He went on to claim that Woolmer could have even invited a fatwah had he gone public with his feelings.

Recalling an incident, Mir said, "A CD was being played which was a Tabliqhy CD and Bob, who was sitting behind me, said 'why don't you tell them to stop? If they want to listen to that they could on their iPods or personal devices', and he thought that he shouldn't be subjected to all that and I agreed with Bob."

Mir said Woolmer had his apprehensions about the players dwindling focus on cricket.

"He wasn't particularly pleased when players were going out to say their prayers in the middle of the game.. and a substitute was coming in and then again... and this continued.

He was totally against it," he said. Mir's observation that Inzamam-ul Haq and his team mates prayed more and played less irked some quarters back home and the media manager had to flee Pakistan after a 'fatwah' was issued against him.

Mir had no doubt that "there would have been a fatwah against him (Woolmer) as well", had the coach made his observations public.

The BBC programme said Inzamam and other key players of the Pakistani squad had become members of the Tabliqhy Jamat and the group listened to prayers and sermons while travelling with the rest of the squad on the team bus.