For the
man who has forever associated the cricket coach with the laptop, it is
poignant to see the last shot of Bob Woolmer in the dressing room on the day of
the Ireland-Pakistan debacle, packing his laptop in a somewhat hurried manner.
Especially given what would follow in a few hours.
In the
press conference following that catastrophic match, Woolmer said this had been
one of the worst days of his life as a coach. The only other day that could
perhaps compete with this level of hurt, would obviously be the 1999 World Cup
semi-final where his then coached team South Africa narrowly missed making the
final, where they would probably have been favourites to win (therefore at the
other end of the achievement spectrum). Lance Klusener’s famous comment after
that match rings out ominously today, “So what, no one died.” (It is another
matter that Klusener’s casual attitude had driven his team-mates to great annoyance,
and even rage, till 2003 when he was ceremoniously dumped from the team, never
to return).
The
world’s best known cricket coach was also perhaps the unluckiest. Just as South Africa
were exceptionally unlucky in 1996 and 1999 to miss out on the grand prize. And
just as the whole doping scandal of Pakistan’s best two bowlers
annihilated their chances in this world cup. The pressures of managing a highly
mercurial team such as Pakistan,
and perhaps the disagreements with a relatively unimaginative captain such as
Inzamam, would have taken their toll on this soft-spoken, thinking man (who
perhaps thought too much?).
That it
had to end with his boots still on, is one of the tragedies of modern sport,
where it is achievement and not enjoyment that drives most individuals. Maybe
some perspective will be temporarily regained by some, but it is unlikely that
anything of much importance will change. Greg Chappell pointed out yesterday
that in the next 18 months, India
do not have a single month free of cricket. Players can be rotated, but not
coaches. The whole money machine is getting way out of control, but that’s the
only thing that seems to drive people these days.
Woolmer’s
tragic death (which surprisingly is now being deemed “suspicious”) will
probably mute cricket fan hysteria in Pakistan to a great extent. Pity it
cannot do the same with the obnoxious Indian media (becoming worse by the week)
– the latest from one of the TV channels is showing the mourning Pakistani
players with saccharine background music, a voice-over asking if this is guilt
manifesting, looping a snippet of Shoaib Akhtar mildly pushing Woolmer during a
training session, ominous strains taking over the soundtrack, the voice-over enlightening
the world about the trouble the Pakistani players gave Woolmer and then
wondering how the Pakistani players will deal with the guilt of having killed
their coach. Guess this is all about money too. What a different world Woolmer
left, from the one he came into.
