CRICKET:The ICC insist the World Cup will continue as scheduled, despite calls for the tournament to be abandoned in the wake of Bob Woolmer's murder.
Woolmer (58), was found unconscious by staff at the Pegasus Hotel in Kingston on Sunday morning, the day after Pakistan's shock defeat to Ireland, and taken to hospital where he later died.
Police have since revealed they are treating the former England player's death as murder.
However, ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed has vowed the World Cup will continue, despite these latest developments.
"There has been speculation that, because of this, the Cricket World Cup will be discontinued," Speed said.
"That will not be the case. The matches have continued since Sunday.
"It's an opportunity for the game, it's a challenge for the game to face up to this, to be resolute, to be strong, to finish the World Cup in good spirit.
"Perhaps it will be a measure of the game as to how well we can complete this World Cup in view of this shock."
South Africa great Allan Donald, who played under Woolmer when he was coach of the Proteas, is among those leading the calls for the tournament to be halted.
He said: "I just don't know how this World Cup can continue under the shadow of what's happened."
However, he accepted former England batsman Woolmer may have thought otherwise.
"My personal opinion would have been to stop, yes, but, knowing Bob, he would've wanted this to go ahead," Donald added on BBC Radio Five Live.
"I think [International Cricket Council chief executive] Malcolm Speed had said everyone should stay strong in this moment of darkness.
"I think everyone will continue this World Cup but, at the back of their minds, know that a tragedy took place and World Cup 2007 will be forever remembered for this."
Donald, who was good friends with Woolmer and his family and learned of the 58-year-old's death through Woolmer's widow, Gill, said he felt "pretty sick" at the news Woolmer had been murdered.
"I just can't believe that people can go to these lengths about a game of cricket," he said.
Police have revealed there was no sign of forced entry to Woolmer's hotel room, leading them to believe the victim may well have known his killer or killers.
Donald said: "I just hope the individuals or individuals are brought to justice because Bob was a great man and would never go to the lengths to put his life in danger."
It has been reported Woolmer was working on his autobiography at the time of his murder and that some pages were missing.
This has led to speculation Woolmer may have been preparing to blow the whistle on match-fixing allegations that may date back to his time in charge of South Africa.
Woolmer was coach during the period former captain Hansie Cronje, who died in a plane crash in 2002, accepted money from bookmakers to fix the results of one-day internationals.
Donald said: "I put that to the back of my mind. It might well have been.
"It's very dark. There's an underground business and the bookmakers are ruining the game.
"It seems to me that will never stop because bookmakers have such easy access to players.
"If that was the case, because he [Woolmer] knew too much and was about the blow the whistle on some bookmakers, then this thing will be even more sad."
Speed admitted cricket does have a problem with corruption, but insisted it was too early to decide if that was related to Woolmer's death.
"We don't know whether this is corruption related at this stage, we can't jump to conclusions,'' Speed added.
Former Pakistan captain Mushtaq Mohammed, who knew Woolmer for almost 30 years, refuses to believe the coach had any part in match-fixing and cannot understand why anybody would want to see him dead.
"I don't think Bob was that kind of a character who was involved in any kind of match-fixing," he said on Sky News.
"He lived for cricket and I can't really make myself think that Bob would ever be a part of match-fixing.
"He never spoke any ill about anybody. He was a friend of everybody, he was a very likeable chap."