Former Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan has recounted the difficult circumstances his team endured following the mysterious death of coach Bob Woolmer in 2007. Younis Khan described the situation as “torture”, with players taken to a separate island and extensively questioned by local authorities for three days.
On 18 March 2007, the cricketing world was rocked by tragedy when Bob Woolmer, the then head coach of the Pakistan national team, was found unconscious in his hotel room. The incident occurred a day after Pakistan’s unexpected exit from the ODI World Cup in the West Indies. Woolmer later passed away in hospital.
Pakistan suffered an early exit from the World Cup following a defeat to Ireland. Woolmer coached Pakistan from 2004 to 2007 and led them to a 4-2 ODI series win in India and a 1-1 draw in the Test series. Woolmer also coached South Africa from 1994 to 1999, guiding them to their only ICC title in the 1998 Champions Trophy.
It was like torture for us there – Younis Khan
Speaking to a Pakistani television channel, Younis Khan recalled the death of Bob Woolmer during the 2007 ODI World Cup. Younis claimed that the team was taken to a different island, where they faced intense questioning by local police for three days.
“It was torture for us. Although I fully understand the responsibilities that a player has as an ambassador for his country, it should be the other way around… the authorities should also take care of us,” Younis recalls.
Authorities eventually concluded that Woolmer’s death was due to natural causes after the Pakistan Cricket Board, government security personnel and Jamaican police collaborated in the investigation.
He was very close to Bob Woolmer – Younis Khan
Younis Khan praised Bob Woolmer for preparing him mentally to lead Pakistan in different formats. He mentioned that he and Woolmer used to talk about cricket after matches or practices. However, he pointed out that they did not meet on the night Woolmer passed away as he was upset about his duck.
“I was very close to Bob (Woolmer) and it was our daily routine to sit together after a game or a cricket match and talk about cricket. Unfortunately, the night he passed away, we did not sit together because we had lost to Ireland. I was also down and very upset with myself. So, I went to my room and locked myself in. The next day, I did not see him at breakfast and later we came to know about his death,” Younis added.
Pakistan began the 2007 ODI World Cup with a 54-run defeat to the West Indies. They managed to score just 132 runs against Ireland in their second match. Ireland chased down the target in the 42nd over with three wickets remaining. Woolmer passed away the next day before their final match against Zimbabwe.
The Inzamam-ul-Haq-led team won their final World Cup match against Zimbabwe by 93 runs via the D/L method. They returned home with a mix of disappointment at their World Cup performance and shock at the death of Bob Woolmer.
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