Zaka Ashraf officially assumed charge as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) new interim management committee on Thursday.

The board announced the development in a press release and also shared a video of a smiling Zaka arriving at the building.

Kalimullah Khan, Ashfaq Akhtar, Muhammad Mussadiq Islam, Azmat Pervez, Zaheer Abbas, Khurram Karim Somroo, Khawaja Nadeem, Mustafa Ramday and Zulfiqar Malik are also included in the 10-member committee.

The new committee comes after Zaka’s election as PCB chairman on June 28 could not be held due to litigation despite the 70-year-old having the backing of the federal government to become the country’s new cricket chief.

Sources have told Dawn that the government will vigorously contest all cases filed against the elections of the PCB.

Zaka was set to take over the hot seat after his nomination, alongside that of Mustafa Ramday, to the Board of Governors of the PCB by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the board’s Patron-in-Chief, only for the elections to be stayed by high courts in Balochistan and Lahore.

Enjoying the full backing of federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coord­ination Ehsanur Rehman Mazari, Zaka’s name was put forth by the PPP, which is part of the coalition government with the PML-N.