Bob Woolmer: Poisoned and Strangled

Whoops! This corruption in crivket thing is going batshit. Bob Woolmer was poisoned via either his food or drink and then strangled because he was about to go public with information about match fixing in international cricket. Here's the full story from The Telegraph.

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, was poisoned and then strangled as he was about to go public with allegations of corruption in international cricket, it was claimed yesterday.

Police believe food or alcohol delivered to Mr Woolmer's hotel room in Jamaica after Pakistan's shock World Cup exit might have been poisoned to incapacitate him before he was killed.

Speculation that he was murdered to silence him before he blew the whistle on match-fixing in the game intensified yesterday.

The Daily Telegraph can disclose that Mr Woolmer was planning to write a book about cricket which would include a chapter on the issue.

In an email, seen by The Daily Telegraph, Mr Woolmer wrote: "I am going to write a book on my tenure as Pakistan coach. I shall only start after the World Cup... I believe, regardless of the money, the story is worth telling, has to be told and in the correct way. I am not a name and shame guy, just the honest facts. Let the punter make up his mind etc."

The Pakistani journalist who received the email is so fearful for his safety that he has asked not to be named.

It came as Barry Richards, one of South Africa's finest Test cricketers and best man at Mr Woolmer's wedding, said: "There was a feeling around that Bob was going to expose something." He added: "There is a dark side to cricket. The game got on top of it for a while but it has never really been stamped out. Bob was passionate about the game. Perhaps too passionate."

Mr Woolmer was also distressed after being told by a trusted friend of suspicious movements in betting markets in Bombay a month before last Saturday's match against Ireland, a game which saw Pakistan humiliated.

Well, it's still only people claiming that this is true: but the connection with Hanse Cronje and his mysterious plane crash is very mysterious indeed. No smoke without fire and all that and I'm not the only person saying things like this.