MEMORIES: Bob Woolmer, the man we loved and still miss

Coaches will come and go. Some would shine while others would gloom, but only a few leave their impression as a wonderful human being. Woolmer was one of those charismatic personalities.

25th March 1992 is a celebrated day for Pakistan cricket – the day Imran Khan and Javed Miandad cornered England to proudly lift the sparkling crystal trophy in Melbourne. After that every World Cup proved disastrous for the nation. Jadeja hammed Waqar at Bangalore in 96; Gilchrist took the steam out of Pakistan’s pace express at Lords in 99 while Sachin send the two W’s packing home at Centurion in 2003.

World Cup 2007 was supposed to be the magic ointment for all previous wounds. We had a really good team with a commanding and performing captain and, above all, we were gifted with one of the brightest and most analytical minds in world cricket — Bob Woolmer. With him around, nothing could go wrong. That’s the kind of faith Bob had made people put in him.

The initial loss to West Indies was somehow tolerable, as victories against minor Ireland and Zimbabwe would still cement Pakistan’s place in the semifinal.

Pakistan's ability to self-destruct themselves is legendary. We had somehow digested the pain of going down in Bangladesh in 99.

But the shock wave that pierced through the nation on the evening of 17th March 2007 would leave the fanatics of the game bruised and flabbergasted for years to come. Ireland, who before that eventful day had the reputation of 'ready to be roasted chicken', had engineered the biggest shock in Pakistan cricket.

Just as we thought that the worst was over, the evening of March 18th brought the unthinkable. Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s celebrated coach before that fateful match was found dead in his hotel room. I was having tea with some friends at a roadside kiosk when a colleague rang me up and bombarded me with the devastating news. I was supposed to get on air ASAP and thus made a dash to Geo’s studios.

Those were the early moments of anxiety and confusion. Given the endless cloaks of conspiracies and scandals that Pakistan cricket has always been shrouded with, we were ready to smell another foul play. Match-fixing sounded like the immediate possibility. Was the match thrown away? Was he killed by the mafia or did he die of shame? Indeed, these were all distasteful thoughts.

We were acting more like Scotland Yard detectives than plain journalists. Sitting on the other corner of the globe that was the best we could have done. His death was breaking news, people wanted to know the cause of his death just hours after that humiliating loss. Our best source for updates was senior cricket correspondent Abdul Majid Bhatti, who initially broke the news but – trust me – he was just as puzzled as anyone of us that night.

Events before Woolmer's death

It was a year later that the investigation details started to pour in. The post match press conference at Sabina Park saw a heartbroken Woolmer answer firing questions with his usual courtesy. When asked whether he would resign after the shameful loss, his reply was as candid as ever, "I'd like to sleep on that one."

The trip back to the hotel must have been a tearful and long drive for the Pakistani team. Each would have been worried about his future and the rotten-eggs-pelted reception back home.

According to bus driver Bertram Carr, "There was virtually pin-drop silence all the way. The only sound I heard was of Woolmer. He was coughing all the way back to the hotel." While most of the players went straight to their rooms, Woolmer had a drink in the hotel bar and then retired to his room.

Back in his room, he ordered lasagna and apple pie with ice cream from room service. According to Deirdre Harvey, the waitress who brought him his last meal, “His mood was somber and his eyes were red. He looked like someone who had been crying for a while.”

After a half-eaten dinner, Woolmer sat down to take refuge in his other love of life, his laptop. At 12 pm local time, he wrote has last email to his wife Gill telling her of his despair over a defeat which will go down as one of the great sporting upsets.

Fourteen hours and 18 minutes after pressing the send button, Woolmer was found dead slumped in the bathroom by a hotel room-maker 

Woolmer had health issues

After months of nerve-wracking events and twisting investigations, it was finally concluded that Woolmer died of “natural causes”, a result accepted by his wife and two sons.

However, some former cricketers and experts appeared skeptical of the findings and remained persistent on the idea that the Ireland match was not a clean act and Woolmer was indeed murdered by the match-fixing mafia. Whether we would ever get to the bottom of the bizarre mystery or not remains a mystery within itself.

Yes, Woolmer had serious health issues. Although he appeared fit and active, he was visibly overweight and had diabetes.

British pathologist Dr Nathaniel Cary testifies that Woolmer had a heart condition and diabetes, plus he was found behind a door as if he had suffered an attack. He describes the significant enlargement of Woolmer's heart, and the presence of a blocking of the coronary arteries on the main pump chamber to the left side of the heart. Both of these conditions would be consistent with Ischaemic (reduced blood supply) heart disease.

He added that he could not state conclusively what had caused the death: "If I was asked if there was a violent struggle I would say NO".

A modern-day coach who loved technology

Woolmer was born in the Indian city of Kanpur. His father, a civil servant, had put a miniature bat into his cot with the words: "I hope this is your life." And it certainly turned out to be.

He made his first-class debut for Kent in 1968, scoring 50 not out against Essex. He graduated to Test cricket for England in 1975 and earned 19 caps for his country and also performing in 6 ODI’s. While his playing days are not much to talk about, it was the coaching hat that made him a house-hold name.

He took the South African job in 1994 and had a dreadful start. The Proteas toured Pakistan that same year and lost all their ODI matches. But in years to come, South Africa under Woolmer would emerge as one of the most respected, toughest and competitive teams in business.

He guided them to the 1999 World Cup semi-finals where they lost to Australia in dramatic style and he resigned later. After a brief stint with Warwickshire, he was hired by Pakistan in 2004, a job he did with all honestly and died caring for.

As a coach, he was an astute thinker who loved trying new and different things every time. His biggest trademark was the use of his laptop. He is thus regarded with making laptop and computer analysis fashionable in the game of cricket. He also caught media attention at the 99 World Cup where he would communicate with Hansie Cronje via a radio link. The marble slab used in net practice by the Pakistan team, one which created frenzy with India media just before the Mohali semifinal, was another of his coaching gifts.

‘Laptop ki Cricket Nahi Chalay gi’

Woolmer replaced Javed Miandad in 2004 after Pakistan suffered a 2-1 Test and a 3-2 ODI defeat by the Indians on home soil. Understandably, Jawaid bhai and many other former cricketers were not amused. But Woolmer rewarded the faith entrusted in him in early 2005 when Pakistan made a reciprocal tour to India. The test series was drawn 1-1 while Inzi’s men pocketed the ODI’s 4-2.

It was the Mohali Test match and I was doing an analysis show with Javed bhai. The first two days were horrible for Pakistan and the Test appeared to be slipping away. I remember javed bhai digging out more flaws in his laptop than Woolmer himself, giving us the famous headline, “Laptop ki cricket nahi chalay gi.”

But when Kamran Akmal and Abdul Razzaq batted out the entire last day to save the match, even a stalwart like Miandad was all praise for Woolmer’s abilities.

What was the real cause of his death would be left for everyone's personal interpretation, but Pakistan cricket would remember Woolmer as an astute thinker who nurtured wayward talents like Younis Khan and Shoaib Akthar, and a person who instilled self-respect and belief in Pakistan cricket.

Rest in peace Bob, you still live in our hearts.

—Ashar Zaidi is a Senior Anchor/Sports Journalist with Geo News. He tweets @AsharZaidiGeo