Pakistan reeling after Woolmer's death

KARACHI, Mar 19 (Reuters) Several times after a poor performance by the Pakistan team he coached, Bob Woolmer would remind journalists grilling him that there were more important things in life than cricket.

Inevitably, however, Pakistani newspapers today linked his death from a suspected heart attack to the national team's World Cup defeat to Ireland, a minnow of the cricketing world.

''For Bob to go this way is sad and to be associated with such a performance is tragic,'' Usman Samiuddin, a well-known cricket writer, said.

Woolmer died in a Jamaican hospital at the age of 58 after being found unconscious in his hotel room.

His death dominated the front pages in Pakistan.

''Woolmer dies after shock defeat'', ''Dejected Woolmer dead'', ''Woolmer dead of heart attack after Pakistan's shameful defeat,'' were some of the banner headlines.

However, there were also photographs of angry mobs burning and stomping on posters of Pakistan's players, and critiques of Pakistan's miserable exit from the World Cup.

''His tragic death will offset some of the anger at the team's performance. But it has been a bad week for Pakistan cricket,'' former captain Rashid Latif said.

The Foreign office said at its weekly briefing that Woolmer had endeared himself to Pakistanis who were sad to lose him at a time when the team was not doing well.

''It is very sad that he died after a very poor performance by the team and his life ended on a unhappy note,'' Tasnim Aslam, a spokeswoman for the ministry said.

While Woolmer took criticism on the chin, he could not fathom the viciousness of the backlash and inevitable inquest about his cricketing credentials that followed almost every poor performance.

The former England batsman, who was made coach in June 2004, never enjoyed a smooth ride with either the Pakistan team or cricket board, and had difficulty overcoming the handicap of being an outsider.

Rumours of in-fighting surrounded the team before they went to the West Indies for the World Cup, and defeat by Ireland was seen by many Pakistanis as their team's just desserts.

''It is really sad the way he went,'' said Javed Miandad, the feisty coach Woolmer replaced in 2004.

''Even his worst critics I think are shocked.'' REUTERS DH BST1734