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Police await Woolmer death report

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (CNN) -- Detectives were waiting on Thursday for a pathologist's report on the death of Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer as his wife Gill said she did not rule out the possibility that he had been murdered.

In a further development, it was revealed that Pakistani players were being interviewed and fingerprinted by police who are probing Woolmer's mysterious death.

Players whose rooms were on the same hotel floor as Woolmer will submit statements as part of the ongoing investigation, a team spokesman told CNN.

"It is standard procedure," spokesman Pervez Mir said. "Each of them will come along and give a written statement."

"The interviews are taking up to an hour for each player," added Pakistan team manager Talat Ali.

"The impression being created by the media is that the team are being interviewed as suspects. That is not the case. They are being interviewed as others are."

The team will then leave Kingston later in the day and head to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for two days' rest before returning to Pakistan, Mir added.

Former England Test cricketer Woolmer, 58, died shortly after being found unconscious in his Kingston hotel room on Sunday night.

The tragedy came less than 24 hours after his team were beaten by underdogs Ireland in one of the biggest shocks in World Cup cricket history.

Jamaican police said on Tuesday night that his death was "suspicious" leading to a string of conspiracy theories.

Speaking to Sky News from her home in South Africa, Gill Woolmer said she did not believe her husband had committed suicide.

"It is suggested there might be foul play and they (the Jamaican police) don't want to jump to any conclusion.

"I suppose there is always the possibility as some of the cricket fraternity fans are extremely volatile and passionate about the game."

"That fills me with horror, I can't believe that anyone would behave like that towards someone who had given such great service to international cricket," she said.

Very depressed

Woolmer said that her husband had been "very depressed" after his side's disastrous defeat to Ireland and had sent her an email that effect.

"But he always got depressed and down when the boys didn't do as he expected and hoped," she said.

"But that was normal in any competition, he was a very competitive person. But there's no way that suicide was involved, he would never ever..."

She said she was waiting for the results of a second pathologist's report before her husband's body could be flown home to South Africa.

"They have given me some indication of why they think it's suspicious but I'm not prepared to say what," she added.

The hotel room where Woolmer was found has remained closed off as police continue their investigations.

Reports that Woolmer had broken a bone in his neck while vomiting prior to his death have also not been confirmed.

Former Pakistani fast bowler Sarfraz Nawaz claimed that Woolmer had been murdered as part of a match-fixing plot.

"Woolmer's death has some connection with the match-fixing mafia," he told The Associated Press.

"I've been saying this for the last four days that Woolmer's death is not natural, but it's a murder."

Reports in the local media on Thursday also claimed that the 58-year-old former England Test player had been murdered.

The Jamaica Gleaner said a "high-ranking police officer" had confirmed that fresh evidence has surfaced which suggested that Woolmer was strangled in his room at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel between Saturday night and Sunday morning.

According to the police officer, Woolmer was found half naked in his room, partially wrapped in a towel, the newspaper said.

"A bone in the neck, near the glands, was broken, and this suggests that somebody might have put some pressure on it," the officer told the newspaper.

"We are now treating this as a homicide."

Successful coach

Woolmer became a successful and highly respected coach after retiring as a player.

He coached South Africa before taking charge of the Pakistan's team in 2004.

They came to the World Cup with high hopes but were left with the scant consolation of a solitary victory over Zimbabwe in their final match on Wednesday.

The result meant that minnows Ireland went through to the Super Eights second stage along with Group D leaders West Indies.

Players observed a minutes silence in honor of Woolmer before the match at Sabina Park in Jamaica. (Details)

Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf, added to the tributes on Thursday, but did not refer to the investigation.

"I had the pleasure of knowing Bob personally, we found him to be a thorough professional and above all an excellent human being," the Pakistani president said.


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