Join 24/7 Cricket News For More Updates
ESPNcricinfo staff
October 11, 2011
Zaka Ashraf, a top banker and businessman, is understood to have been picked as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board succeeding Ijaz Butt, though a formal announcement to that effect is awaited. Ashraf is president of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited and a close confidant of Pakistan president Asif Ali Zardari, who as Patron of the board will make the formal appointment.
The news has not been officially confirmed by the PCB and, in fact, senior officials said no decision had been taken, Butt, who is on an extension of the mandate, even told reporters that he was not familiar with the notification and would be in his office on Wednesday morning. But the name of Ashraf was all Pakistani media including significantly, the government-run channel PTV.
Ashraf himself has appeared on private television channels and spoke at length about his plans for PCBs. His priority, he said, was to improve the image of Pakistan cricket abroad after a series of high-profile scandals. "I will work day and night to meet President Zardari confidence. My first priority will be to improve the image of Pakistan cricket and stop the bookies and match fixers. "
He also said he would try to improve relations with other cricket boards - including India, with whom sports and diplomatic relations have stalled after a terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008. "People in Pakistan and India loves cricket, so I'll try to resume ties," he was quoted as saying.
Ashraf three-year term as president of ZTBL ending September 3, 2011, and are not expected to continue in office once he takes office as president of the PCB. ZTBL is one of the best public sector banks and Pakistan is also represented by a team in one of the trophies of Quaid-e-Azam, the first division of the internal competition of the product. The team has several players who have played for Pakistan, Saeed Ajmal including Yasir Hameed, Imran Nazir and Zulqarnain Haider.
In addition to being president of ZTBL, Ashraf is co-chairman of the Pakistan Sugar Mills Association, Punjab zone. He would have studied with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari at the University and remained in the same household.
Butt, whose three-year term ending October 8 had attended the meeting of CIC Executive Council of Dubai on October 10 with an extension of the mandate in question. His term was marred by controversy, including the armed attack on Sri Lanka team in Lahore, Pakistan, which led to deny the opportunity to co-host the 2011 World Cup, the creation of the scandal (and the problems with the ECB in its path when Butt has made controversial allegations against the England team), Zulqarnain Haider fled to half the UK through a journey after receiving threats from bookmakers and more recently, a highly publicized confrontation with Shahid Afridi.
Bookmark and Share This Post :
0 comments:
Post a Comment