The West Indies and the USA are collectively internet hosting the T20I World Cup which begins on 2nd June; will deliver again some unhappy recollections for cricket followers in Pakistan.
It wasn’t simply one other Saint Patrick’s Day. On a dismal afternoon in Kingston, Jamaica, the Eire cricket crew did the unthinkable — they not solely beat Pakistan but additionally knocked out them of the ODI World Cup within the Caribbean.
Apart from the sombre Pakistan crew and followers, the remainder of the cricketing fraternity was jubilant as most individuals are after an underdog’s triumph.
On that day and night time of blended emotions, the Pakistan crew’s head coach on the time was found dead in his lodge room in Jamaica, only a few hours after dealing with a surprising defeat towards Eire by 3 wickets.
It’s been seventeen years since Bob Woolmer left this world, however Kobus Olivier nonetheless feels the lingering ache of dropping his mentor and buddy.
“I’ll always remember that. It knocked me off my ft. I used to be in a state of shock for fairly a couple of days,” Olivier stated.
Olivier is a cricket nomad from South Africa — after hanging his boots as a participant he labored as a instructor and coach in several components of the world together with Kenya, the Netherlands, Dubai, and Ukraine.
When conflict broke out between Russia and Ukraine, Olivier needed to flee Kyiv together with his 4 canines and presently, he’s primarily based in Zagreb, Croatia.
Some bonds are immortal — ‘Bob’ and ‘Kobus’ had one such fellowship.
Olivier was extremely near Woolmer.
“I used to be in Cape City at the moment. I used to be in my workplace on the College of Cape City when calls began coming by way of. It was everywhere in the headlines that Bob had handed away within the West Indies. It was horrible. It was simply an unreal feeling,” Olivier stated.
“A few days after his loss of life I spoke to Garry Kirsten, Daryll Cullinan and Jonty Rhodes; they had been all in absolute shock,” he stated.
“I assumed afterwards, most likely that’s how Bob would’ve appreciated to go. I can’t see him an outdated pensioner sitting within the backyard, he handed away doing what he cherished most in his life,” he added.
Woolmer and Olivier had a really particular friendship that went again a few years.
Olivier was ten years outdated when Woolmer first got here to South Africa as a younger Kent 2nd XI participant to achieve expertise.
As a younger professional, he visited South Africa to educate in the course of the low season in England and likewise went to Olivier’s faculty in Johannesburg.
“I’ll always remember that, we had been at a cricket follow at our Auckland Park Main College when Bob got here to educate our instructor. He was sporting cricket whites and a Kent 2nd XI sweater with the Kent horse on the entrance and beneath the horse, there was a tree which afterward I got here to know that it represented 2nd XI. Bob had a Grey-Nicolls package,” Olivier stated.
“I had by no means seen Grey-Nicolls earlier than — the blokes I used to see wore County pads and Zenith gloves. It was the primary time that I noticed all matching Grey-Nicolls package,” he stated.
It wasn’t simply the package that had an impression on Olivier; Woolmer additionally had a Kent cricket coffin with a Kent horse printed on it as nicely.
“It had wheels and he was pulling it that made such an impression on me, it was extremely spectacular for a 10-year-old boy,” he stated.
Woolmer coached for a season and he used to go to the college nets within the afternoon.
“I used to be hanging on his lips and that’s once I determined to change into an expert cricketer sooner or later, it grew to become my dream. The opposite youngsters needed to be firemen and policemen, however I used to inform all my pals that I needed to change into a cricketer.”
Years later Olivier was on the Stellenbosch College, taking part in of their 2nd XI and rubbing shoulders with the likes of Pieter Kirsten, Garth Le Roux, Eddy Barlow and Kepler Wessels who performed for a similar college.
“Out of the blue, sooner or later I received a name from Bob,” he recalled.
“He received my quantity from the college. He was retired however nonetheless performed membership cricket for Avendale at one of many townships,” he added.
On the time Woolmer was doing growth work with colored youngsters and he used to get abroad gamers each season, principally Kent gamers together with Mark Benson, and Alan Igglesden to play for the multi-racial membership Avendale.
“He phoned me and requested me if I may play for Avendale Cricket Membership. He gave me the opening place within the premier league and stated it’s higher than 2nd XI so I joined the membership and opened the batting with Bob,” Olivier stated.
“It was an exquisite expertise, we talked in regards to the days he coached me on the Auckland Park Main College and now we had been opening the batting collectively at membership stage,” he stated.
“It was fairly humorous, I’ve the utmost respect for him and at all times referred to as him Sir once we had been operating between the wickets and I’d say ‘sure sir’, he stated: [Stop calling me ‘sir’, just say ‘yes Bob, no Bob’] however it was so instilled in me,” he added.
Olivier believes that Bob Woolmer and Eddie Barlow had an immense affect on his humble cricket profession, particularly ‘Bob’ who had a big impact on his growth as a cricketer.
“I used to be solely good in a single factor in my life: I may play cricket and Bob’s teaching made all of the distinction.”
Woolmer lived in Pinelands within the suburbs of Cape City together with his son and spouse. Olivier usually used to go to his home.
“His research was stuffed with cricket books and memorabilia,” Olivier recalled.
“We had just a little plan to start out a enterprise collectively. He stated the way forward for cricket is in T20. On the time, the format had simply began and some of the counties had been taking part in T20 warm-up video games,” he stated.
“Bob had the imaginative and prescient and stated that’s the place the cash’s going to be, ladies and youngsters will come and watch. Bob predicted all that way back earlier than different folks,” he stated.
Woolmer was excited about organising pre-season warm-up video games for English counties in Cape City, the climate was good, the services had been good — two ovals with floodlights, and to not point out he had connections in Warwickshire and Kent counties.
He deliberate to deliver a couple of county groups there for ten days and play two video games in a day.
“Someday he referred to as me and stated: ‘Come to my home we have to discuss.’ He stated: ‘We have now to shelve the concept as a result of I’ve simply been appointed the nationwide coach of Pakistan.’ I used to be one of many first individuals who he instructed that. He had about two weeks to get himself over to Pakistan.
“We stored in common contact each time Bob had a break and he was in Cape City we might meet for a espresso or tea, sit and chat, he instructed me in regards to the unbelievable expertise in Pakistan cricket, and he stated you’d go to a internet session they usually get some internet bowlers into to ball to Pakistan Check batters,” he stated.
“There could be one or two quick bowlers, some little leggie, and with just a little little bit of teaching, they might all go and play Check cricket,” he stated.
“He stated he has by no means seen a rustic with such uncooked expertise as these younger Pakistani cricketers. He couldn’t discuss sufficient of the expertise in Pakistan,” he stated
“He had a big impact on the South Africa cricket crew,” he stated.
“I’ve by no means met Pakistan gamers, however I imagine he had the identical impression on the Pakistan crew as nicely. They at all times had nice bowlers however in Bob’s time Pakistan batters flourished underneath his teaching.”
Woolmer did have an effect on Pakistan gamers together with the likes of Younis Khan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Yousuf, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Inzamamul Haq.
Ask them about the perfect coach they’ve labored with and they’re going to all say Bob Woolmer. They usually don’t have anything however reward for him.
“He was not simply a popular however a well-loved coach and a peoples’ individual. Not one participant he coached and didn’t contact his life. The gamers received actually near him and he wasn’t only a cricket coach for them,” he stated.
“He at all times inquired about in the event you had an issue at house, Bob would ask you what was flawed and he was like a father determine or an elder instructor. He had this private relationship with all of the gamers,” he stated.
Woolmer was at all times busy with new theories and methods to do new issues.
“He was at all times growing as a coach, even later in his life he was nonetheless growing as a coach. He was creative, years forward of his time. Bob stood out in a means due to his imaginative and prescient. He was years forward of anybody else in cricket.”
Within the 1999 World Cup in England, South Africa captain Hansie Cronje and quick bowler Allan Donald wore earpieces on the sphere of their opening recreation towards India, however in the course of the drinks break the match referee requested each gamers to take away them.
“That was simply typical Bob,” he stated.
“Cricket was his ardour. I referred to as him ‘Mr Cricket’. I do know afterward Michael Hussey and different guys had been referred to as by that identify, however to me, Bob is Mr Cricket. He lived for cricket, everytime you talked to him, in seconds the dialog would go to cricket.
“When folks took T20 for enjoyable he instructed me that that is going to be the way forward for cricket. I take heed to many modern-day coaches and I’ve lots of respect for them, however Bob had a lot extra information.
“He was at one other stage. He was like a strolling cricket encyclopedia. You would ask him something about cricket and he didn’t need to suppose, it simply rolled off the tip of his tongue.
“You meet gamers and coaches; they arrive and go, however Bob is one you always remember. I see him as the perfect coach cricket ever had. Bob would’ve been the perfect T20 coach on the earth.
“It suited his type of teaching, in search of new methods and new pictures to attain. If he was alive now, particularly with T20 cricket and new improvements, this might’ve been so unbelievable for him to be concerned proper now.”
“I do miss him,” Olivier stated. And he’s not the one one.
The West Indies and USA are collectively internet hosting the T20I World Cup which begins on 2nd June and it’ll deliver again some unhappy recollections for cricket followers in Pakistan.
The writer is a cricket journalist printed in The Cricketer, Daybreak, and BBC Sport amongst others.