Karachi, Aug 19 : Following the resignation of Nasim Ashraf as PCB chief, former Pakistan Test stars have urged upon the federal government to appoint "a knowledgeable and sincere individual from the national cricket fraternity" as the new Board chairman.

There is a likelihood that the ruling coalition might opt for a political appointment but former Pakistan cricketers want a professional to run national cricket.

Legendary veteran batsman Zaheer Abbas said that a former cricketer should be appointed as the new Board chief. "It would be great if a former cricketer is appointed as the PCB chairman. I believe that somebody who has played cricket at the highest level can run the sport better than anybody else," The News quoted him as saying.

Zaheer further said that sometimes players had to be dealt with an iron hand. "I'm telling you with personal experience that you need a person with ample experience to maintain discipline among the players," he said.

Former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad launched a more stinging attack on Ashraf, calling him "the biggest reason behind the decline of Pakistan cricket". "Ashraf was incapable of running cricket properly," said Miandad, one of Ashraf's biggest critics. "His resignation should have come much earlier," he added.

Javed said the government should hold Ashraf accountable for the falling standards of Pakistan cricket. "He should be made answerable for all of his failures during the last two years." Javed said that Ashraf should be succeeded by somebody with the proper knowledge of cricket.

ANI