Former Pakistan cricketer Younis Khan has paid tribute to former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer, saying he would have led Pakistan to greater heights. Notably, Woolmer was appointed Pakistan coach in 2004 but his tenure came to a tragic end when he was found mysteriously dead in Jamaica after Pakistan’s loss to Ireland in the 2007 ODI World Cup.
Recently, Younis Khan paid tribute to his former head coach and said that Ulmer would have taken Pakistan cricket to great heights had he coached the team for longer. The former Pakistan captain also I remembered what happened the night he died. He said he regretted not sitting with him that night, as is customary.
“I have no doubt that Pakistan cricket would have been very different if Ulmer had remained head coach and he would have enhanced it a lot. I was very close to Bob and it was our routine to sit together after matches and in the nets and discuss cricket. Unfortunately, we were not able to sit down together on the night he passed away as we had lost to Ireland,” Younis was quoted as saying by Pakistan News Channel as saying by PTI.
“I too had gone out to catch ducks and felt very depressed. So I went to my room and locked myself in it. The next day, I did not see him at breakfast and only later came to know about his death,” he added.
Younis Khan recalls Pakistan’s troubled times
Younis further revealed that the entire Pakistan team has been moved to another island. After Woolmer’s death There they were interrogated for three days. The 2009 T20 World Cup winner also said it was a torturous situation for the team and the authorities should have handled it better.
“It was like torture for us. I fully understand the responsibilities that athletes have as ambassadors for their country, but it should be the other way around… the authorities should also look after us,” he added.
Ulmer’s death was ruled to be due to natural causes after the Pakistan Cricket Board and the government deployed Pakistan security officials to the Caribbean nation to work with Jamaican police.