lahore - Former Information Minister Pervaiz Rashid is among top contenders for Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman slot after Shaharyar Khan forwarded his resignation to the Prime Minister.

According to reliable sources, Nawaz Sharif wants to appoint senior PMLN leader Pervaiz Rashid as PCB chairman after he was made to quit information ministry over allegedly leaking information to a newspaper. The PM’s political secretary Asif Kirmani has also been lobbying for Pervaiz Rashid’s appointment in the cricket board.

The sources also revealed that another close aide of the prime minster Talat Mehmood is another contender for PCB chairman spot. “These days, Talat has been serving as president of Zarai Taraqiate Bank Limited (ZTBL) but he is keen to take over the PCB as chairman.” It is worth mentioning here that Zaka Ashraf, who was also ZTBL president, remained the PCB chief in PPP tenure.

Earlier, Najam Sethi was being considered as the only favourite contender to take over the cricket board as its chairman, but later with the revelation of new names, he will now face a very tough time to fulfill his dream of becoming PCB chairman once again. “After the successful conduct of two editions of the PSL, Sethi is eager to become PCB chairman but the situation of the country will prove very crucial in appointing the new PCB chairman,” the sources said.

Meanwhile, current PCB chief Shaharyar Khan has said that he didn’t know whether his resignation is accepted by the PM or not, as he didn’t get any message in this regard. “My tenure is going to end in August, and I don’t want to work in PCB in any role. I have fulfilled my responsibility by sending resignation to PM and now waiting for acceptance of my resignation.”

Replying to a query regarding taking legal action against the BCCI, Shahayar said the PCB wanted to have good relations with the BCCI but it had been forced to go for legal action. "We have suffered major losses because of India's refusal to play the bilateral series as per the MoU and we can't allow this to continue. If India confirms it is willing to resume bilateral cricket, it would be a positive development for cricket in the region," he added.