Former player Ijaz Butt appointed PCB chairman by AFP

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Player:

Ijaz Butt

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DateLine: 7th October 2008

 

Former Test wicket-keeper batsman Ijaz Butt has been appointed chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), an official said Tuesday.

 

The 73-year-old takes over from Nasim Ashraf, who resigned on August 18, the same day that Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf stood down to avoid impeachment.

 

"We have been verbally informed about the notification and Mr Butt has been appointed new PCB chairman by President of Pakistan Asif Ali Zardari," PCB chief operating officer Shafqat Naghmi told AFP.

 

Butt, who played eight Tests in the 1950s with modest success, becomes the 27th chairman of the PCB. He is a former secretary of the BCCP (Board of Control for Cricket in Pakistan) in the late 1980s.

 

Butt also served as chairman of the selection committee and was a member of the governing board during Ashraf's tenure.

 

Butt's first task will be to restore Pakistan cricket's image, which has been badly hit by doping controversies and through a lack of discipline.

 

He is also facing a tough task to convince foreign teams to tour Pakistan, which has been a no-go zone for touring sides following a wave of suicide bombings.

(Article: Copyright © 2008 AFP)