You are right, he should've delayed this announcement. I think he is too devastated to think pragmatically, and was not guided properly from board. Bobs tragic death is painstaking, especially around the circumstances. He brought the best from an unrefined lot, too bad things didn’t go as one expected. Bob seems to be the only few who were willing to back Inzi while criticism was rampant towards him. Perhaps its a way of his tribute to Bob. No matter how much people bad mouth him or his leadership skills, he was the reason we won the WC 92. His captaincy was not outstanding but his demeanor was very humble, a rarity for Pak captains. All good things must come to an end. Good luck Inzi, you will be missed.

Imran Khan is the only pakistani captain who retired with dignity and the world cup.

we must remember inzy was also part of that team its not 1 mans game

a well said one..inzy must 've announced it after the world cup was over for rest of the world...

Actually his timing is quite right-- any delay wouldn't have been met with a respectful end, but a bitter one. Fans would never approve of Inzi and let him have a dignified ending. Though I feel sorry for Inzi in that he wasn't naturally a captain and was yet selected, what I found unacceptable--and dissapointing-- was the fact that he never learned. The same strategies were used till the end which had failed all this while; the same defensive fields were put on the field despite their failure and constant criticism; and the same batting order was persisted with which had failed too many times. Kaneria's non-selection was extrememly dubious: Azhar was never a batsman, as I had said, and the likelihood of a seventh half-batsman playing when the top 6 had failed was always going to be very low. It might seem even more stupid because Irish batsmen wouldn't have had any defense against legspin, and would have been forced to slog.
Razzaq's absence was dubious, apparently the medical reports were never showed, and I had always said that Razzaq was our ultimate balance in the team. He was the only player who usually rose in pressure situations, and you have to wonder with whose discretion was he compromised. Also, Inzi's compromise with the PCB to replace Waqar with Mushtaq was a big blunder; our slide started in SA, and we never got the momentum back. Rana should never have been with the team. We could have taken an extra batsman, someone solid as Asim Kamal.
Eventually, the world cup is gone. But, we have the best bowling in the world-- injury-free-- and not a bad batting if we include Asim Kamal. All we need to do is get a new captain, and two solid openers-- I guess 2 out of Taufeeq Umar, Salman Butt, and Yasir Hameed.

Apart from the team, if the team has to become better, then the head of the PCB, a foolish doctor, should be kicked and the first one to be disgraced. Bring Waqar back as well and get rid of Mushtaq. It will be some vindication, honestly, for the world cup if the team can rise up and beat Australia and South Africa in the coming year. No point looking back, as the great man said, "yesterday is history..".

Lets not read too much into it. The guy is obviously very depressed and gutted. He would not have wanted such an exit. He just wanted it off his chest.
The sequence of events since the England tour has been so bad that it feels as if we are simply cursed. Each time we think it cannot get any worse something else happens. I just hope and pray something happens soon to dispel the gloom and distress we are all feeling. But honestly i dont see anything rosy happening soon. :-(

Last 8 months have without a doubt been the worst 8 months in Pakistans cricketing history. Just when something major occurs and you think this should be the end of the saga and a fresh start will occur, something else turns up. Last 8 months as a passionate Pakistani supporter have been extremely difficult, I'm sure some have even quit.

This world cup will be a major turning point in Pak cricket. Hopefully for better.
By the way, kamran, you should have titled your previous article "Only Ireland stand in the way of pakistan's cup".Not Australia.

If the guy had some common sense he would have delayed his decision untill the game against Zim was over and Bob woolmer is laid to rest. He still want's to play test cricket which i doubt any new captin like Shoaib Akhter or Shahid Afridi approve for !!!!!

I think Inzamam had lost that confidence and love to play ODI cricket and thus wants to concentrate only on test cricket. Mebbe he can leave test cricket with dignity in coming years as for a struggling batsman test cricket is the right way to improve his form.

Timing is right or wrong does'nt make any difference sooner or later it was expected, he took it on a chin like a man took the responsibility of the loses and step down from the captiancy and the ODI's may be this WILL quiten down his critics only time will tell in the future about this nice man. Noboby is perfect we all have our ups and downs. GOOD LUCK INZI. yOU WILL BE SADLY MISSED.

This team is now shaken by poor Bob's death and the pakistani team has to get assembled and fixed now. This was time for Inzimam's experience and seniority to get the Pakistan cricket back into shape irrespective of what happens in the world cup. People will give you the blame(which they shouldnt) but you should be preapared to walk through that. As a wise and senior captain he should have got them back into the groove but he decided to retire in ODI's and hand overt captaincy in tests which is an incorrect decision. He should go after a few months, with some pride and prove why he was one of the best, especially after losing Woolmer

Yes! its right to say that inzi is always late to react!! n same is the case here,i think he's a bit late to announce his retirement coz he's not performing at all for a year or so n he should have gone for retirement but another thing that come into play was the decision by PCB to retain him as a captain till the world cup! He would have e been well satisfied as a captain if he would have retired before than now!! So m agree with kamran that he's late.

Let us not blame Inzamam for selecting the wrong time to make this announcement because as Kamran Abbasi himself said he might have just wanted to let it all out. We must understand the immense stress Inzamam and team must be going through on losing Woolmer who was such a great coach and above all friend to all of them. As far as Inzamam's retirement is concerned, I wish him all the best. We should appreciate the services he made for Pakistan cricket. Yes his team has disappointed badly but he is right to curse luck. Twice in Champions trophy against South Africa and here against Ireland, Pakistan were exposed to grassy pitches. Now Inzamam is not solely to be blamed. Pakistani batmen have never ever been comfortable on such pitches. And just imagine, you lose 2 games and you are out of it. Something is definitely wrong with the format or it is just too harsh as based on it we would have never made it in 92 World cup.

Inzi no doubt is a legend and has won several matches for Pakistan, we shouldnt forget them. But because he was captain so he should take responsibility and good he has retired. Its tragic what happened to Woolmer.My condolences to his family. He was an A level coach but couldnt improve Pakistans performance. In 3 years he couldnt find a pair of openers as both openers were gone in the first over in both the matches of the W/C.

I feel that perhaps the only guy that took some pride of being a part of pakistani cricket is dead (Bob).... I wish some of the other baigharat (and i dont mean Inzi here.....he is a man of ethics and dignity to me) feel the same about it.

I tend to disagree with you Kamran. The way I look at it, Inzi highlighted the importance and differnce Bob made to to him by retiring. Obviously, this is no a time to celebrate his distinguished career as the sorrow is overwhelming but I am sure Inzi would have felt very disgusted and sad to have taken such a huge step

I think it was best that Inzamam step down now. No need for period news anymore. It's better we recieve all the news now and let it go. I don't want to see Pakistan in the headlines any more. Its time for Pakistan to take some time to think about the disaster which took place in the West Indies. Tragedies occuring left, right, and center and in the midst of all this we couldn't manage to even make ONE positive headline, nor win even ONE game. Complete chaos, distress, and wreckage lies amongst a World Cup campagin which lasted no longer than 5 days. Shambles. :(

How would delaying his retirement make any difference, all this proves is how honestly Bob Woolmer was working for a better Pakistani Cricket Team. Whats more important is the state it leaves Pakistan cricket, i'm worried now as previous Pakistani player have not taken too well to tragic deaths, how these younger player will deal with it as they looked up to Bob.

Good luck to Inzi and he has been one of the best batsmen in the world and has made us proud to be Pakistani at times.

One of my all time favorites as much for his lazy elegance as for his composed demeanor on the field. Cricketing fraternity is poorer by his resignation. I was hoping to run into him in the carribean.:) Guess that will have to wait. Good luck Inzy and I hope to see you play test cricket for a few more years, you still have the ability and pakistan cricket needs a father figure like you to guide them in this hour of darkness.

The timing issue has been raised by you and another of the writers on this website, and i think your being a little harsh on inzi. He was very upset and i think he wasn't thinking straight. The responsibility for this should firmly lie with the incompetent PCB and its media arm. They haven't got a brain cell between them. In this time i would like to thank Inzi for his contribution to Pakistan cricket over the years he has been wonderful but whatever his flaws he did his best and that can be said for Bob Woolmer. And a fitting end to this tragedy would be for the Pakistani players and especially Inzi to hit a 100 and dedicate it to bob woolmer. I think it would be a fitting end to an otherwise disastrous few days

Well Kamran another legend of our Cricketing History Bites the Dust! You surely are right this was neither the time nor the place especially keeping in mind the sad and untimely demise of our Coach Bob Wolmer. Inzi should have waited and discussed the matter with the Board and than made an announcemnet. I still feel he still has that special magic in it to survive and play competetitive cricket for another year or two. Let us wish him the very best for his future as he has given us more things to cheer in the past than this untimely hiccup against Ireland. Inzi for me you will still be one of the very best this Nation has ever produced.

Well, a sad end to a magnificent career. It all began on a smiling, shining afternoon in Christchurch and the love affair has ended in the gloom of Jamaica. I wanted to write some lines on the team's WC but as that is finished, no need now.
Inzy was the man everybody loved to love until he started to make those dreadful mistakes as captain, the least of them being his decision to open all these years with a bowling all rounder, Hafeez whose average score is no better than 18.
Well, all said and done, a colossus of a cricketer whose strokes were brilliant but whose timing in all cricketing matters failed him on the biggest stage ever known to cricketers worldwide...

What poor timing from Inzamam i was hopeing for hime to announce his retirement straight after the defeat to Ireland im sure some pride what have still been left intact and on the matter of pride (Ghairat) as we say in urdu the humiliation of the defeat has taken Bob Woolmer away from us thats what a proud man he was

i think inzi has made the rite decision to retire from odis.this is high time for pak selectors to inject new blood into da team.y v pakis r reactive than proactive?one sud not forget inzis contribution towards pak cricket.if u r a good winner u sud b a good looser also.

When pakistan plays next ODI and Test after the world cup?

A very sad end to a very good career spanning more than 15 years. One world cup made him a national hero and after 3 world cups the fourth one made him a ......... (this should not be written).

Once again well wishes for the Pakistan cricket.

It can get worse. We can lose to zimbabwe.

First of all realy feel sad about death of bob woolmer, i just felt as some one realy close to me has died. and about inzamam decision its i think right timing and i agree that asian cricket boards do,nt allow their players to retire with some respect, and that would be in his mind as well, and also inzamam was clearly upset with Bob,s death as well, but no doubt inzamam will be remembered as a true hero who always tried his best, love u inzamam. And also Bob with his true love for game and pakistan cricket team, he could,nt deliver result in this world cup but we do,nt have any doubt on his efforts to improve, he did his best to improve. may his soul rest in peace.

well i think the decision from stepping down the captaincy is very rite. but i wud like inzi to play in both teams i.e. test and ODI eleven. & if PCB cud take a long term approach then they shud make shoaib malik the skipper. coz pakistan needs a person who has neveres to fight and who can dare to lead from the front and i can see this in shoaib very clearly.i feel sorry for a great batsman as inzi to have such a pooor exit. hopefully he wil make it better as a player in tests. too bad boys... but don forget its just a game and o dont doubt inzi's commitment with cricket pakistan.

Inzy is right to go. Yes the timing could have been better but the circumstances are so extenuating. I support Inzy. He is a good and honorable man even and though his recent performances have not been the best he is still a good role model for us. We wish him well.

Hi,
I think he did the right thing by steping down at this time...He is a gr8 cricketer and would remain one of the best middle order batsman in the history of pakistan cricket..Just leave him alone...

First of all I am deeply saddened by the death of Bob Woolmer. His services and commitment to the cricket and Pakistan can never be denied or faulted.

Inzamam's decision decision to retire was always expected after humiliating defeat agaianst Ireland but I personally think that the timing was bad. The best way to pay tribute for a great man like Bob Woolmer is by playing well but not leaving the arena at this time.

It is very sad to even think of world cup with out India and Pakistan. I just dont like to watch it anymore. Game is a game, it must be that way. Inzamam has to accept this fact does not hold himself responsible. A crcket team consists of 11 members, realistically thinking captain is just one of them. He cannot do wonders. I hope time heals everything. People will forget this unfortunate mishap and accept the facts.

inzi should have retired a year ago...he had his time, done his bit for cricket, should have retired with respect not like this....

Dear Kamran , You are right , his timing was wrong , he sould have done it after the Oval fiasco or latest after loosing the series in South Africa , that would have been approperiate BUT you are right , ASIAN TIGERS always looked to the time to get the BIG KICK in the ASS , since there is no brain to either read or understand the Writing on the WALL . I am sure his intent to have him available for the TEST ONLY is once again a purely SELF CENTRED so that he can score a Dozzen or more Runs to Surpass Javed Miandad's highest run mark . ALL ALONG the selfish INZI BIG FAT potato , think if he is unfit to lead or play a 10 over game ( at the most he has been doing that in the past couple of matches ) in ODI how on earth he considers himself to eb fit to go for a 6 hours , 5 days 360 overs of 5 day match !!! I THINK WE WOULD SEE HIM LAST AGAINST ZIMBABWEY and I pray to God , we never see him and couple of more of his cronies in the national color on the TV screen again .

Basically the problem is that the players earn so much of money that it becomes really hard for them to leave cricket, unless they have properly invested their earnings in their prime times. Its only the economics factor which pushes the third world cricketers to sacrifice their dignity over earning more money. This trend has to be curbed by PCB, and it should do something about securing top players as well as test, ODI & First class cricketers future.

I think timing was wrong for Inzi's retirement . But i am skeptical of that also because alot of asian players tend to take back their decision after few months.
I think only one soul that realy felt the loss of that humilated loss in pakistani Camp was Bob Woolmer,and alas he wasnt even Pakistani... thats a shame
GOD Bless Him

Dear Karman,

You've hit the nail on the head here (finally). Although the timing of Inzi's deceision was not great, I personally think he got a bit carried away with all that was happening around him.

Going by his past comments, Inzi was never one to heed to anyones advice (Imran's in particular) I therefore see no reason to believe that he was not advised in this case as well but just got carried away with the overall mood that must be prevailing in the Pakistani camp at the moment.

Anyway, whatever the timings, I think this great warrior of Pakistani cricket deserves a thunderous departure. I can remember many a one day matches that Inzi won for us single handedly and although his form over the past year was not great, I'm sure he still was contributing to the team constructively, albeit in his own fashion.

So there you go, hats off to you Inzi. Thank you for all the years of wonderful entertainment. You were a great asset and you will be missed. Pakistan cricket is poorer without you.

Faisal Hassan (Lahore)

Whats the problem he not done anything to damage Bob's memory he was going to go so what if has announced his intentions. but as i say dont forget what inzi has done for pakistan cricket.

A real pity to see Inzamam quitting the one-day game in such a situation. He would have done far better to wait for the Zimbabwe game, play as only only he can when he is at his best, dedicate the win to Bob Woolmer and announce his retirement.

As a cricket fan (i'm not from Pakistan), i'd absolutely hate to see one of the greats of the game quit it in circumstances like these.

I agree with you. But this is our national dilema. We are leg-puller by nature. Its our culture. Its how we are identified nationally & internationally. But hope for the best & prepare for the worst. Hats off to Inzi. Atleast he took the responsibility for bad performance & stepped down to give chance someone else.

Kamran, I am not quite sure why the timing of Inzi’s retirement is being seen in the negative light and such a criticism is hurled towards him. A non issue is again being made into an issue.

The past 36 hours events, the way they unfolded, can bring down the morale of any genius and can spin the person to make such an announcement; even after the short hours of Bob’s death.

In short I am finding it little difficult to digest this uncalled criticism.

I Feel that now there is no way back for inzamam and he should do the right thing and just retire from the game and end his career. I will find it amazing if he can continue to play in tests under a new captain with the heart and passion he once showed. I feel that for the good of pakistan cricket he should just let the younger generation come good. Inzi you have been one of my heroes and one of pakistans finest and the oval fiasco and the nandroline affair are the real reasons to blame. Best Of Luck for the futuremate and may Bob rest in peace.

Mr. Kamram
You are right this was not the right time for Inzy to announce his retirement,this is the problem with our hereos, infact they might began thinking from their corner about their future becoz our cricket BOARDS don't support them after they retire.
One more thing people are forgetting that Inzy was one of players who 92 WC to us.

A sad day for cricket - those of us who play the game may use some techniques that Bob Wolmer brought to the game, especially the benefit of overanalysis.

The only problem with Inzi was the fact that typical PCB - Younis Khan was the captain, then he wasnt and Inzi was back etc etc ie, this should have been resolved a while ago. If Inzi was not good enough to hold his place in the side, which his form showed, then PCB should have bedded in another Captain with Inzi still there.

The issue now is, you have to replace a Coach, a Captain and a huge middle-order talent. The sooner the PCB get someone with decent understanding of the game and foresight the better - until then, Pakistan will continue to fail to fulfil their huge potential.

As a last note - no player plays to lose - but essentially - in my mind, the events of the last 6 months - The Oval Test Match, Shoaib Akhter in S-Africa, the inabilitiy to play a ball on its merits and so bat for your team - all contrinuted to the stress levels on Bob Wolmer.

Indeed i feel it was pretty silly of Inzi to announce his retirement especially so soon after Bob Woolmers death. I dont think it was done in taste and surely he could have waited a few more days once the dust had settled so to speak. It just infuriates me that the PCB cannot and refuse to give sound advice to their players. Same thing happened last yr at the Oval when Inzi was told to come off the field. Pakistani cricket is nothing more than a joke at the moment, its very saddening.

As for Inzi, its a shame that hes going but as your rightly said hes been so out of form in the ODI stage that its heartbreaking. He will be sadly missed thats for sure and i think the captains curse hit as well ie player who do well before taking on the captaincy seem to flounder when given the task of captaining their team and this happened with Inzi. If i was the PCB chairman i would say to Inzi, relinquish the captaincy but keep playing as i think he still has alot to offer. But then only Inzi knows whats best for him.

I'll end it off here by saying, Thanks Inzi for your contribution to Pak cricket, especially during the '92 WC. You werent a very good captain but your batting prowess was a class above the rest. Thank you for your awesome innings that sadly became far in between as time went on.

Hi Kamran,
I fully agree to your point of veiw & hope in future such things dont happens with other players...

The darkest weekend for Pakistani Cricket. I am a die hard fan of Inzy and will miss him more than anyone. Its a shame that a player of his standing is retiring like this but atleast he called it quits himself. His boots would be quite hard to fill. Innings that he has played for Pakistan on numerous occasions under pressure would keep reminding us in future that we are missing the great inzy in that middle order. I have seen him come into team and now reitirng. Its really sad but it was to happen. Atleast we can say that inzy played for the team. So less we saw him throwing his wicket. Alwas played for the team and according to the situation...Ahh we wil msis you inzy and I hope you play without any pressure in test and help us win the series against india and austrailia..
I salute your services to Pakistan

We cannot imagine how the team who have been with Bob for so many years are feeling, especially Inzy. Ths initial shock of the loss to Ireland was blitzed by the sad news of Bob Woolmers death, he had become part and parcel of our beloved cricket team.
I hope PCB make the right decisions in this difficult period and make Pakistan stronger then ever before.

I agree with you Kamran. I would not put the blame totally on Inzamam. It would have been all too much for him. I think the media manager should have stepped in and guided him. In close to three decades of avidly following this game, I have never felt so much in a day because of this game. It is a pity, a real pity.

the PCB is run by people who does not have a cricket head over their shoulders.Every one knew the problems with the openesrs but it was inzi who insisted on this team and instead of taking an extra opener he opted for more bowlers. Let us rejoice the fact that Inzi has finally retired as he was an extermly defensive person and there is no room for a defensive cricket in this competitive age of cricket.

I'm rather surprised by all of the negative comments surrounding Inzi today. If I were him, I'd be feeling like "damned if I do, damned if I don't." Less than 48 hours ago people on the streets of Pakistan were asking for him to be arrested, holding protests and being generally unruly. I'd go so far as to say their treatment of their team was disgraceful. And in light of that, Inzi does what is expected of him and stands down as captain and says goodbye to ODIs. OK, so the timing is not the best and maybe he should have put more focus onto Bob in that press conference, but inside Inzi is probably emotionally and mentally shattered after the weekend's events. Indeed the whole Pakistani side is in turmoil and disarray. Instead of criticising and throwing stones at Inzi lets just give him a little bit of support in a situation which has quite clearly affected him deeply and profoundly. Or are Pakistan cricket fans really not complete unless they're having a dig at someone?

hii just wanna say that inzi was a great player .. but hes not a good captain , not at all. if u go throught his captain carrer he had very bad loss all theteam specially against india, some huge records like 309 sewag ... surely he was not a good captain .

YES - it is right to say that the timing of the decision was not great. But Inzi may have been thinking about the extreme reaction he was ought to receive back home. At the end of the day we have to say that it shows really poor management from the “higher ups” at PCB. From the Oval fiasco to this day we have seen a continuous decline of Pakistan cricket and incidents have happened one after the other. And a lot of issues are off-the field issues, affecting, on-the field performance. And twice worse has happened when the top management was there on the front – both in Oval & now Chairman of PCB was as pedestrian as any of us here – more concerned perhaps with stupidity of promoting Pakistan through Urdu than some of the important issues.
As a fan though I wonder why we put so much pressure on the players and why do the officials get away with their lack of imagination.
I think as a nation we should also realize that Cricket after all is a game and may be we are putting a little too much pressure on our guys and that they are not enjoying it as a game anymore. Lets face it, our guys are mostly young, not properly educated, and not very well trained by PCB once they arrive in the international arena.
We were really very critical of Bob Woolmer and did not respect him enough for his integrity & sincerity when he was with us. Perhaps now is the time to reflect on that but we should leave the hypocrisy aside “cough Jawed Miandad cough” claiming that he had a great relation with Bob. Come on Sir, we respected you for your efforts in your playing days but where is your integrity anyway. How desperate are you for a job to come down to this level.

Bye Inzi. Thanks for all the smiles you've put on the face of our often grief stricken nation for the past couple of decades.
Its a shame that you have to bow out in such a way. You, although weren't a very good captain, certainly deserved better.
Rest In Peace Bob Woolmer. Maybe, just maybe, your death will teach Pakistan cricket a lesson in professionalism and loving and living our job.

I dont see any reason to make the timing such an issue here, it can not get worse than it already is, this is a no win situation, at least this annoucement will take some wind out of the sails of all knowing critics. I think it was right to get it out of the way. I must add, it is pitty that for Inzi, it had to end like this

After the recent performance..it was evident. I think he announced it now because of the pressure from Pakistani fans. I am wondering what made him think that he ll a part of pak test teaem in future....!

Inzi is my hero but ever heroes are mortals. I cannot agree more that the timing was absolutely wrong, even if Inzi had decided to call it quits before Bob's passing away. Best thing would have been to wait till at least Bob final rights had been observed. Inzi like most Pakistani ex-captains (with the exception of Imran Khan) are not great thinkers, so why criticize him for a poor decision. Inzi is merely a reflection of our society.

What ever happened to the Inzi, we all new and admired. The one thing that annoys me in the current light, as Kamran states is the the "Timing". In a confused team with emotions high the Pak unit need to Consolodate and unite for the respect of Bob Woolmer. The next game I know will be a tribute to Bob, we have to prove to Bob that all his teaching efforts were not in vain and prove to the Cricket World Pak Cricket is still Dangerous despite the recent failings.

May I suggest that the Pakistani players save themselves ridicule and possible physical abuse by defecting to a small nation like Grenada. They can then quietly sink into oblivion

Defeat against ireland in the worldcup will undermine all the contributions he had made in his long career. Hopefully he does not leave cricket alltogether as saeed anwar. I really feel sad for this guy he deserved much much better than that.. all my respect to inzi..

First of all, no doubt I would like to send my condolences to Bob Woolmer and his family.. He lived for cricket and maybe in a cruel way even died for it too!
The timing of Inzis retirement could well have been in front of the domestic press in lahore in a weeks time, but what done is done and we can now close the chapter and lay to rest that the legacy of Imran Khan is now over he was the last of Imrans boys and I dont think we will ever see talent in the Pak side they way Imrans youngsters had... sure inzi has not been himself in the last 2 series in ODI cricket, but he was the best that this country has produced in ODI (after miandad )he should now have his eyes set on becoming the first pakistani to score 10,000 runs in test cricket! maybe thats too big a target, how about the handful of runs he needs to become the highset test scorer in Pakistan by overtaking Javed himself.Inzi was the last of our truly world class players we dont have any more and it will be very difficult for this current team to play without the colusses figure of Inzamam Ul Haq

well ... so what if he could not win Pakistan the World cup he still is a legend and always will be. humans have more importance than sports nothing can make us feel he is not a legend i mean if you see the statistics he has won his country more matches than anybody has.statistics show that after sir viv richards inzamam has won his country most matches.meaning the amount of match winning innings he has played for his country is brilliant and 2nd in the history of cricket.

i feel very sorry about the pakistan way the things happening wright know the captain of pakistan team inzamam leaving one day arena and the death of a pakistan coach bob woolmer over a stress .

Inzy made the announcement becuase he was bricking himself. He thinks whoever did that to Bob had Inzy next on the list, so he just wanted to make his position clear.

i am amazed by the response of people. yesterday i read at many places that inzi should resign. now he has resigned, but people are criticizing his timing. i think all the people who are criticizing pakistan team right now, are not true fans of the team. it is the time when we need to lift our team and our captain. but alas, i belong to a very emotinal nation.
next shock will come for fans lik me when younas khan will be the captain who has scored 1 in first match and 0 in second match.

Well!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lets take the game as game. It has already taken Bob away. Don't try to make someone else to go away. Inziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is something very very littel to use for the batting maestro. He has served the game more than one could expect him...... Look at the great record he has got. Look at the matches he has won us. Don't you remember 1992!!! This was he who took your flag up. This was just because of him that we had "THE Flag Up" (The words from 1992 world cup theme song that I remember that I heard when I was only 12 years old). If minnows don't beat the top teams how the game will spread. Had sirilanka not beaten top teams, how would they have lifted the 96 cup? Had Bangladesh not beaten Pakistan in 1999 would you imagine that they would have been able to produce an amazing game of cricket against India? The Tamim Iqbals, Mushfiqurs hail only watching their weaker teams beating stronger teams. This is the charm of this great game of uncertainties in which you never know even until the final bowl is bowled.
I agree that it is thoroughly unacceptable to loose in such a way..... but this has happened and has helped us our several week points.

Let’s cheer the guys who have been bringing in glory after glory. Trophy after trophy..... They have beaten India on their home soil for us many times. They have been pounding England in England etc.

Let me just sum it by saying that this is not the end of the road. Every loss is stair to success. There are a lot of little heroes waiting in the ranks who really want to take the lead and make us forget the shameful day.

Inziiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You are GREAT. We are proud of you. We are proud of your performance. We want to see you in Test outfit scoring century after century and want you get to 10000 Test Runs.

I Cheeer You!!! I give you my Thumbs up!!!!!!!

Allah Bless You!!

Can we just give poor Inzi a break? The guy probably is not thinking straight. i dnt blame him.

Yes the team hurt the fans - but look at the price being paid - Bob has gone for ever - RIP Bob.

And Inzi has been humiliated - a national hero for 92 looks destroyed person.

ITS ONLY A GAME - our team is not good enough but let us not savage our heroes like Inzi.

The management of the team inc Dr ashraf and all other Musharraf cronies should be the ones who are made to pay the price.

Musharraf has run the cricket the way he runs the country - an absolute shambles/laughing stock.

I think we fans should direct our anger towards the BIG CATS - the setup is infested with bias and favouritism.

P.S. to those who burn effigies of Inzi and other players - pls change the effigies from Inzi to General Musharraf

Things should not be done in that way.After all its a two matched defeat.What pakistan thinks if inzi go then there all worries are ended ?No its a big mistake.We did the same technique in last world cup and lost wasim,waqar,saeed quicky and the result was same.So the need of hour is that to stay calm and cool and look for future .This world cup is not the end of our Cricket.Insahallah we have to do more...

Its sad to see that pak cricket has a history of great players having a tragic end to their careers.
Inzimam didnt want to be in that list.... no one does, the dream exit for every pak crickter is to go out like Imran khan.

But i do belive it was the right decision for inzimam to resign as captain. Disappointed ,he would not be there in ODI's , but glad he hasnt left test cricket, pakistan needs his solidity in test matches.

Now the million dollar question... who would be pakistan's new Captain?hmmm

I am really upset at inzimam's retriement, he is a great player and has been a great influence on the team.

He needs to regarded and treated the way he deserves and has earned it over the years.

some of us would kill him regardless of what he does...this was the right time for inzamam to step down....i hope he doesn't consider himself responsible for BoB's death

Really difficult to see what is wrong with Inzy's resignation now. Now is as good a time as any- it was time to show that he accepted responsibility for the team failures, and that he as the team captain had felt deep remorse at the passing away of Bob. (Now if he hadnt resigned, the same wise writers on cricket would be questioning why he didnt accept responsibility and resign). Anyway Pakistan is out of the tournament, the damage has been done, it was better to get over it. Any other cricketer who is feeling like retiring should also be encouraged to think on those terms (someone like Shoib Akhtar). Then we can come to terms with total loss and start the rebuilding process.
And please, lets not talk about the great Imran Khan, he did captain the winning team, but one can see the fruits of the seeds of strife that he planted in the team in his days. Lets begin low key, and slow, and establish a strong base and a professional side, and that would be the best way to show our regards to Bob woolmer. Please dont keep discussing silly issues like whether Inzys resignation was appropriate at this moment or not.

I, like many others, was shocked and saddened to hear about Bob woolmers death. From what i read in the media and saw on TV i can positively say that the pakistani players loved and respected him. The bond b/w the players and coach was cearly visible.
Being a pakistani, i am very disappointed at the performance of our team. Inzi's announcement to retire is another example of PCBs poor management. Why could this announcement not have waited????
Bob did not fail pakistani cricket, but pakistani cricket failed him.
Rest in peace Bob Woolmer

Asslam o alaikum kamran saab

ur r ite in saying tht probably this wasnt the rite time he could hav waited fo soem time
but this has been the same thoruhout whole pakistan cricket life...

nd unfortunately looks like goin to continue....

i wish somebdy like imran khan or wasim akram steps in management.....

having sayin that v all know that wasim hasnt got a good name as he as been allegedly named in all the bookie stuff
bt he together wiv imran khan can bring the pakistani team on track...

PCB shud play a gamble nd shud name captaqin like shoaib malik or shahdi afridi
cuz the circumstances v r already facing are cuz of our greatest batsman been transformed in to a captain
nd this shud not happen to younis khan or m yousuf
as southafrica did last world cup makin G SMITH a captain straight on...
although he dint had such experience as shoaib or afridi hav rite now.......

last bt not the least...
condolscences to bob's family MAY HIS SOUL REST IN HEAVEN
he was a gr8 coach nd did his best wht he could
he was a gr8 man

I WISH PAKSITANI TEAM LUCK
although i m also one of those passionate cricket fan in paksitan as everybdy bt theres nuffin bt wishin luck fo future v can do .......

I am an Indian, but it never stopped me from admiring Inzi.

Its sad. I agree that the timing is not right, but he is a man that has accompished so much in his career is wounded by unfolding of events as incredulous as these. Its easy to be confused and swayed by advice received from arbitrary people.

I wish he had a better end. Great career, Inzi.

Condolences to Woolmer family.

With Pak elimination, I would support India. Yes, I am a Pakistani but that does not mean if Pak has crashed out, I would like India to be eliminated too. Someone MUST stop Australia and the only team that can do that is India or New Zealand.

With regard to Inzi, if he has made an emotional press conference, that does not mean he should be forgiven aqnd absolved of all the wrong doings. He has inflicted irreparable damage to Pak cricket and its reputation. He must be eliminated from ODI and captaincy. However, I would like to see him playing in Test provided he is willing to bat at #4.

Majed Khan should be appointed PCB head. Although Imran is the best choice but I doubt he would accept the position. Afridi seems to be the only logical choice for captaincy for at least 5 years.

Qaddafi Stadium should be renamed after Bob Woolmer. Why do we need to name this beautiful stadium after Libya's dictator?

Thanks Inzi :) You did it yourself, otherwise it would have been disgracefull if the selectors have dropped you like they did to other heroes, but I must say U should have resign before going to World Cup, you could have given some young and talented player a chance like Asim Kamal, Faisal, Misbah ul Haq,etc. Thank you once again for all you have done for Pakistan cricket and for which you were paid handsomely.One should not be selfish when serving your country. I hope Mushtaq Ahmad will follow with U becoz he was brought by U in place of Waqar and the team doesnot need Mushtaq Ahmed at all.

whatever who ever say
but
INzi we love you
Bob we love you
You both will always remain in our hearts
We wil miss you both
its sad time for us cricket fans
bcoz of bob
but inzi you were hero
and you will remain hero
we love you
we dam care wat media and these journlist say about you but
you were a legend
you are a legend
salute you
you will be missed
love you bob and inzi

The timing Inzi choose to announce the retirement was ill-advised.
That goes to show that he lacks the common sense both on & off the field.

AS a Pakistani and a cricket lover I say just keep religion out and the team would be fine as this is their job to play .Plz dont think that by doning this you impress anyone as the world owes noone anything .Wake up and live in a real world.

what else do u want inzi to do?
u talk about the team,what team?u give him two batsmen and ask him to get the world cup!
imran nazir,if u call him a batsman then romesh powar is a bradman!
hafeez,what is role may i ask?
kamran akmal,if he can bat then dinesh kartik is a his God,
azhar mehmood,plays as his mood desires.
gul,can collapse anytime
sami,cant find his line since he lost it the days he debuted!
kaneria!, hello tendulkar is better leg spinner than him
THE TEAM SHOULD HAVE BEEN
YASIR HAMID(WHOSE LAST SIX INNINGS HAD BEEN GOOD)
IMRAN FARHAT(WHO PLAYS BETTER THAN IMRAN NAZIR
YOUNIS,WE ALL KNOW HIM
YOUSUF,THE BEST PAKISTAN HAVE
AFRIDI,IF FAILS WITH BAT,HIS BOWLING WILL BE ENOUGH
ZULKARNAIN,AT LEAST HE WOULD TRY TO PERFORM TO FIND A PERMANENT PLACE IN THE TEAM
SHOIB AKHTAR,THE BEST
ASIF,THE BETTER
SHOIB MALIK,THE ALL ROUNDER
RAZZAQ,THE ACE
AND THEN INZY
give him these players and then put a sword on his neck!
let us all be practical
so what pakistan is out! dont you think it would have been a shame to world cricket had pakistan even made to semis! at a cost of the better team and talent
IT IS GOOD FOR CRICKET AND I FEEL WE ALL SHOULD SYMPATHISE WITH INZI AND GIVE HIM HIS DUE FOR BEING AN ICON IN PAKISTAN CRICKET FOR LAST DECADE OR SO!

It was not the right time at all.He has shown time and time again since Oval fiasco that he is very selfish.He cannot let Woolmer to rest in peace even after he is with us no more.I am disillusioned with the whole new islamist ideology Pakistani cricket team has.We never were a team with religious bigotry.Not anymore.We treat our real heroes badly.Look what happened to Waqar,Waseem Akram and Miandad.And we allow no gooders like Shoaib and Inzamam to make an idiot of Pakistani Cricket time and time again.We need someone with moral values and personality to help us emerge from this mess.And Inzamam and his stooges( Mushtaq Ahmed et al.)are not the ones who should be allowed doing that.Bob Woolmer was helpless and side lined by Inzamam in his life and was only there to accpet the responsibilities.Inzamam wanted to emulate Imran Khan but didnt realize that Imran worked hard to earn respect and stature that he enjoyed.Inzamam wanted to bully his way to a glorified end.Alas that wasnt to be.Finally we as a Pakistani community all over the world owes an apology to Bob Woolmer's soul and his family for never giving him the chance or respect he deserved.

Passing of Bob Woolmer is such a bad news that it’s been almost 24 hours since the news and I am unable to take my mind off even for a few minutes. May his soul rest in peace. I think the level of his professionalism can be judged from the fact that he gave his life for cricket. He was the only one in the entire team that took cricket seriously. Without any shadow of doubts any and every success that the team achieved during his tenure was his doing. He was such a great man and such a great ambassador of cricket. My thought and prayers are with his family.

As for the timing of the announcement, it shows how insensitive and self-centered Inzi is. In one of my last comment in a different blog I said that I have lost respect for him, now I hate him. To me Inzi and Bari are responsible for the losses and Bob’s death. The media manager should also be fired for letting this happened, not now, once the so-called team is back in Pakistan (although if I had it my way I’ll send the entire team to Guantánamo Bay)

it's blowto pakistan cricket i ask inzy not to retire because it happens incricket .but pcb should defend the players because inzy has done lot for his country pls help pakistan in gentle manner . no problem if we exit from world cup . but what next is the end of the world . i ask mr charmain to look forward resolove the matter and insitutilized this association pcb and the time not to crictized anybody but help cricket in gentle ,sad of hurt of bob wolmer is no more in pakistan side god bless him . i am just the citizen of this country pls define cricket best way we have enogh legends pls make coah local person who understand cricket . be think of pakistan first then else . allah guide us to right
path
a.wahab
pakistan zindabad
take care everybody

Bhaijan,

I feel sorry for you at the moment. You are cranking out an article almost daily since the last couple of days. Aap na stress leyleyna!

Bob Woolmer's tragic death puts the numbing defeat into perspective. It is just a game after all - not life and death.

I have restrained the vitriol, but it is clear that now is the time for a total re-think. Inzi's exit - although poorly timed - is appropriate. But it cant stop here and Inzi should not be the scapegoat. I think I speak for millions of Pakistan cricket fans when I say that Cosmetic surgery is no longer acceptable. No one has the right to toy with the emotions of the cricket loving public. Stunning though it was, the dismal failure was always on the cards, was it not? In a country where cricketers lack basic discipline and the Board stumbles from crisis to crisis like a drunken sailor on shore leave, you must succeed in spite of the system. That has got to change. I suggest a total boycott of the Pakistan cricket team until and unless the entire setup is changed. The board, selectors and the ad-hoc system everything has to go. The team should be selected on merit alone, and a youth policy must be adopted. We the supporters are the lifeblood of the game. DO NOT PLAY WITH OUR FEELINGS!!

Saima Kamal
New Jersey

Sack them all...they dont deserve to be pakistan's represntitives and humilate the nation like they have in this world cup if not before.Job not done kick them out for good.Its about time that this squad face the reality and leave this game.Lame people dont deserve to represent any nation.we should have no pitty on these corrupted faces. we are better off without cricket at all thn this humilation every now and then.

Kamran , lets give the players a break, i can not let go the feeling that some how we are all to some degree responsible in Woolmers death. It seems like we have a habit of criticizing every move the players/coach make. GIVE THEM A BREAK. If Inzamam thought that this is the right time to go, so be it. If you really care for Pakistan cricket, then criticize the PCB. Make sure that Woolmer and Inzamam are not made the escape goats.
Why would not Naseem Ashraf, Saleem Altaf or Wasim Bari die of stress? Write about them Kamran, make sure they do not get an easy ride, criticize them not Inzi. They are the real culprits, they are the source of all failures, be a true journalist, look for the roots of the problems, leave the team alone. I hope your next article will be about the PCB, analyze the causes of the failure, criticize Naseem Ashraf who has be nothing less than a disaster for Pakistan cricket, criticize Saleem Altaf who has done no good for cricket , criticize Waseem Bari whose incompetence has cost Pakistan again and again.
Please Kamran stop writing these kind of articles about the players and the coach, go for the big big fish, the causes of all the problems. I dare you to write the next article about the three roots (Ashraf, Altaf, Bari) of failures in Pakistan cricket

Inzy decision is this will help to pakistan cricket a lot.But he could not think what time he should step down.

Mr Abbasi,

Inzi has been thoroughly humiliated (and deserves the humiliation) but I completely disagree with his retirement decision. In this time of sorrow and instability Inzi can provide Pakistan with the vitality the batting order desperately needs. Inzi needs to stay there until they find an able and suitable replacement for him. In fact Inzi should stay there until his batting average drops below 35, because Inzi has rescued Pakistan well from sticky situations in the recent past and his experience is badly needed.

Yes, Pakistan will benefit for the longer term because Inzi won’t be the captain now. I hope Yousuf is made captain with Younis his deputy but that is unlikely. I hope everyone who has contact with Inzi convinces him to forfeit his resignation and stay with the team. He will come good if he does not have the pressure of captaincy. Inzi just needs to stay away from any decision making.

Inzi has probably taken into account the humiliating prospect of losing to Ireland and the uproar caused in Pakistan owing to the sorry defeat. But he should now leave that behind; in any event I don’t think Inzi is capable of staying in the team after 2008. Until then Inzi has to focus on the positives, however rare they may seem and do his best.

Hi Kamran, I am regular reader of your blogs and I see your positive critiscm about pak cricket and PCB, but today you last line doesnt fit in quite well........ let inzi retire with dignity.. do you really mean that...... do you expect that our nation who takes a sport as if its a war if you lose burn them, hang them, kill them i think these were the words of Sarfaraz Nawaz the great innovator of swing bowling, probably how nice would it be if i would recall the tours he made and pakistan lost a test because of hims hall we burn him to death or kill him or probbaly hurt his family...I think inzamam has taken a right decision coz he knows that if he would have thought that after teh world cup series have another series of one dayers and retire ona high note pakistan public would have not let that happen. they would have forced himt o retire and demoralise him...insult him and force him to retire.atleast he is now retiring with his own decision rather than being forced down by the public and atleats he wont face the humiliation pakistan public has always given to its crickters liek wasim akran, waqar younis, saqlain mushtaq, saeed anwar, aamir sohail, these were all great pakistani players sepcially wasim what dignity did pakistani public give him opne bad match and our illiterate nation..yes we are the one who are jaahils rather than calling them jaahil the players we are jaahils that because one bad match we tend to forget the victories that inzi brought us i think the 1992 world cup is there because of him had he not played that innings against new zealand we werent in first place int he finals isnt it???? 11,000 runs he made it for pakistan how many victories series wins btu we will all forget and swear at him say taht he is useless his strategy is not correct possibly our strategy is correct thats why we are here and the players playing in the field hehehe :) I think If inzy woudl have died then probably the pakistani nation would have understood the pressure the stress players take when they play........ rather then playing free mind they play on nerves coz tehy know if something happens in the game our children oru family will be getting hurt........ so i think we should appreciate his work and his services for pakistan cricket he is one of the great middle orders in the world the best batsmen of fast bowling after viv richards and i think he deserves a bit more respect than the people have given in ur earlier blogs......... its just a game one good ball even bradman gets out even sachin gets out come on take it as a game so much of intense pressure that a coach died now the peopel started blaming inzy and now he retired and asked forgiveness in front of his nation just for a game come on its a game dont make a man steep so low that he asks forgiveness he hast committed a crime that he pleas to a nation for what for giving 100% of himself!!!!!!!!! I think we are the people t blame for his retirement and not having a dignity and ending a career on a a high note!!!!!!! coz h knows if he wouldnt have retired the public woudl have forced him to do and that woudl be more humiliating!!!

Kamran, these two days have been a roller coaster ride of sadness, shock and stress for all of us. Once again, the PCB management failed to manage issues properly and the announcement of Inzi's retirement is part of this blunder. His departure from cricket is as stunning (1 score in last game, defeated followed by Bob's sad demise) as his arrival was. An announcement on Wednesday morning or after the game would have been a very ideal timing but well ... poor management.

Will this ever change is the question !

Pakistan's last best batsman has bowed out of cricket today. We salute you for your wonderful contribution to the Pakistan Cricket as a player but your tenure as a captain especially the last 8 months will always overshadow your greatness along with this defeat.

Bob, you will be dearly missed as well. What a loss to the cricketing world.

i dont think inzamams timming was that wrong that everyone should complain about it.I wonder why people dont think like that he was so shattered by loss and by Bob's death that he couldnt resisted to reveal this news.After all he is a human first and then a cricketer.Even though the end was sad but critics and public shouldnt forget he has served cricket for 17years and cricket lovers and crictics should admire him rather than just trying to find his weaknesses.

17th and 18th of March will go down as worst memories for Pakistan Cricket History. I am really sad with what has unfolded. Surely Inzamam could have waited to call it a day, there was no pressure on him to do it there and then. For now I would like to forget all these events as fast as possible and just pray for the best of the whole team. I still support Inzamam and his side and am really disappointed with the role the media has played in all this. Their role has been like killing a wounded soldier of their own country. I have seen pictures of Inzamam and Bob being burnt down by a bunch of illiterate idiots (who laughed while doing it). Then Geo Tv showed a young boy (12 years) cursing Pakistan players, clearly not understanding the situation, and media had no problem in presenting this. The people who are prepared to act in this way are clearly doing it to gain attention and their pictures in newspapers. I think media should draw a line and stop humiliating Pakistan any more. What they should be doing is supporting every single player and conveying a message that we are still proud to be Pakistanis. The changes have to be made, surely, but they have to be made on a bigger picture. Sacking any player won't resolve the issue, Pakistan has to change its domestic structure and implement what Imran Khan has been saying since the last 2 decades. A country with intelligent people will learn from these events and strive for changes within the root of the system. For now please support the players and welcome them back whole heartedly. Just try to picture yourself in their shoes, No one wants to lose. Most of us are muslims, and we should understand this is how God intended it to end for one's life.

i agree-right decision but awful timing. However, now that inzi has decided to step down lets just give a just farewell to an aunforgettable player-captaincy issues aside, we must, as a nation, honour a truly great player.

The nation has to back the whole cricket team..
Enough humiliating them with criticism. Healthy criticism is always good, but that hasn't done anything good to pakistan cricket.
They were down in the ireland encounter due to the pressure of whole nation wanting them to win, n that made them lose the game..
The way they were fighting with the ball, I havent seen them many times fighting till the last ball have been bowled.
We need to back them up now, the pressure of losing has already cost Woolmer's life..

i never liked inzy when he was playing against india
beczuse he was so difficult to be bowled out.I just cant imagine one of the all time greatest batsman of the world to leave the stage in this manner.Inzy reconsider your decision since this decision would that u r a coward but u must remember 1 thing u r a real hero!!!

Both Kamran and Anand Vasu have questioned the timing of Inzimam's announcement of his retirement from ODIs. I fail to see why that should be so. In bad taste because of poor Bob Woolmer's passing? I disagree about it being bad timing because everything is inextricably interwoven in the whole passage of time and emotion. Inzi probably had decided to retire any way, but the grief of Bob's passing obviously was a trigger point. In its own way, it was a respectful way to say goodbye. There is no shame or indignity in his announcing his retirement after the Zimbabwe game, and I don't think it affects the team any more than the recently unfolded catastrophic events. I believe the team will rally round for its last hurrah in Bob's memory. On another matter, those of the guys in the team who play the last game will know that it is Inzi's last and they will have shared in it, for posterity's sake. He is a shadow of his former talent, but I believe he has become a cricketing legend for Pakistan. For those of you who watch the Zimbabwe game, remember also that this is the last you will see of him in action (or inaction) in ODIs.

Kamran, I think Inzi has made a right choice.I always has believed that Inzi can never be a good captain,u can see that the series that he has drawn,most of the time he was on the defensive foot rather than to have that killer instinct that has to be put on...Bevan has given cricket the 'Scientific Touch' which is adopted by every player today except Pakistanis...i still remember when Imran Khan suggested Younis Khan as a vice captain in Australia tour,every one laughed as then Younis had not been placed properly in the side,but u can see that most of the time..captains wont perform best but doo well with the bat...u can take the example of Michael Vaughan and Hansie Kronje...Inzi lacked that killer instinct....
Yes ur rite that Asian cricketers have a habit of leaving the stage on a downfall...but its only because they dont want to leave it on high note...(with inzi the case is different) but with Wasim Akram, Javed Miandad, Amir Sohail and Ramiz Raja thay all have had their good times to say good bye but they didnt opted to go then...Only Imran Khan was a player who has left cricket when he gave Pakistan Team the most valuable gift of cricketing world...
I think now we need to focus on our 1st class cricket format...as the fault is there...we were crying for the limited bowling options...but here we see that in both the matches, bowling has always been on the spot...its just the batting didnt click...and it happened in Austalia...and now i WI as well...

Kamran,

I agree, this is the worst world cup campaign rather these have been the worst past six months for Pakistani cricket. I just want to add that may be this team of ours reflects what our society is going through. Incoherent with no synergy, may be to get a good team all we need to do is to have a self analysis, try and correct ourselves, may be we shall get a good team, may be!

First of all I am as hurt as anybody else who follows Pakistan Cricket Defeat to the Ireland was one of the most low point of the Pakistan Cricket... The death of Bob Woolmer is a loss to the Cricket he was a cricketing genius... Inzamam retirement and everything else happened in the last 2 days I am speechless.... May God bless Bob's soul..... Pakistan Cricket... InalillAllah wa Inaellin Raggioon

sad day for cricket...putting this world cup performance aside..inzamam has been a legend and we must appreciate the quality of cricket that he has given us. He is a living legend and deserves respect and a proper send off.

i dont remember people slating inzi 2 matches a go actually 1 match a go, things cant turn pear shapeed in 1 match, i can exsept a defeat no matter how low. i say change the rejects in afridi, 2 openers, younis khan is not the middle order don that people say. your see with out inzi we r done for another 2 years waiting for lame players like hasan raza to become good, breing back salman butt

The man's clearly too devastated to think clearly and yes it would've been best to delay the decision by a day or two, but you can't fault him for being worried that fate similar to that of woolmer might await him if he delays his decision? (That may not be true)

Well I must say that this is really unfair decision by Inzy. He just follows his heart but not his mind and the low mentality people of Pakistan that what they say. They people don't even see the past of our great hero’s like Inzy and I am 100% agree with Kamran's Point of view, this is the right time PCB should think about this matter seriously they must retire our hero’s with dignity. At the end i must request to Mr. Inzy that he shluld consider his decision again.

Kamran! I agree with most of your comments. I would like to wish Inzi best of luck in his post-retirement life. Being a Pakistani cricket fan, I have lot of respect for Inzi as a cricket legend. I am sure, he will still be an asett to the country. I hope, he is going to serve his country by establishing Cricket Academies or basic cricket structure in Multan, as was well done by Greats; Rashid Latif, Moin Khan, Abdul Qadir and many more in their relative home towns. He may be able to transform his great talent to the youngster with more peace of mind. Inzi! Time heals everything, provided you cure the disease.
As far as PCB is concerned, the situation is more complex than ever. PCB needs reforms in all sections, it will be hard to say, from where and how to repair the damages.

They should select cricketers purely on merit basis, rather than on influence from personalities outside the board or the influence from the buddies list of the playing cricketers. In nut shell, this whole picture simulates the overall culture of Pakistani Politics.

Surely, our team is going through the worst nightmere and turmoil. All we need as a nation, is to be patient, behave like a decent, respectful, considerate nation and pay tribute to Great Bob Woolmer

Kamran Sahib, you raise some good points and it's unfortunate that the PCB does not read your blog. The past few days have been crazy. The death of Bob Woolmer still hasn't sunk in yet. In the light of his death and the humiliating defeat to Ireland, I could care less about Inzamam's retirement and yes...his timing was wrong and inconsiderate. Everybody knew Inzamam was going to leave ODIs soon but he probably should have waited a little and not let emotions get the best of him. I feel really sorry for the common man in Pakistan because living amidst poverty, unemployment and hoplessness, supporting his cricket team was something that gave him some degree of happiness. Our cricket team has even taken that bit of joy from him.

I agree, Inzi did the right thing but not at the right time. Everything happened so fast that he must have lost it. He was a misfit in ODIs but is still a great test cricket player. As far as Pakistan Cricket Team goes, it’s the same tale of an unfortunate nation where ethics and accountability is almost nonexistent. I’ll blame the structure most. Pak needs facilities, academies, green top surfaces, domestic cricket, fair selection, and management that know cricket not the president. Ahh, Imran had to do politics, Come on Imran you belong to cricket.

Inzamam was a gifted batsman and nothing else, he was captaining the side by default, thanks to PCB who in their infinite wisdom has been unable to groom a captain to captain the side since the retirement of Imran Khan, but that also doesnt allow Mr. Inzi to do something which he is truly uncapable of. He doesnt have the foggiest of captainship is. Captaining is an art rather than a science. A captain need to be thinking all the time, devising new strategies to outsmart the opponent, consult with his experienced player on the field, and take bold decisions in a timely manner, but all this is a long ask for Mr. LAZY Inzi, if a person is lazy by nature, he will be lazy on the field, both physically and mentally, and records can be seen to prove that. There are number of matches which anyone could have won, but inzi lost it becasue of his laziness and carefree attitude.
I am greatful yet sad because of this blessing in disguise (Woolmer's demise), that Inzi has finally come to senses and calling it QUITS, but is my elation a temporary one, because the main culprit of all this ....PCB can appoint Younis Khan or some other dumbo who doesnt have the clue what Captainship is.
Allah we really need your divine intervention to save some face if we long to remain a cricket playing nation

I would like to ask Does it matter either Inzamam stays or not? As its already been clear that his career ends with the loss to Ireland. He clearly seems to be most unfit(both professionaly and Physically) player in the team. No doubt he put all his efforts but our legends should think wisely about their careers. We have many examples like miandad in 1996 world cup, then waqar younis didn't deserve a place in 2003 worldcup squad if he wouldn't be a captain at that time and now same was the case with inzamam. Players should have courage to step down and announce retirement. Nathan Astle did just before worldcup otherwise he could play worldcup. Our so called selectors should have courage to select players on their current form rather than their past. But everyone knows how couragious our selectors are. Its always better to leave rather than being a burden.