Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf has welcomed the England and Wales Cricket Board chairman Giles Clarke remarks on spot-fixing. In a television interview, Zaka Ashraf said that Pakistan needed cordial ties with all cricketing bodies. “I sincerely appreciate Giles Clarke for his constructive remarks, and look forward to capitalising on the hint of cooperation given by the ECB chief.”
Earlier in an interview, Clarke praised the PCB for the rebuilding work after the recent spot-fixing episode. He also described the initial measures taken by the new PCB chairman, Zaka Ashraf, as “impressive”. “World cricket is a group of colleagues and friends; we compete, but the decline or damage of one of us damages us all,” Clarke had said. Zaka Ashraf, the ex-president of the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), said that he would call on his English counterpart on the first available opportunity.
“I will be meeting with the officials of the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board in UAE later this month, and as soon as the opportunity comes by I will surely meet with the ECB chairman who has been kind in his efforts to bring international cricket back to Pakistan”, added Ashraf who has replaced Ijaz Butt as the new PCB chief last month. The PCB chairman reiterated that the return of international cricket to Pakistan is the foremost priority and, for this very purpose, he had already written letters to all the Test playing countries.
