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Saturday, March 24 LONDON -- The death of Pakistan's coach at the cricket World Cup is focusing attention on how far the sport has strayed from its sedate, gentlemanly image of village greens and tea breaks.
Modern-day professional cricket is plagued by doping scandals, misbehavior by players, match fixing, ball tampering, cheating and riots. And police in Jamaica are trying to determine whether the death of Bob Woolmer is connected to the sleazy side of the sport.
Jamaican authorities say Woolmer was strangled in his hotel room last Sunday, less than 24 hours after his team was ousted from the World Cup with a humiliating loss to lightly regarded Ireland.
During the past 15 years, cricket has become a target for gamblers and bookmakers, especially in Asia. Big-money bets...