Coach Woolmer 'was not murdered'

Scotland Yard detectives have told Jamaican police that former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer was not murdered, the BBC understands.

The apparent verdict follows work by a UK Home Office pathologist, who flew to Jamaica to probe Mr Woolmer's death.

Bob Woolmer's widow Gill said she had heard nothing new from the Jamaican police about her husband's death.

Mr Woolmer was found dead in his hotel in Jamaica on 18 March after Pakistan's first-round exit from the World Cup.

Days later Mark Shields, Jamaica's deputy police commissioner, announced at a news conference that the 58-year-old former England Test cricketer had been murdered.

But a UK newspaper has now reported that Jamaican police are to announce that Mr Woolmer died of natural causes.

According to the Daily Mail, police in Kingston now believe Mr Woolmer died of natural causes, brought on by chronic ill-health and possibly diabetes.

'Bollywood investigation'

The apparent about-face drew some sharp criticism of the Jamaican police investigation.

"I think they [the Jamaican police] made a mess of it to be very honest"
Asif Iqbal

PJ Mir, Pakistan's media manager during the World Cup, said he was "saddened" at the news and suggested that Pakistani cricket authorities should consider legal action.

"I've been saying all along that Bob had died a natural death and let's not jump the gun, let's wait," he told the BBC.

"Today the Pakistan team players will be absolutely angry, because the amount of allegations that were levelled against them, or insinuations, or speculations against the Pakistan team."

Every member of the Pakistan team was interviewed and fingerprinted before returning home from the Caribbean, although police stressed at the time that they were not treated as suspects.

Former Pakistan player Asif Iqbal told the BBC that Jamaican police carried out a "Bollywood kind of investigation".

"Every day there were different stories in the newspaper, every day there was a different way of his being murdered. I think they made a mess of it to be very honest."

There has been no confirmation of the Daily Mail report.

A spokesman for the Jamaican police, Carl Angel, has said they are awaiting an official report from the Scotland Yard review team and will not be saying anything further until this arrives.

Scotland Yard have not given them a time frame for the arrival of the report, he said.

In May, several other reports suggested Mr Woolmer was not murdered, often citing sources close to the investigation.

One member of Jamaica's Labour Party said the case had become a "global embarrassment" for the country's police force.