CRICKET:The Ireland cricket team have supplied statements, fingerprints and DNA samples as part of the police investigation into the murder of the Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.
These were all carried out at the team hotel in Grenada after they played their final World Cup match, against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
"The Ireland management and players have co-operated fully with the police, and are happy to assist them in any way we can during the course of their investigation," said a statement from the Ireland team. "These tests were carried out with a view to eliminating the Ireland squad from their enquiries."
Woolmer was found unconscious in his Pegasus Hotel room in Kingston on March 18th, the morning after Pakistan had been eliminated from the tournament following a shock defeat to Ireland. Jamaican police believe the 58-year-old was strangled.
"We would like to stress that on the evening of the Woolmer murder, no member of the Irish squad was actually in the hotel," the Ireland statement added. "They were attending a St Patrick's Day party in Ocho Rios, some 50 miles away."
Meanwhile, Duncan Fletcher will step down as England coach after tomorrow's final World Cup Super Eights game with West Indies.
He is widely expected to be replaced on a temporary basis by England academy director Peter Moores, although the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) declined to confirm this in a news conference. A spokesman said a replacement would be named within 48 hours.
West Indies ended their four-match losing streak at the World Cup with a comfortable 99-run win over Bangladesh last night.
The hosts scored a modest 230 runs from their 50 overs, but recorded their first victory in the second round of the tournament after bowling out Bangladesh for just 131.
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Bangladesh Won Toss
West Indies Innings
C Gayle lbw b Rasel 1
D Smith b Mortaza 5
S Chanderpaul b Aftab 50
M Samuels c Rahim b Saqibul 31
R Sarwan not out 91
B Lara c Omar b Razzak 33
D Bravo not out 9
Extras (lb3 w7)10
... -----
Total (5 wkts, 50 overs) ... 230
Fall of wickets: 1-8, 2-8, 3-55, 4-136, 5-196.
Did not bat: D Ramdin, D Powell, J Taylor, C Collymore.
Bowling: Mortaza 10-2-39-1, Rasel 10-2-48-1, Razzak 10-0-44-1, Rafique 10-0-46-0, Saqibul 8-0-38-1, Aftab 2-0-12-1.
Umpires: B Bowden and R Koertzen.
Bangladesh Innings
J Omar c Gayle b D B Powell16
Iqbal run out7
A Ahmed c Ramdin b Collymore6
S Hasan c Ramdin b Collymore0
M Ashraful c Samuels b D B Powell2
H Bashar c Bravo b D B Powell12
M Rahim not out38
M Mortaza b Bravo37
Mohammad Rafique lbw b Gayle0
Abdur Razzak c Lara b Bravo1
Rasel b Gayle2
Extras (lb1 w7 nb2)10
... -----
Total (43.5 overs) ... 131
Fall of wickets: 1-13, 2-21, 3-23, 4-34, 5-35, 6-52, 7-110, 8-111, 9-114.
Bowling: Collymore 7-1-11-2, D Powell 10-0-38-3, Taylor 8-0-25-0, Bravo 10-3-28-2, Gayle 8.5-0-28-2.
West Indies won by 99 runs.
West Indies v Bangladesh (in Barbados)
