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KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) - Jamaican police launched a murder inquiry on Thursday into the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer at the World Cup, saying he was strangled. The death on Sunday was "due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation", according to a police statement read to a news conference at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston where Woolmer was found unconscious before he died on Sunday. "Bob was a large man -- it would have taken some force," deputy commissioner Mark Shields said. "Hopefully we will bring the killers to justice as soon as possible. We will...

Pakistan trades pizzazz for piety Bruce Loudon, South Asia correspondent March 24, 2007 IN the political and religious hothouse that is Pakistan, it is unwise to say or do anything that might be construed as criticism of the Muslim faith and the way the country's teeming millions express their devotion to it. But increasing numbers of commentators are doing just that as they search for an explanation for the crisis in the Pakistan cricket team. Their suggestion is that members of the team, led by the heavily bearded Inzamam-ul-Haq, have been spending far too much time being devout Muslims and...

Police in Jamaica have launched a murder investigation into the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer. Following the results of a post mortem examination, police said Mr Woolmer had died of asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. The chief police commissioner appealed for anyone with information to come forward. Woolmer, 58, was found in his hotel room on Sunday, the day after his team lost to Ireland in the World Cup. Police spokesman Karl Angell said: "The pathologist's report states that Mr Woolmer's death was due to asphyxia as a result of manual strangulation. "In these circumstances, the...

The death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer is being treated as suspicious, a Jamaican police spokesman has said. Woolmer, 58, died on Sunday after collapsing at his hotel hours after Pakistan's World Cup loss to Ireland. Deputy commissioner Mark Shields said there was "now sufficient information to continue a full investigation". That investigation will be "into the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Woolmer which we are now treating as suspicious," added Shields.

"Furious Indian cricket fans stormed the home of national wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni to protest a five-wicket rout by Bangladesh in their opening World Cup match, police said. Some 200 fans Sunday brought down walls and pillars of Dhoni's house, which is under construction, in the eastern city of Ranchi to protest the 26-year-old player's performance in India's shocking defeat in Port of Spain, Trinidad." " "Dhoni die, die," protesters chanted, burning effigies of the long-maned player, who has scored 1,958 runs in 68 one-day international matches and is counted among India's most aggressive batsmen, an AFP reporter at the...

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, died in hospital in Jamaica on Sunday after being found unconscious on the floor of his World Cup hotel room earlier in the day. He was 58. Pervez Mir, Pakistan's media manager, said: "Bob Woolmer has passed away. I am speaking from the hospital and all the team management is also at the hospital. Doctors have pronounced him dead. Bob has passed away and it is very shocking news to all of the team and the team management. "Bob's family and wife were informed by the management about his condition when he was brought to...

Ireland produced one of the greatest victories in cricket's rich history by beating Pakistan on St Patrick's Day amid unbelievable tension in Jamaica. Led by their brilliant wicket-keeper batsman Niall O'Brien, they reached a rain-adjusted target of 128 with three wickets remaining in near darkness. Ireland's fans, who had been there to witness the tie against Zimbabwe, could barely contain themselves afterwards. The result means Pakistan, ranked fourth in the world, are already out. Wicket-keeper O'Brien, axed by Kent in 2006 because they rate Geraint Jones above him, hit a brilliant 72, easily the best effort by any of the...

West Indies v Pakistan, Group D, Jamaica Smith and Bravo come to the fore The Bulletin by Will Luke March 13, 2007 West Indies 241 for 9 (Samuels 63, Sarwan 49) beat Pakistan 187 (Malik 62, Smith 3-36, Bravo 3-42) by 54 runs The West Indies shrugged off any early-tournament nerves with a convincing 54-run win over Pakistan in the opening match of the World Cup at Kingston in Jamaica, with a notable allround performance from Dwayne Smith. It was an impressive win, not least for their ability to absorb the expectation of hosting their first World Cup. Furthermore, the...

(New Delhi): India's dismal show in the second ODI against South Africa at Durban on Wednesday has evoked sharp reactions from the country's politicians with some terming the loss as "heartbreaking" and others seeking Greg Chappell's ouster. "It was heartbreaking, every Indian wishes that his country performs well. But in sports, sometimes we win, sometimes we lose," said Ambika Soni, Congress leader. Samajwadi Party MP, Mohan Singh was less forgiving and said the Indian coach should be sacked. "When our key batsmen returned to the pavillion, I switched off the TV in shame. Chappell is deliberately trying to weaken the...

AUSTRALIA has won the fifth Test in Sydney by 10 wickets after crushing England today, completing the first Ashes series whitewash in 86 years. The win closes the careers of Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Justin Langer. Set 46 to win, Langer and Matthew Hayden reached the total without fuss. Langer finished not out 20 and Hayden, who smashed a six to level the scores and then hit the winning run, was unbeaten on 23. The two players spent several moments hugging delighted teammates, who walked on to the ground after the match was won. England's team walked over to...

Those of you who were around in the summer of 2005 may recall quite a few threads about the exciting Ashes series between England and Australia. This time around, lets confine everything to this one thread. We will likely not follow the matches live, as they will be taking place in Australia, and most of us will be asleep while they are taking place. I plan to listen live to ABC Radio (that is the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, of course) via the Internet. Anyone who would like to listen to the matches via ABC Radio online can go to http://www.cricket.com.au/...

THE London Tube bombers plotted to kill the Australian cricket team by spraying sarin gas into their change rooms during last year's Ashes series, a friend of the terrorists claims. Al-Qaida commanders allegedly ordered the suicide bombers to get jobs at Edgbaston Cricket Ground and wipe out the Australian and England players. They were instructed to release sarin gas, a highly toxic nerve agent that is one of the world's most dangerous chemical weapons. But cricket-loving terrorist Shehzad Tanweer apparently objected and instead the terrorist cell perpetrated the July 7 underground Tube and bus bombings that killed 56 people and...

AL-QAEDA plotted to murder the entire Australian cricket team in their change rooms during last year's Ashes tour of Britain using sarin nerve gas sprayed by the men who bombed the London Underground. A friend of one of the four bombers who killed 52 people when they bombed trains and buses in the British capital on July 7 last year told The Sunday Times newspaper that the al-Qaeda cell was initially ordered to kill the England and Australian cricket teams during the Edgbaston Test in Birmingham. The claim was made by a family friend of bus bomber Hasib Hussain, who...

Four-match ban on disrepute charge Inzamam cleared of ball tampering Cricinfo staff September 28, 2006 Inzamam-ul-Haq has been cleared of charges of ball tampering after an ICC Code of Conduct hearing at The Oval, but has been found guilty of the charge of bring the game into disrepute and banned for four ODIs. "I have considered their evidence honestly and fairly given very carefully," the spokesman said, reading out the findings of Ranjan Madugalle, the senior ICC referee. "My duty is to call and give my own judgment. On the second charge - bringing the game into disrepute by refusing...

Commentator handed lifeline after 'terrorist' gaffe Dean Jones returns to the microphone Cricinfo staff September 26, 2006 Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman turned commentator, will return to the microphone after being sacked last month for an offensive remark he made while commentating on the second Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa in August. When South Africa's Hashim Amla, a devout Muslim, took the catch to dismiss Kumar Sangakkara, Jones was heard to say "the terrorist has got another wicket" although he maintained that it was an off-air jest to his fellow commentators. He was subsequently dismissed by Ten...

HO CHI MINH CITY (Reuters) - Would you like your crickets deep fried and crispy? Peppered and presented in a neat circle on a bed of green leaves? Breeders of crickets say the insects have become "finger food for beer drinkers" in an age of increasing prosperity in Vietnam compared with the recent past when they might have been food for the hungry or for wartime soldiers surviving in the jungle. Businessman Le Thanh Tung raises hundreds of thousands of the flying insects in barrels and sells them to restaurants in Ho Chi Minh City, the Southeast Asian country's largest...

One of the fastest-growing games in the United States is, surprisingly, cricket. The game flourished there for a while in the 19th century, but a combination of war and baseball sent it into decline. That is, until now. Atlanta, Georgia is not a place you normally associate with cricket. It is famous for a fizzy drink and a baseball team called The Braves. So I was pleasantly surprised, on a recent visit, to hear the distinctive "thock" of leather on willow. "Shot, Mouse!" shouted the tall, silver-haired West Indian standing next to me, as a batsman lofted a ball over...

Here are the ICC articles from the weekend's play: Bermuda v USA - No Result leaves title in the balance ICC Development (Americas) Media Release August 26, 2006 After a serious of weather related interruptions, the eagerly awaited key clash between Bermuda and the United States was abandoned as a no result at the Maple Leaf CC in Toronto, Canada. With the final round of fixtures scheduled for tomorrow, Bermuda hold the edge with a four point advantage over the USA, but with a superior net run rate, a USA win over Canada will see them snatch the title away...

ICC World Cricket League Americas Region Division One, 2006 USA set up Bermuda showdown ICC Development (Americas) Media Release August 24, 2006 The United States cruised to a comfortable 7 wicket win over Argentina on the third day of the Americas Championship at Maple Leaf CC in Toronto, Canada, and in doing so set up a potential championship decider with Bermuda on Friday. Sent in to bat, Argentina started disastrously, losing their first two wickets in the very first over to paceman Imran Awan. It was a continued uphill struggle from then for the Argentine batsmen against a sharp USA...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – For many in this impoverished Muslim nation, the most important thing – after God – is the gentlemanly English game of cricket. That reverence turned to fury yesterday when Pakistanis burned pictures of an authoritarian Australian umpire and dubbed him a “mini Hitler” for his role in the sport's first international forfeit, which awarded to England a game that Pakistan was winning. The result angered millions across Pakistan, ranging from sports icons to schoolchildren. To make matters worse, the dispute – which centered on allegations that Pakistan's pitcher-like bowlers had tampered with the ball – took on...