Bob Woolmer
© AFP/File Max Nash

London, Apr 30 (ANI): An investigation carried out by the BBC has reportedly found that former Pakistan cricket coach Bob Woolmer may have been first poisoned and subsequently strangulated to death. According to the investigation, Woolmer had angered some players (radical Muslims) within the team who went to offer prayers (Namaz) in the midst of a game.

The BBC investigation "The Panorama Show" suggests that some Pakistani players followed the extremist Muslim movement, Tablighi Jamaat.

The claims come as preliminary toxicology tests confirm Woolmer was rendered helpless with a powerful poison before being strangled.

According to the team’s former media manager PJ Mir, Woolmer shared his view that senior members of the squad were more interested in praying than playing.

Mir claimed that it was this preoccupation with religion that explained their poor performance in the contest. "I mean Bob had his reservations that the boys, rather than focusing on the religious aspect, they ought to be focusing more on cricket. He wasn't particularly pleased when players were going out to say their prayers in the middle of the game and a substitute was coming in. This continued. He was totally against it," the Daily Mail quoted Mir as saying.

After the team was knocked out of the World Cup, Mir's comments had led to a fatwa being issued against him, following which he was forced to flee Pakistan.

He believes Woolmer may have faced the same fate. "Let's put it this way - if Bob had said what I'd had said I think there would have been a fatwa on him as well," he added.

Meanwhile, according to another report published in the Daily Express, those who carried out the BBC investigation, said that it now seemed certain that as 6ft 2ins tall Woolmer was being strangled, he had already been rendered helpless (by being poisoned), explaining how he could have been overpowered.

The BBC1 show said that investigating officer Mark Shields felt that it would be "difficult to strangle a man of Woolmer's size".

"It's difficult and it's rare. A lot of force would be needed to do that. Bob Woolmer was a large man and that's why one could argue that it was an extremely strong person, or may be more than one person, but equally the lack of external injuries suggests that there might be some other factors and that's what we're looking into at the moment," the report quoted Shields as saying.

Shields, the chief investigator in the murder, had last week said that the "huge and complex" inquiry needed more time before naming any suspects. (ANI)