Pakistan cricket chief Ashraf resigns over lack of power

Pakistan cricket chief Zaka Ashraf resigned on Friday citing lack of powers to administer the board, meaning a fourth change will come into force in 13 months.

A ten-man management committee took over the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after former captain Ramiz Raja was sacked as chairman in December 2022.

In June last year, Ashraf was appointed as committee's head, replacing Najam Sethi, and was given the task of organising an election for the PCB chairman before February 4 this year.

Ashraf left the post after a management committee meeting in Lahore on Friday.

"We can't work with our hands tied, so I am resigning from the post," Ashraf told local media. "I wanted to do work for the betterment of cricket in Pakistan."

Local media reported that Ashraf was allowed to manage only day-to-day affairs by the Inter-Provincial Coordination Committee -- which looks after the affairs of sports in Pakistan.

Both Ashraf and Sethi had previously both resigned as PCB chairman over political backing.

Pakistan cricket has a history of the Board's top official being appointed by the ruling party as the incumbent prime minister is the patron of the PCB.

The PCB's separate 10-member board of governors contains two members nominated by the prime minister and from them a chairman is elected for a term of three years.

The caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will now decide who takes over as the chairman of the committee. Until then an interim head will be in charge.

The Ashraf-led committee came under severe criticism after the national team fared badly in the Asia Cup and World Cup last year.

Pakistan were also swept 3-0 in the Test series in Australia earlier this month and currently trail 0-4 in a five-match Twenty20 international series in New Zealand.