10 most heartbreaking moments in World Cup history

There is a lot at stake for all the participating teams at the World Cup with it being the most coveted trophy in the cricketing world. Given the enormity of the occassion, certain teams take their game to the highest level. When their performances gel with a little bit of good luck, they go all the way to the trophy.However, at times, certain teams just don’t have their lady luck smiling on them and in spite of delivering some really good performances, they suffer heartbreaks.Let’s take a look at the most heartbreaking moments in World Cup history:

#10 Bob Woolmer\'s demise

Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach and one of the sharpest cricketing brains in the history of the game, passed away in rather mysterious circumstances during the 2007 World Cup. It was heartbreaking to see the ugly way in which the entire situation after his death was handled. Allegations of foul play and murder conspiracies surrounded the Pakistan team. Ultimately, the police could not find any conclusive evidence and an open verdict was recorded on Woolmer’s death stating that there was insufficient evidence of either a criminal act or natural causes.

Pakistan were drawn in a group that consisted of hosts West Indies and minnows Ireland and Zimbabwe. Though Pakistan lost vs West Indies by 54 runs, they were expected to win against Ireland and Zimbabwe and make it to the next stage. However, Ireland pulled off a major upset when they beat Pakistan by 3 wickets, which led to them crashing out of the tournament after just 2 games. By the time the cricketing world recovered from this shock, news came in that Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room.

An autopsy was conducted on Woolmer’s body which revealed that he may have died of asphyxiation which in layman terms is manual strangulation. The evidence around the scene of his death pointed to foul play and there were murmurs of his death being connected to the Pakistani team’s poor performance at the World Cup. Allegations of match-fixing reared their ugly heads owing to the Ireland result and many Pakistani players including captain Inzamam-ul-Haq came under the scanner.

The police, though, could not find any conclusive evidence that could support their claim for a murder. Though a jury in Jamaica delivered an open verdict regarding Woolmer’s death, two former cricketers, Clive Rice and Ian Chappell went on record stating that Woolmer may have been murdered as he may have found out about some misgivings and was ready to come out with it. The fact that all the wickets in the Pakistani innings against Ireland were caught out led to further suspicion of foul play.