Woolmer under incredible stress: wife by AFP

---

Player:	RA Woolmer
Event:	ICC World Cup 2006/07

---

DateLine: 19th March 2007

 

Bob Woolmer's wife revealed Monday the "incredible stress" that her husband had been under as coach of Pakistan.

 

Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica on Sunday morning and later pronounced dead.

 

His death came less than 24 hours after Pakistan crashed out of the World Cup following a shock defeat to Ireland - an experience Woolmer described as one of the worst of his career.

 

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, the ex-Warwickshire coach's wife, Gill, revealed the pressures placed on her husband as coach of the cricket-mad Pakistan.

 

"His job coaching there has been incredibly stressful," she said.

 

No official cause of death has yet been revealed, with Pakistan's media manager Pervez Mir saying: "We are waiting for medical reports."

 

But according to reports Monday, the former England batsman suffered from diabetes and had recently experienced breathing difficulties.

 

Former Kent team-mate and the county's current chairman of cricket Graham Johnson told BBC Radio Five Live: "Bob left a huge legacy before he moved on to the international scene. Nothing can express our words of loss.

 

"The sad thing is that there was so much more to give."

 

Johnson believes Woolmer would have relished the chance to coach England. He added: "I'm sure he would have loved to. But he was very realistic and probably felt his best opportunity to do that would have been a few years ago.

 

"But he would have loved it. He had a huge belief in the ability of the England team."

 

Former Pakistan spinner Mushtaq Ahmed revealed Woolmer's closeness to his squad means his death has hit them hard.

 

"He was a great man, a great human being and one of the best I had come across because if his humbleness, he was very close to the guys, had so much passion about the game.

 

"The guys are still crying and talking about it."

(Article: Copyright © 2007 AFP)