Bob Woolmer - RIP

I was thinking of creating this blog yesterday when I heard the news that Bob Woolmer had been admitted to hospital. At that time, my friends and I joked about how it would be better to stay in a hospital in Jamaica rather than face Pakistani fans like these. However, I was certainly worried about how seriously ill he was. My fears were confirmed when a few minutes later, Cricinfo broke the news about Mr. Woolmer's death - the awful feeling that followed my moments of insenstivity is too hard to express.

My Cricketing Blog pays homage to Robert Andrew "Bob" Woolmer, truly a pioneer in the Cricket world. He was at the forefront of using technology (the famous Laptop Coach) to find out the smallest of flaws in the opposition and exploiting them to the fullest. I remember vividly when South Africa (then coached by Bob) routinely got Sachin Tendulkar out trying to loft Fanie de Villiers' slower ball over mid-wicket. No doubt that those dismissals had Bob's input in them!

Mr. Woolmer's death also shows just how much pressure cricketers and those associated with them are under, especially in India and Pakistan. Just imagine, being a foreigner living in a country half a world away from your own, having to deal with not only temperamental cricketers but also crazed fans, listening to barbs from past "greats" calling you a "gora" mercenary... India's own Greg Chappell has already had to endure a lunatic slapping him for not including players from his state, but further discussion about this will have to wait for a later post. My Cricketing Blog hopes that Mr. Woolmer's untimely death serves the purpose of bringing things into perspective - it's a game after all and that's all it should remain!