lanka would see the end of India's World Cup campaign and Bangladesh will progress to the second round along with Sri Lanka, who will take 2 points with them.
If India manages to tame the Sri Lankan lions tomorrow that will make Bangladesh's job extremely difficult, if not impossible. Bangladesh's current net run rate is -2.002 and they have to make some world records in defeating Bermuda to lift them ahead of either India or Sri Lanka. Failure to do so would see the end of Tigers world cup dream.
Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardane has already expressed his willingness to secure the 2 points advantage in the super 8 round by defeating India in Trinidad. A Sri Lankan loss to India would mean a dramatic change in the overall scenario of group B. The qualifying teams for the super 8 round will be decided on the basis of net run rate.
Current group leader Sri Lanka is well placed with a net run rate of +4.594 and India is well ahead of Bangladesh with a + 2.507 net run rate. In that given situation, if India and Sri Lanka qualifies, India will take the valuable 2 points to the super 8 stage and Sri Lanka will have to start their super 8 campaign with empty hand.
All Bangladeshi fans will be looking forward to seeing another clinical display by Sri Lanka, this time against India. The Lions can convert the second round dream of the Tigers into a reality.
? Khondaker Mirazur Rahman
Bangladesh Editor
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A win will take India through
Rajneesh Gupta
New Delhi : The Indian team's disappointing loss to Bangladesh will not be forgotten for a long time, but it is not the end of the road for India.
The question that is in the mind of every Indian cricket fan right now is whether India will be able to make it to the Super-Eight stage. Let's see what the numbers tell.
After Sri Lanka's win over Bangladesh, India now have to just beat Sri Lanka without worrying about the Net Run-Rate. After getting thrashed by 198 runs, Bangladesh have done no good to their chances of qualifying for the next round. Their NRR has come down to - 2.0018 after the game against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka now head the Group B with an NRR of +4.5937. India are second with a net run-rate of +2.507.
A victory by even one run (batting first) or off the last ball (batting second) over Sri Lanka will take India through to the next stage.
If Sri Lanka score 250 and India successfully chase the target off the last ball, Sri Lanka will end up as the group topper with an NRR of +3.0136. India will finish with an NRR of +1.6730.
Since Bangladesh will be playing their last league match against Bermuda after the India-Sri Lanka game, theoretically they will have a chance to better India's NRR, but to do this Bangladesh have to produce something out of the world.
In such a scenario, to beat India on NRR, the target for Bangladesh against Bermuda will be:
If Bangladesh bat first, Bangladesh have to score 600 and restrict Bermuda to 168.
Bangladesh have to score 550 and restrict Bermuda to 117.
Bangladesh have to score 500 and restrict Bermuda to 67.
Bangladesh have to score 450 and restrict Bermuda to 16.
If Bermuda bat first, Bangladesh can not overhaul India's NRR even if they bundle out Bermuda for a total of 50 and achieve the target in the first over itself!
India 's NRR will remain around +1.65 even if they register a win over Sri Lanka with the narrowest of margins - batting first or second. There will be a slight change in Bangladesh's target in the last league match depending upon the victory margin for India, but it is obvious that the target will only become more difficult for Bangladesh if the victory margin for India is more.
India can also make it to the Super-Eight despite losing to Sri Lanka on Friday, but for that Bangladesh have to lose to Bermuda.
It's definitely my last Cup: Vaas
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Port of Spain: Sri Lanka 's pace spearhead Chaminda Vaas says the ongoing World Cup would be the last time he would be seen on the game's big stage although he intends to play at the international level a few ...
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India 's group of death: What numbers say
Rajneesh Gupta
Last Updated: March 22, 2007 13:16 IST
The question that is in the mind of every Indian cricket fan right now is will India be able to make it to Super-Eight. Let's see what the numbers tell.
After Sri Lanka's win over Bangladesh on Wednesday, India now just needs to beat Sri Lanka without worrying about the net run-rate.
Bangladesh has done no good to its chances to qualify for Super-8 after being thrashed by 198 runs by Sri Lanka. Its net run-rate has come down to -2.0018 after that game.
Sri Lanka now heads the Group B with a net run-rate of +4.5937. India is second with a net run-rate of +2.507.
A victory by even one run (batting first) or off the last ball (batting second) over Sri Lanka will take India through to the next stage.
Suppose Sri Lanka scores 250 and India successfully chases the target off the last ball, then in such a scenario Sri Lanka will end up as the Group leader with a NRR of +3.0136. India will end up with a NRR of +1.6730.
Since Bangladesh will be playing its last league match against Bermuda after India-Sri Lanka game, theoretically it will have a chance to better India's NRR, but to do this Bangladesh has to produce something unimaginable.
If India beats Sri Lanka under the circumstances mentioned above, then to beat India on NRR the target for Bangladesh in the match against Bermuda will be:
If Bangladesh bats first
Bangladesh has to score 600 and restrict Bermuda to 168
Bangladesh has to score 550 and restrict Bermuda to 117
Bangladesh has to score 500 and restrict Bermuda to 67
Bangladesh has to score 450 and restrict Bermuda to 16
If Bermuda bats first
Bangladesh can not overhaul India's NRR even if it bundles out Bermuda for a total of 50 and achieves the target in first over itself!
India 's NRR will remain around +1.65 even if it registers a win over Sri Lanka off the narrowest margin possible - batting first or second.
There will be a slight change in Bangladesh's target in the last league match depending upon the victory margin for India, but it is obvious that the target will only become more difficult for Bangladesh as the victory margin for India increases.
India can still make it to Super-8 despite losing to Sri Lanka on 23 rd . But for that Bangladesh has to lose to Bermuda. |