Coaches mourn great loss

Kent coach Graham Ford

Before Bob Woolmer took on the role of coach of the Pakistan team, he had a very successful cricket playing career of his own.

Woolmer played for Kent from 1968 to 1984, and played 19 Tests for England between 1975 and 1981.

He also spent time coaching South Africa and Warwickshire and is highly thought of among the coaching fraternity around the world.

Current Kent coach Graham Ford said: “The news has hit us very hard indeed - it’s really set us back.

“I had the fantastic opportunity to work as his understudy when he was coaching South Africa and I learnt a huge amount from him.

“He was a fantastic analyst of the game, he was brilliant as a technical coach and he was a man who was always thinking ahead to help his team be one step ahead.

Bob Woolmer always took a hands-on approach to his coaching © Getty Images

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“People may remember in the 1999 World Cup he got earpieces for the captain and the bowler to keep in touch with him.

“It was outlawed - but that was the man he was. He wanted his team to perform well and to contribute to make them play better.

“He was an outstanding coach and I was lucky to learn from him, which makes it so sad to hear this tragic news today.

“He was a very popular man, he enjoyed being with the players not just during matches but after them as well.

“He liked talking cricket but he was also able to relax and talk to players about his life.

“He was a nice person to be around - and the South Africa players enjoyed having him as their leader.

“Once or twice he said to me the Pakistan players could achieve amazing results if they had the right guidance - and it looked like he was getting it right until recently.

“But I know it was a worrying factor to him that the team were not playing as well as they could be.”

Ford continued: “He achieved so much as a player and a coach - he turned a South Africa team that lost 12 one-day internationals in a row around very quickly into the number one unit in the world.

“He had a massive impact on South African cricket and many fans still worship him for what he achieved in such a short space of time.

“He was one of the leading coaches that has been involved in the game in South Africa.”

Bob Woolmer © Getty Images

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Former Warwickshire captain Tim Munton, who worked with Woolmer at Edgbaston, was another to hail his unique approach to coaching.

“He was probably - and has become renowned as - the most challenging and innovative coach of his generation.

“His team-mates from Kent will tell you about him as a player but I had some great experiences with him as a coach and I’m sure the guys from South Africa and Pakistan will tell you the same thing.

“He was always challenging everything from the way you prepared for a game all the way up.”

South Africa team manager Goolam Raja said: “I was very close to him - and I had the greatest respect for him as a man and a coach. “We have all got to go, but not like this.

“I saw him just two weeks ago in Trinidad. I had the highest regard for him and he made a huge difference to South African cricket. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”