 Cricket controversies in 2007
30th Dec 2007 23:03 IST
Manish Kumar
Like every year, 2007 too had its fair share of controversies – both on and off the field.
In the first month of the year itself, Greg Chappell, the then controversial Indian coach, was slapped at Bhubaneshwar airport by a man belonging to a group protesting the lack of players from the state of Orissa in the national side.
Later in the year Chappell was to claim in a documentary that it was a racist attack, after which he went on to downplay the remarks. It was supposed to be a matter of time after India's worst performance since 1979 at the World Cup, and soon after Chappell ended his 22-month tenure as India coach by not seeking an extension to his contract.
Later, it was announced that Chappell was set to return to Indian cricket six months after he left it, this time as an advisor for the Rajasthan Cricket Association's Centre of Excellence.
During the World Cup in the West Indies, the whole world was shocked and stunned by the news of Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, being pronounced dead in a Kingston hospital after being found unconscious in his hotel room hours after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup following the shock defeat to Ireland. Woolmer was 58.
A shattered Inzamam-ul-Haq announced his retirement from one-day cricket and resigned as Pakistan's Test captain, saying the match against Zimbabwe would be his last. But there was more shame to follow as rumours about foul-play did the rounds and Pakistani cricketers came under the needle of suspicion, while the Kingston police insisted on probing for murder till towards the end of the year, after a six-week long hearing, a jury in Jamaica recorded an open verdict, holding that there was insufficient evidence of either a criminal act or natural causes.
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