The 2007 ODI World Cup, which was held in the West Indies, were a disaster for both India and Pakistan. The two teams met with a similar fate and crashed out of the tournament from the group stages. The campaign turned even more disastrous for the Men In Green as Bob Woolmer, then head coach of Pakistan, was found dead in his hotel room after his team's exit from the megaevent.
Retired Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan recently shared more light on the incident during an interaction with a Pakistan TV channel. He expressed that Woolmer would have taken Pakistan cricket to great heights had the tragedy didn't happen. "I have no doubt that if Woolmer had remained head coach, Pakistan cricket would have been very different today, and he would have taken it to great heights," Younis told a Pakistan TV channel as quoted by NDTV.
Younis said he was quite close to Woolmer and the two used to sit daily after matches and nets session to discuss cricket. However, this was not the case after Pakistan's shocking defeat to Ireland at the 2007 World Cup.
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"I was very close to Bob (Woolmer) and it was our daily routine to sit down together after a match or nets to discuss cricket. Unfortunately, the night he passed away, we didn't sit together as we had lost to Ireland. I was also out for a duck and was very upset with myself. So, I went to my room and locked myself in. Next day, I didn't see him at breakfast and later we learned about his death," said the ex-Pakistan skipper, who is also the country's highest Test run-getter.
The former captain then expressed disappointment with how the situation was handled, forcing him to rethink his commitment to Pakistan cricket. As the investigations were underway, it was found that Woolmer's death was due to natural causes. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the government had then sent their own security officials to the Caribbean to operate with the Jamaican police. The Pakistan squad was also shifted to another island, where they were interrogated by the local police for three days.
"After what all happened in the World Cup, I changed my mind and I became a reluctant captain and had no long-term tenure in mind. It was like a torture for us there. While I fully understand the responsibilities a player has to show as an ambassador of his country, it should be the other way round... authorities must also look after us," he added.
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