KARACHI: The Pakistani government has not retained Ijaz Butt as chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and has appointed Zaka Ashraf to replace him.

Ashraf, a senior banker, will take over as PCB chairman with immediate effect, replacing Butt who completed his three-year tenure on Oct. 8, Pakistan's Presidency said.

Butt's tenure, which began in 2008, was plagued by controversies including last year's spot-fixing scandal in England which led to bans on players Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamir, and he was also in charge of the PCB when the Sri Lanka team was attacked in Lahore in 2009.

Cricket is a passion in Pakistan with millions of people scrutinising the board's every move and the national team's performances.

Butt returned home on Monday from Dubai after attending the executive board meeting of the International Cricket Council.