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LAHORE - Bob Woolmer has left his undeniable print on Pakistan cricket and will never be forgotten by the players, Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said at a memorial service today.
"No one can ever really understand the void in the team he has left. He was a top-class coach and an even better human being," Inzamam told the congregation.
Candle lights burnt and floral wreaths were placed by a large portrait of Woolmer, smiling and wearing the Pakistan team T-shirt.
Some 200 people, including Governor of Punjab Khalid Maqbool, attended the service at the Sacred Heart Cathedral which was led by Archbishop of Lahore Lawrence Saldanha.
One of the wreaths was laid by the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board on behalf of the country's president Pervez Musharraf.
Woolmer, 58, was found unconscious in his hotel room two weeks ago, a day after Pakistan were eliminated from the World Cup after a shock defeat by Ireland.
Woolmer, Pakistan's coach since 2004, died later in hospital and police in Jamaica are treating his death as murder.
Archbishop Saldanha said his sudden and tragic death had plunged the entire nation into sadness and sorrow. "Our heartfelt condolences and the sympathies of every Pakistani went out to Woolmer's mourning wife and his relatives," he added.
The PCB has announced that the main hall of the national cricket academy in Lahore has been named after Woolmer who preferred to live and work from one room in the academy throughout his tenure in Pakistan although he was entitled to five-star accommodation.
A memorial service will also be held on Thursday in Cape Town where Woolmer lived for over 20 years.
- REUTERS
