'New Woolmer material' is studied

A police commissioner said a statement on the issue would be made "shortly".

He did not comment on recent reports that the coach may have died of natural causes rather than being murdered, as was earlier claimed.

Mr Woolmer died soon after being found unconscious in his hotel room in Jamaica, following Pakistan's humiliating exit from the World Cup.

An initial autopsy report proved inconclusive.

Days later, Jamaican Police Commissioner Lucius Thomas said the former England player had died as a result of "manual strangulation".

"In these circumstances, the matter of Mr Woolmer's death is now being treated as murder," he told a news conference at the time.

'Ill-health'

Speaking on Thursday, Police Commissioner Thomas said new evidence had now emerged in the Woolmer case.

"We are in receipt of some material. We are studying it and we will make a statement shortly to address the whole issue of Bob Woolmer," Mr Thomas said.

He did not comment on reports over the weekend that a pathologist attached to Scotland Yard had concluded Woolmer died of natural causes.

"I am not yet in receipt of all the reports from Scotland Yard, so I cannot comment on certain things at this time," Mr Thomas said.

The London-based Daily Mail newspaper quoted investigators as saying that Mr Woolmer had died of heart failure, brought on by chronic ill-health and possibly diabetes.

PJ Mir, who was the Pakistan team's media manager during the World Cup, said the Jamaican police would have to issue a public apology to the players "for creating mistrust and distrust about the cricketing fraternity", if the reports were confirmed.

Mr Mir says he was the third person from the Pakistan team to see Mr Woolmer's body on the floor of his hotel room.

He has always maintained that the 58-year-old died of natural causes and said he would be recommending that the Pakistan Cricket Board take legal action over the matter.

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