|
Richard Pybus, the former Pakistan coach, believes the stress of working in
the “toughest job in cricket” could have taken its toll on Bob Woolmer.
The Pakistan coach was found unconscious in his Jamaica hotel room a day
after watching his team crash out of the World Cup following a shock defeat
against Ireland, and died later in hospital.
“Having done stints with Pakistan, I know how tough it is as a coach over
there,” Pybus, who coached Pakistan at the 2003 World Cup in South Africa,
said. “It does take its toll on you and sometimes people can underestimate how
great a toll that is. I know it took its toll on me as an individual, especially
at the last World Cup.
“I know it’s the toughest job in cricket today. It’s a very turbulent
society and a very political environment to work in. Pakistan cricket seems to
lurch from one drama to another and, as a coach, it takes a cumulative effect on
you. I think it’s sad that Bob couldn’t finish his work at the World Cup but
all the stuff with that team wears you down.”
“Pakistan are an exciting side to work with but there is stuff that goes on
around the side that takes its toll,” Pybus said. “Look at the situation at
the Oval last year, and the drug tests on the two fast bowlers before the World
Cup.
“They have an amazing capacity to ambush themselves and never get into a
space where it’s simply plain sailing for a coach. You’re always sitting
there waiting for someone to lob a hand grenade and waiting for it to go off.
“You can never plan with such a team, because you don’t even know what is
happening tomorrow. I’ve always been sensitive to that, and I caught up with
the side during their recent tour of South Africa and I could see that things
were taking their toll on Bob then.”
Pybus also revealed that Woolmer was not only a highly respected coach but
also a friend who went the extra mile for his peers. “Its incredibly sad news.
He was a wonderful, innovative coach and I really feel for his family.This was
to be, as I understand it, Bob’s last stint in international cricket and he
was to wind things down to have some quality time with his family.
“On a personal level, he was the only guy I came across in cricket that
went out of his way to help look for work for me when I was out of work. For
that I will always be massively grateful. Some coaches simply look after
themselves, but not Bob.
“As a coach he was incredibly innovative and a trend-setter who loved to
push the boundaries. He was successful, perhaps not recently with Pakistan, but
in the world of cricket he would have been quietly proud of what he had done.”
<<< Back
|
