Court reinstates Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman after suspending 'illegal' management committee

The Islamabad High Court has reportedly reinstated Mohammad Zaka Ashraf as the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after suspending a management committee appointed by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Sharif had sacked Ashraf on February 10 this year and appointed a committee chaired by Najam Sethi to oversee cricketing matters.

However, The Dawn reports that the court's order meant that all decisions taken by Sethi are now null and void, including the appointments of head coach Waqar Younis and Zimbabwean batting coach Grant Flower.

The court issued a statement saying that the 'notification' of February 10 has been struck down as null and void as it was 'illegal', and as 'natural consequences', Ashraf and other board staff who were superseded by the order are reinstated.

Hailing the court's decision, Ashraf, who has been reinstated for the third time since May last year, said that the decision is a win for Pakistan cricket, adding that he would try to correct the 'wrongs' and do whatever is good for Pakistan cricket.

Meanwhile, Sethi said that he is awaiting the court's orders and is leaving all decisions to the government to appeal wherever they want, adding that the instability in the PCB is not good for cricket.

Pakistan's Ministry of Inter Provincial Coordination, which oversees sporting matters in the country, is likely to challenge the decision next week, the report added.