Woolmer - passed away on Sunday

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan's national cricket coach has died in hospital, after being admitted Sunday.

Woolmer, 58, was found around 10:45am in an unconscious state in his Jamaican hotel room.

He was rushed by ambulance to the University Hospital and admitted to Intensive Care.

His death followed a humiliating second defeat by the national team to Ireland in the World Cup, which brought outrage, disgust, and shame from the country's cricketing fraternity, and calls for Woolmer, and others, to be sacked.

Former Test cricketers on Sunday, well prior to Woolmer's death, said Pakistan's shocking loss to Ireland was the lowest point in the country's cricketing history.

'It's terrible,' Intikhab Alam, who was the coach when Pakistan won the World Cup in 1992, told The Associated Press.

'Without a hint of doubt in my mind, it's the lowest point in Pakistan cricket,' he added.

'No matter who was playing for us and who was not (playing), the bottom line is that we still had more experienced players in our ranks than Ireland,' Alam said.

Alam advised both Woolmer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq to quit soon after coming back to Pakistan.

Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Naseem Ashraf expressed deep disappointment after his country's early exit from the ninth edition of the World Cup.

'I am as disturbed over the result as the rest of the nation,' Ashraf said in a statement.

Another ex-Test captain and wicketkeeper Rashid Latif was at a loss of words to describe Pakistan's early exit.

'It's (the defeat) a crime with cricket, what else do they want. It's better they should leave,' Latif told AP.

'As a former Test captain I feel ashamed,' he said.

'All the (Pakistan) former Test cricketers kept pointing toward the weaknesses in our team for months before the World Cup, but nobody listened."

'I was not expecting such a shameful performance. I have no words to describe it.'

An outspoken former Test fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz said the defeat was the 'worst ever point in Pakistan's cricketing history.'

'While watching the match live on TV, I was just cursing myself and saying, 'What's going on?''

Pakistan had lost to Bangladesh in 1999 in another upset result at the World Cup, but Nawaz said Saturday's loss had no match for it.

'The wicket was suitable for seamers and Ireland won the crucial toss, but we lost fair and square without putting up a fight,' he said.

Nawaz had demanded that it was now high time that all PCB officials - including captain and coach - should quit.

'If we can't beat Ireland then I think Pakistan cricket is in the wrong hands,' Nawaz said.

'It's better that all who are responsible for this should be shown the door.'

Chief selector Wasim Bari said that he too was disappointed.

'Like every other Pakistani I am also disappointed and that's all I could comment at this stage,' he said.

When asked was he expecting Pakistan to lose against teams like Ireland in the World Cup, Bari refused to answer. 'At the moment I can't comment more than what I have said.'

The loss against Ireland also disappointed Pakistan cricket fans, who kept watching the live coverage on their television sets until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

'Cricket should be banned in Pakistan from today,' a fuming Yousuf Ali, Grade 10 student, told The Associated Press.

'Why are they making us fools?' he added.

Businessman Saifuddin Ghulam Abbas said he would not have minded so much if the defeat had came against Bangladesh or even Zimbabwe - Pakistan's last opponent in Group D on March 21.

'But losing to Ireland is simply not acceptable, the whole team should be sacked.'

Cricket fans burned effigies of Inzamam in his hometown of Multan and chanted slogans against the Pakistan captain.

Around 50 protesters also burned posters of other national team players to show their anguish.

'It's a shame for us that we lost to a team (Ireland) that stands nowhere in the cricketing world,' Afzal Butt, who led the procession, told AP.

Woolmer, who was born in Kanpur, India, in May 1948, at one time said he made his debut at the age of 3, in his back yard. His father, he said, put a bat and ball in his cot.

As an eleven-year old he said he watched Hanif Mohammed score 499 for Karachiin 1959.

In 1963 he was a "stylish middle-order batsman and right-arm tormentor," for the Skinners School 1st XI.

In 1968 he made his debut for Kent. The score book says 50 not out.

In 1970 and 71 he had his first experience playing and coaching in South Africa.

In 1972 he made his one-day international debut for England, against the old foe.

In 1975 he had an unlucky break. He was selected for England's first World Cup squad, but broke his hand the day before the tournament began.

In 1976 he was selected as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year, and in 1977 in the Centenary Test in Melbourne, he was part of the side to take the Ashes 3-0.

In 1980 he returned to the England side to take on the West Indies, after a stint playing for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.

In 1981 he ended his international career with a pair at Trent Bridge against Australia. By the end of the year he was coaching in Langa and Avendale townships in Cape Town, South Africa.

In 1984 he retired from First Class cricket, and emigrated to South Africa the following year, teaching at high schools and coaching cricket and hockey in disadvantaged areas.

In 1991 he was appointed Director of Coaching at Warwickshire CCC.

In 1993 Warwickshire won the NatWest trophy, and Dermott Reeve perfected the reverse sweep.

In 1994 Warwickshire won three out of 4 trophies and were runners-up in the NatWest series - and he was appointed coach of South Africa.

From 1994 to 1999 South Africa won 73% of its one-day internationals, and ten out of 15 Test series.

In 1999 Woolmer left the job after South Africa failed to make the World Cup final by 0.1 of a run.

In 2001 he joined the ICC as High Performance Manager, working with Namibia among others.

In 2005 he was appointed coach of Pakistan. His contract was to expire in June, however on Wednesday Ashraf said he planned to discuss Woolmer's future after the World Cup.

Asked by Reuters if he thought Woolmer would extend his deal, Ashraf said, "I would not rule it out."

"Bob is contracted until June 30 as are the other members of our team management. We will sit down and discuss everything."

"I have had nothing but the greatest confidence in Bob Woolmer as a coach."

"Everything," Ashraf said, "needs to be decided after this World Cup and it all depends on how we do here."