By Richard Sydenham
KINGSTON, Jamaica, March 17 - Pakistan coach Bob
Woolmer and captain Inzamam-ul-Haq both declined to make hasty
decisions on their future after they crashed out of the World
Cup by losing to debutants Ireland on Saturday.
The three-wicket loss to the Irish at Sabina Park on
Saturday was a huge embarrassment to the 1992 champions.
Ireland now eye a likely passage into the Super Eights and
Pakistan have a game against Zimbabwe that will now be just for
pride on Wednesday.
Inzamam, 37, who said he has certainly played his fifth and
final World Cup, refused to make any announcements on his future
either as captain or as a one-day international player.
"I have just finished the game and I haven't had time to
think about my future right now," Inzamam told reporters.
"It's too early to say what might happen as we have just
finished the game but yes, there are bound to be changes, there
should be changes."
WALK AWAY
On his World Cup career, which began with the 1992 triumph
under Imran Khan's captaincy, Inzamam said: "Every player has to
go one day and I've had my innings. My departure hasn't gone
very well but that's the name of the game."
English coach Woolmer, 58, is contracted to the Pakistan
Cricket Board until June 30 but it is likely he will walk away
or will be allowed to walk away by the PCB.
The volatile nature of Pakistani cricket where changes to
personnel often follow poor results will demand changes in some
capacity but Woolmer is not rushing into any decisions.
"I would like to sleep on my future as a coach," Woolmer
said. "It's what I do best, what I try to do best. Therefore I'm
not going to throw away coaching just like that.
"However, internationally I will give it some thought.
Travelling and being involved non-stop in hotels and so on takes
its toll."
SIGNIFICANT INFLUENCE
In terms of the Ireland humiliation, Woolmer blamed the
pitch and the toss as having a significant influence on the
result. He was equally critical, though, of the Pakistan batsmen
who crumbled to 132 all out.
Ireland reached 133-7 as Trent Johnston won the match with a
six over mid-wicket, to celebrate St Patrick's Day in the best
possible fashion.
"There were extenuating circumstances -- the pitch was
grassy and soft at the beginning of the game, it wasn't hard and
dry like it was in the first game against the West Indies,"
Woolmer said.
"Therefore, the ball was going to do something in the
morning and the toss was important. That's not an excuse, the
players didn't bat very well. It was a tough pitch that evened
out the sides a bit.
"Saying that, although Ireland have an inexperienced seam
attack and they bowled well, we should have scored 190-200 runs.
"But no one can say we didn't try hard in the field. There
were times when we could have bowled them out. We planned to
bowl them out for 90."