The Pakistan Cricket Board have a new chairman as noted banker Zaka Ashraf replaced the outgoing Ijaz Butt on Tuesday.
In a notification issued late in the evening, Ashraf was named new chairman of the board, replacing Butt who completed his three-year tenure on October 8.
Butt had reportedly sought a six-month extension in the high-profile post but Ashraf will instead take over as PCB chairman with immediate effect, state-owned Pakistan Television said.
Ashraf is known as an ardent cricket follower who, as president of the Zarai Taraqyati Bank (ZTBL), regularised jobs of cricketers in his bank.
Ashraf, 59, has never played the game and is a member of the executive committee of the ruling Pakistan People's Party, said his priority was to improve Pakistan cricket's image abroad after a series of high-profile scandals.
"I will work day and night to live up to president Zardari's confidence," Ashraf told a private television channel.
"My top priority will be to improve Pakistan's cricket image and stop bookies and match-fixers."
Ashraf said that he will also try to improve relations with other cricket boards, including great rivals India, with whom sporting and diplomatic ties have stalled after a terrorist attack on Mumbai in 2008.
"People in both Pakistan and India love cricket so I will try to resume ties," said Ashraf."I believe in cricket diplomacy and hope that relations with all the countries improve," added Ashraf, who is the 32nd PCB chairman since its inception in 1948.
A senior board official confirmed that the government had issued a notification with regard to the appointment of the new PCB chairman, but he had not seen it as yet.
"Under the constitution, anyone appointed as Chairman automatically has a three-year term," chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad told PTI.
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