Coach's wife did not want him to take Pakistan job

'No hint of match-fixing' in Woolmer's emails

Cricinfo staff

April 6, 2007

Gill Woolmer believes the police investigating her husband's death are doing a good job © Getty Images

Bob Woolmer's wife did not want him to take the job as Pakistan coach in 2004 but she said there was no indication he was "scared" in the lead-up to his murder. Gill Woolmer also said in an interview with The Times she thought the police investigating her husband's death were doing a "good job" and she wanted a "speedy conclusion" to the inquiry.

She told the paper Woolmer was not keeping a World Cup diary but was intending to write a book about his time as Pakistan coach, though it "is best if that book never appears now". "If it is going to cause upset, it is not worth publishing," Gill Woolmer said.

Woolmer had sent his wife emails from the West Indies but there was "not even a hint in them of his being scared, or of anything to do with match-fixing," she said. However, she was not keen for him to take the Pakistan role in the first place.

"I said to him, 'I cannot believe you are thinking of doing this'," she said. "He knew the Pakistan side fluctuated in form, but he liked a challenge, and no one else tried to prevent him taking the job."

Gill Woolmer also praised Mark Shields, the chief investigator, for his efforts to find her husband's killer. "Obviously I have not met Mark Shields but he seems to be doing a good job," she said. "He is under stress and is tired and requires help because there are so many things to look into. We need to bring this to a speedy conclusion."

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