Woolmer was ECB's first-choice to replace Fletcher ?

London, Apr 22 (UNI) It's been more than a month since Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer died, but a high-ranking English Cricket Board (ECB) official had reportedly contacted the 'laptop-man' as Duncan Fletcher's first choice replacement at the end of the World Cup.

According to a report in 'Daily Mail', in the week before Woolmer's death on March 18 at Jamaica's Pegasus Hotel, the 58-year-old Englishman had revealed to a confidant that chairman of ECB's International Teams Management Group Dennis Amiss along with a member of the management committee had contacted him to find out if he was interested in the high-profile job, should Fletcher chose to quit after a stint of eight years with the team.

On condition of anonymity, the confidant quoted Woolmer as saying, ''I was asked if I was interested in the job. I was told there was a lot of money in the pot, more than double my salary with Pakistan. I wasn't actually offered anything, but I was sounded out.'' ''I wouldn't have done it just for the money. I indicated that I didn't wish to carry on as an international coach, but that I would favour a consultancy role. Although I have confidence in my ability to coach, I'd rather be involved on just a consultancy basis,'' he added.

However, ECB chairman David Morgan had denied the claim, saying no one had been approached officially prior to Fletcher's announcement to give up coaching the English side following a dismal showing at ongoing World Cup.

Morgan's statement was further supported by Amiss, one of the most influential voices within the ECB. Amiss had a close working relationship with Woolmer when he was the chief executive during the late coach's tenure stint with Warwickshire in the 1990s. UNI