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The crushing defeat in the World Cup that jolted the country was perhaps too hard a blow for Bob Woolmer to survive, who, being at the fag end of his career, had been expecting a victory by the former champions as a farewell salute to their coach. "I have experienced a few bad days in my life and this ranks pretty highly..." the visibly humiliated cricket mentor said in a news conference barely a few hours before his shocking death.
The fatal rout of Pakistan was too much for his sense of pride anyway. Apparently, he had expected to become Pakistan's triumphant coach, remembering the superb track record of the team he had been coaching. Little did he realise that the 1992 winners had been carrying a volcano within, and their performance had descended to such a stunning low that even part-timer Ireland could compel their exit from the world tournament. Hats off to Robert Andrew Woolmer!
Cricket, undoubtedly, is a game of chance. But chance does not mean upheaval. Even the triumphant team could not hide their astonishment over this entirely unforeseen conquest. The Irish coach Adrian Birrell told reporters: "You don't really expect to beat a major Test country like that, but we have said all along that funny things can happen." Funny it absolutely was, for the whole cricketing humanity. For us, after all, the ruin at Kingston definitely should serve as a wakeup call. Enough is enough.
The total lack of discipline in our team, can be just a factor in their collapse. The rumours of dirty money being a decisive element, may be discounted as it has always been a factor in all international contexts. Even the selection of the team was not quite up to the mark. Some of those who knew the internal strife and intrigue had already been raising alarms in their television and newspaper comments. The selectors had dropped quite a few worthy players, only to replace them by certain blue-eyed boys. Self-absorption and narcissism were very obvious from the team's ruinous show on ground. Some players were seen as acting greater than the Captain.
The deluge demands an immediate dissolution of the Cricket Board and the whole team, a thorough accountability of everyone involved, and a complete reorganisation of our cricket framework. That is, if at all we want to regain our lost prominence. It is not a secret anymore that billions of dollars are in circulation over the World Cup gamble. Pakistan being former champions might have attracted heavier betting. This whole outfit should be taken to task while investigating our Waterloo at Kingston.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2007

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