Bob Woolmer

A hard and high-pressure job has taken its toll again.

Over the last couple of weeks one has encountered more than the regular share of bad news.

First it was Denis Meyer, the ever-green personality of Singapore cricket. Then it was Venkat, a well-known gentleman from SIFAS, SDBBS, Hindu Centre and DB. And now this. All sudden heart attacks.

I remember reading about Bob Woolmer in his tour to India with MCC in 1977. Apparently he used to say, "I like bowling or batting; I can't be standing idle doing fielding!" But then wasn't he the man who re-defined fielding during his coaching stint with Warwickshire and South Africa? To paraphrase Mahatma Gandhi, Woolmer was the change that he wanted to see in the world.

Somewhere in all this, I think that there is a lesson for all of us. May be a silent minute today would help us understand that...