LAHORE: Naseem Ashraf, chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, has ruled out the possibility of any Pakistani player being involved in Bob Woolmer’s murder.

The former coach had exemplary ties with the squad and was considered a father figure by the players, he said.

Ashraf told DNA that it was hard for him to believe that Woolmer had been killed. He said the team management has informed the Jamaican police that none of the team members visited Woolmer after the match against Ireland.

Ashraf, however, confirmed that Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mushtaq Ahmed, and Shahid Afridi had been extensively interviewed by police for unexplained reasons. But he said no player has been detained.

On Thursday, Ashraf said Woolmer had sent an email to him a few hours before his death. In the message, Woolmer had communicated his decision to retire as coach after the World Cup, and said he intended to retire to Cape Town.

Ashraf said the e-mail was transmitted last Sunday. “I was on a tour of Sindh, so I could not check my mail.”