Zaheer Abbas backs Sethi's appointment as 'good omen' for Pak cricket

Former Pakistani captain Zaheer Abbas said that the appointment of Najam Sethi as interim Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief is a 'good omen' for the country's cricket.

Sethi, a senior analyst and former caretaker chief minister of Punjab, was appointed PCB chairman following Islamabad High Court's directions to the government to appoint an interim head after Mohammad Zaka Ashraf was suspended from the post over a legal challenge to his election, the Daily Times reports.

Stating that he believed that Sethi can put cricket back on track in Pakistan, Abbas said that he is happy that at a critical moment in the country's cricket, a sensible man like Sethi had been given the responsibility to look after the affairs of the game, adding that an efficient person was needed to improve the performance of the Pakistan team, which has not been up to the mark for quite some time.

The former skipper, who is also known as the Asian Bradman, further said that although Sethi has been appointed as an interim chief of the PCB, he believed that during Sethi's short stint, he could take measures that could have lasting effects in Pakistan cricket.

Praising Sethi's announcement to not obstruct in selection matters, Abbas, who played 78 Tests and 62 ODIs from 1969 to 1985, said that however, selectors will have to take responsibility for defeats and will also have to be careful while selecting future squads.