Bob Woolmer: The legacy lives on

Vineet Sharma

A year after the sad demise of legendary English cricketer Bob Woolmer, the world awaits for a person who could fill the void left by him. After much searching, the masses of the world could only come to one conclusion – Woolmer is irreplaceable and will always hold a very special place in the hearts and minds of cricket aficionados the world over.Born on the 14th of May, 1948, he revolutionised the way players were groomed for the constantly evolving and demanding sport of cricket. Apart from playing for Kent, he also played 19 Tests and 6 ODIs for England. His coaching career included assignments for top notch teams like South Africa and Pakistan. During the World Cup of 2007, he was found dead in his hotel room under mysterious circumstances after his team Pakistan crashed out owing to a disastrous run of form. His death was first seen as a case of murder but after three months of rigorous investigations, it was finally said that he died of natural causes. This brought the inquest to return an open verdict. Whatever the reasons behind the death of this great cricketer and a nobler man to be associated with, the world truly lost a gem that was as special as the ‘Kohinoor’. Woolmer was born in a hospital across the road from the cricket ground in Kanpur, India. His father too was a cricketer, Clarence Woolmer, who represented United Provinces (now Uttar Pradesh) in the Ranji Trophy. Woolmer went to school in Kent, first at Yardley Court in Tonbridge and then The Skinners` School in Tunbridge Wells. At the age of 15, Colin Page, the coach and captain of the Kent second XI, converted him from an off-spinner to a medium pace bowler. Woolmer is thought to be the only man to witness both Brian Lara`s innings of 501 not out vs Durham (1994) and Hanif Mohammed`s 499 in Karachi in (1958).Woolmer – The Maverick Woolmer was known for his progressive coaching techniques. He is credited with making the ‘reverse sweep’ a more popular shot for batsmen in the 1990s, as well as being one of the first to use computer analysis, and trying to adapt the knowledge of goalkeepers to wicketkeepers in cricket. He later drew attention at the 1999 World Cup by communicating with his South African team captain Hansie Cronje with an earpiece during matches. The practice was later banned. In August 2006, on the eve of Pakistan`s Twenty20 international against England in Bristol, Woolmer was forced to defend his reputation when it was claimed that South African players lifted the seam of the ball when he was in charge of the team. Former International Cricket Council match referee Barry Jarman alleged that during the 1997 triangular one-day tournament involving South Africa, Zimbabwe and India, a match ball, still in Jarman’s possession, that was confiscated after just 16 overs showed evidence of tampering by Woolmer’s team. Woolmer could not recall any such incident and denied advocating ball-tampering. He also indicated that he contacted the match officials from that game who also could not recall any such incident. Woolmer stated in 2006 that he believed ball-tampering should be allowed in cricket and that a modification to existing laws should be made. He was a man whose constant endevour was to uplift the game of cricket and bring out better performances from the players. He stressed on incorporating neo-age techniques in the sphere of cricket to take it into the new millinium with a bang and his death took out a brilliant chapter from the golden pages of cricketing history. A force to be recokened with during his life, he will continue to inspire a great many players in the decades to come.