Mar 28, 2007, 22:54 GMT
Islamabad - Pakistani cricketers returned home from the West Indies to a stormy reception Wednesday following the murder of coach Bob Woolmer and a humiliating World Cup defeat.
One group of players that flew to the southern port city of Karachi was angrily heckled by a crowd of about 100 people as they emerged and later requested police escorts for their safety, Pakistan's Geo television reported.
Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq and other members of the squad arrived separately in the eastern city of Lahore but were whisked out of the airport before fans could vent their anger.
The Pakistani players arrived via Dubai and London, where they waited for two days before continuing the journey from Jamaica.
The cricket world and Pakistan was shaken when police on the island announced that Woolmer had been strangled in his hotel room in Kingston hours after the team was knocked out by the Irish on March 17.
Speculation has swirled that the 58-year-old coach was about to blow the whistle on match-fixing intrigues after a period of turbulence at the head of the team.
Players and managers came home days later than scheduled after members were required to undergo fingerprinting, DNA swabs and questioning by police on Jamaica.
Pakistani officials have stressed that the team members and management are not under particular suspicion as the inquiry continues.
According to resigned Pakistani Cricket Board Chairman Ashraf, who temporarily remains at his post, Woolmer told him in an email after the defeat by the Irish that he would retire to his adopted home in South Africa.
He had been 'stung by personal attacks on him,' Ashraf said.
The Briton became the Pakistani coach in 2004 after a distinguished cricketing career in which he played 19 test matches and six one-day internationals for England.
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