If apprehensions regarding murder of Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer are true, this will be the murder not only of a senior ex-cricketer alone but that of cricket at large. The entire Pakistani team ahs been asked to stay back at Jamaica by the local police who are looking at the prospects of involvement of some key players in Bob Woolmer’s death in mysterious circumstances in his hotel room at Jamaica.
Pakistan and betting has been nearly synonymous till now. Several key players have been accused of this though West Indies, South Africa and India too have not been spared of the blame.
Ex-cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz’s comments have further added fuel to fire and enhanced suspicions of the relation between Woolmer’s death and betting. That Pakistani team lost two easy games right at the beginning of the tournament further strengthens the point. Nawaz has said that Woolmer was writing a book on the role of betting in cricket and his death could have been planned by bookies who were afraid that their nexus would get exposed.
If all this is true, Woolmer’s death could turn the tide either ways. It is time that ICC takes the death of Woolmer seriously and starts looking beyond the burgeoning coffers so that the chapter of betting gets permanently silenced from world cricket. Or there is a chance that Woolmer’s death would silence all those who might have spoken out against the prevalence of evil practices in the game. As it is, the bookies have shown their long army by planning and executing Woolmer’s death (if true).
Media’s role too is important. It has been doing stories about how the bookies operate. But no spy camera has until now reached the player’s dressing rooms. Indian police that had been tracking the calls of visiting cricketers have not revealed whether they did the same in the case of Indian cricketers. Neither have they commented whether they could muster guts to bring such a conversation to public if they find out anomalies as they did in the case of South African cricketers. And when the media truly got a story, courtesy Manoj Prabhakar, attempt was made to brush the issue under the carpet and Prabhakar was silenced into oblivion by revealing stories of his misconduct and financial irregularities by one of his companies.
Pakistan and betting has been nearly synonymous till now. Several key players have been accused of this though West Indies, South Africa and India too have not been spared of the blame.
Ex-cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz’s comments have further added fuel to fire and enhanced suspicions of the relation between Woolmer’s death and betting. That Pakistani team lost two easy games right at the beginning of the tournament further strengthens the point. Nawaz has said that Woolmer was writing a book on the role of betting in cricket and his death could have been planned by bookies who were afraid that their nexus would get exposed.
If all this is true, Woolmer’s death could turn the tide either ways. It is time that ICC takes the death of Woolmer seriously and starts looking beyond the burgeoning coffers so that the chapter of betting gets permanently silenced from world cricket. Or there is a chance that Woolmer’s death would silence all those who might have spoken out against the prevalence of evil practices in the game. As it is, the bookies have shown their long army by planning and executing Woolmer’s death (if true).
Media’s role too is important. It has been doing stories about how the bookies operate. But no spy camera has until now reached the player’s dressing rooms. Indian police that had been tracking the calls of visiting cricketers have not revealed whether they did the same in the case of Indian cricketers. Neither have they commented whether they could muster guts to bring such a conversation to public if they find out anomalies as they did in the case of South African cricketers. And when the media truly got a story, courtesy Manoj Prabhakar, attempt was made to brush the issue under the carpet and Prabhakar was silenced into oblivion by revealing stories of his misconduct and financial irregularities by one of his companies.
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