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KINGSTON, Jamaica - Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer's death at the World Cup is now being treated as "suspicious" by Jamaican police, the deputy commissioner Mark Shields confirmed this afternoon.
"Having met the pathologist, medical personnel and other investigators, there is now sufficient information to continue a full
investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer which we are now treating as suspicious," Shields said.
"We have already informed the Woolmer family of this development and we are also in close contact with the Pakistan team management, Cricket World Cup and the ICC to ensure that all the parties are kept informed of the ongoing investigation."
Jamaican police have confirmed that investigators have said the coach was murdered, according to the Times Now website (English news channel broadcast only in the South Asian region).
Pakistan cricket team members have also been questioned by police over the past two days as to their whereabouts the time Woolmer was last seen alive, Times Now reported.
Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on Monday NZ time, less than 24 hours after their World Cup defeat by Ireland and pronounced dead in hospital later that day.
Pakistan team spokesman Pervez Mir said the team were considering whether to play their final World Cup match against Zimbabwe in Kingston on Thursday.
"This is something to be readdressed. We will be discussing it with the players, the team and the ICC," he said.
"Obviously 'suspicious' could be anything at this moment. It could be something serious, it could be something not serious. We have a man who is down and we don't know the reason why."
Shields told reporters that "we have no suspects".
The Pakistan team were holding a hastily convened news conference late tonight local time in Kingston following an earlier briefing that post mortem findings were "inconclusive".
Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Pervez Mir earlier told a news conference that further investigations were being carried out by a toxicologist and a histologist (scientist who examines body tissue).
Shields said this morning NZ time that the body could not be released until the pathologist had completed his examination.
"I know that the scientists are treating it with the utmost urgency in order that we can hopefully repatriate the body to his family as soon as possible," said Shields.
Asked when the scientists' conclusions would be available, Shields replied: "I just know they are working as quickly as possible to provide the information that we need. I hope it's today but it could be tomorrow."
He added that it was quite normal for there to be delays over a post mortem findings and refused to speculate on the causes of the death.
The hotel said it would not be commenting until it had been fully briefed by the police.
Pakistan will play their final cricket World Cup group game against Zimbabwe at Sabina Park today, the team spokesman said.
After a meeting of Pakistan Cricket Board, International Cricket Council and World Cup officials, PCB spokesman Pervez Mir told Reuters: "We are playing. The chairman of our Board said we will play. The security is fine."
Factbox on Bob Woolmer
*Born: May 14, 1948, Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India
*As an all-rounder, played in over 300 first-class matches
for Kent, England, Natal and Western Province
*Made his test debut for England against Australia at Lord's
in 1975 and played his 19th and last test against Australia,
again at Lord's, in 1981
*Had interrupted his test career by signing for World Series
Cricket in 1977, before effectively ending it forever by joining
the rebel English South African tour of 1981-82.
*Voted Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1976
*Began his coaching career at Warwickshire before taking
charge of South Africa where his pioneering use of computers
aided two World Cup campaigns including a semifinal appearance
in 1999.
*Following a spell as the ICC's high-performance manager, he
was appointed coach of Pakistan in June 2004 and was contracted
until the 2007 World Cup where Pakistan became the first country
to be eliminated after defeat by Ireland on Saturday.
*Following Pakistan's shock elimination from the World Cup
on March 17, he was found unconscious on his hotel room floor
less than 24 hours later and was pronounced dead in hospital
later that day.
*On March 20, Jamaican police said they were now treating
his death as "suspicious". Earlier the same day Pakistan Cricket
Board had said the findings from a post mortem into his death
were "inconclusive".
- REUTERS
