Monday, March 26, 2007

Pakistan awoke today to the news that the country's cricket coach had been
murdered and their national sport had once again become embroiled in a
potentially shaming match-fixing conspiracy. As President Pervez Musharraf
prepared to mark Pakistan's national day, speculation was rife that the
region's notorious match-fixing cartels were behind the strangling of Bob
Woolmer, with former Pakistan cricketers at the forefront of the
allegations. "I have been saying that he was a target of gambling mafia,"
said the former Pakistan fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz. "The gambling mafia has
invaded the game." Former captain Rashid Latif, who exposed a match-fixing
scandal in Pakistan 12 years ago that led to a life ban for former captain
Salim Malik and fines for other players, said he too saw the hand of the
gambling rings in Woolmer's murder. "I have always said cricket has never
been cleansed of corruption despite the measures taken by the International
Cricket Council," Latif said. "They [the syndicates] were still active in
fixing results of some matches. Whoever murdered Woolmer was clearly
desperate or else he would not have been killed in the middle of a World
Cup." Jamaican police said they thought it likely that Mr Woolmer was killed
by someone he knew because he clearly let someone into his hotel room. They
stressed they did not have specific suspects. Pakistan said it was sending a
senior diplomat from Washington to Jamaica.
Raza Ali, a former police inspector from Islamabad, said there were "three
possibilities: either Woolmer was killed by the bookie mafia, by a thug or a
disgruntled Pakistan fan." "No players could be involved or commit such a
crime. Pakistan should send a team of police officers to assist the West
Indian police and co-ordinate in the investigation," Ali added. "It is a
very serious matter for the nation and cannot be taken lightly."