Saleem Altaf appointed PCB director of cricket

Saleem Altaf, the former Pakistan medium-pacer, has been appointed as director of cricket by the Pakistan Cricket Board. He will represent Pakistan at all International Cricket Council and Asian Cricket Council meetings.

Altaf's appointment fills a gap left vacant after Rameez Raja's resignation as chief executive of the PCB in August last year. Altaf will head a committee of five, comprising Imtiaz Ahmed, the former Test wicketkeeper, Naseem Ashraf, Mueen Afzal and Ali Reza. Meanwhile Abbas Zaidi has been named director of board operations, in charge of all non-cricket matters including administration, finance, marketing and media.

"The appointments have been approved by the chief patron of the board after consultations with the chairman of the board Shaharyar Khan," Zaidi was quoted as saying by Reuters.

Altaf, who is 60 years old, played 21 Tests for Pakistan between 1967 and 1978, and picked up 46 wickets. He also scored one half-century.