Pakistan coach and former England player Bob Woolmer died in a Kingston hospital at 58. Woolmer was found unconscious in his hotel room after his side’s World Cup match against Ireland.
Woolmer is known to the cricket community as the coach pf Pakistan leading up to the 2007 World Cup as well as serving as the ICC's High Performance Manager and coaching South Africa. He also played 19 tests for England.
Woolmer played English county cricket for Kent, initially as an all-rounder. He graduated to Test cricket with England in 1975 again, at first, as an all-rounder, having taken a hat-trick for MCC against the touring Australian cricket team with his fast-medium bowling. He was dropped after his first Test, only reappearing in the final match of the series at The Oval where he scored 149, batting at number five, then the slowest Test century for England against Australia. Further batting success followed over the next two seasons, including two further centuries against Australia in 1977. Woolmer was also a regular in England ODI cricket from 1972 to 1976. He was a Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976.
But Woolmer's international career stalled after he joined the World Series Cricket break-away group run by Kerry Packer. Though he appeared intermittently in the Test team up to 1981, he never recaptured the form of the mid 1970s. He also took part in the South African rebel tours of 1982, a move that effectively ended his international career.
Woolmer had obtained his coaching qualification in 1968. After retiring from first class cricket in 1984, he emigrated to South Africa where he coached cricket and hockey at high schools. He returned to England in 1987 to coach the second eleven at Kent. He went on to coach the Warwickshire County Cricket Club in 1991, the side winning the Natwest Trophy in 1993, and three out of four trophies contested the next year.
Woolmer was appointed coach of South Africa in 1994. In the next five years, South Africa would win most of their test (5 out of 10 series) and One-day International matches (73%). However, the side failed narrowly in their bid to make the final of the 1999 World Cup and Woolmer resigned. He was appointed coach of the Pakistan team in 2005 and steered them to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, where he tragically died.
Pervez Mir, the Pakistan team media manager said that Woolmer had suffered from an un-named medical condition although Naseem Ashraf, the Chairman of the PCB, later said that Woolmer had complained of breathing difficulties before the team left for the World Cup, and also revealed that he had been a diabetic. His son speculated that Woolmer may have died as a result of stress brought on by his job or from a heart attack.
But Woolmer's international career stalled after he joined the World Series Cricket break-away group run by Kerry Packer. Though he appeared intermittently in the Test team up to 1981, he never recaptured the form of the mid 1970s. He also took part in the South African rebel tours of 1982, a move that effectively ended his international career.
Woolmer had obtained his coaching qualification in 1968. After retiring from first class cricket in 1984, he emigrated to South Africa where he coached cricket and hockey at high schools. He returned to England in 1987 to coach the second eleven at Kent. He went on to coach the Warwickshire County Cricket Club in 1991, the side winning the Natwest Trophy in 1993, and three out of four trophies contested the next year.
Woolmer was appointed coach of South Africa in 1994. In the next five years, South Africa would win most of their test (5 out of 10 series) and One-day International matches (73%). However, the side failed narrowly in their bid to make the final of the 1999 World Cup and Woolmer resigned. He was appointed coach of the Pakistan team in 2005 and steered them to the 2007 World Cup in the West Indies, where he tragically died.
Pervez Mir, the Pakistan team media manager said that Woolmer had suffered from an un-named medical condition although Naseem Ashraf, the Chairman of the PCB, later said that Woolmer had complained of breathing difficulties before the team left for the World Cup, and also revealed that he had been a diabetic. His son speculated that Woolmer may have died as a result of stress brought on by his job or from a heart attack.
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