Pakistan coach's death reveals cricket's dark side

The killing of top international coach Bob Woolmer revives concerns about gambling in a sport that once epitomized fair play.

from the March 26, 2007 edition

Page 2 of 3

Page 1 | 2 | Page 3

Cricketers from the Indian subcontinent probably suffer more than anyone. Supporters revere their sports idols, but vilify them when things go wrong. Fans routinely burn effigies of their players, and chant death threats when they lose.

When India lost its first match of this tournament, fans back home ransacked one player's house. In anticipation of the Pakistan team's return, "people are buying rotten eggs," says Syed Shafqat Hussein Shah, a gas station attendant in Islamabad. "They're going to bombard the team."

But the demented-fan theory may not stick in the Woolmer case. Imran Khan admits that passions run high at World Cups, but adds: "It's nonsense that a fan could get into his room to strangle him." Jamaican police say the coach probably knew his assailant.

The match-fixing theory may be more likely. Woolmer was planning to publish a book, and some say it could have exposed practices that have poisoned the game. But the cowriter of Woolmer's autobiography, Ivo Tennant, said the book wouldn't cover that topic.

In recent years, several international players have been banned for fixing parts of games for shadowy bookmakers. The Pakistan team has been scrutinized by match-fixing probes before, most notably during the 1999 World Cup when they sensationally lost to cricketing minnow Bangladesh.

Cricket's ruling body, the International Cricket Council, launched a probe seven years ago that concluded match-fixing was rife. Since then, high-profile members of the cricket community say things have improved but the practice persists.

Matthew Thacker, publisher of All Out Cricket magazine, says that Pakistan often falls under suspicion because the team is full of unpredictable talent. "They can beat the best and lose to the very worst and have players who sometimes look as though they aren't trying," he says. The team has also been plagued in the past year by separate scandals involving performance-enhancing drugs and tampering with the ball.

1 | Page 2 | 3 | Next Page