Karachi: The Pakistan Cricket Board has asked the International Cricket Council to clarify its position on tainted former captain Asif Iqbal, back in the limelight since Dr Naseem Ashraf took over as its Chairman.

Well-placed sources in the board said Ashraf had asked ICC Chief Executive Malcolm Speed to clarify if there were any restrictions on Iqbal working as a commentator or in any other official cricket position in view of match-fixing allegations against him.

The ICC has not responded to the query, sources said.

Though neither circumstantial or incriminating evidence has ever been found of Asif's alleged involvement in match-fixing, a number of leading newspapers in England and Australia and some other media outlets mentioned his name in match-fixing stories when the scandal broke out in 2000.

The Justice Qayyum inquiry into match-fixing had also mentioned his name in his final report.

The Abdul Rehman Bukhatir controlled Cricketers Benefit Fund Series in Sharjah and Asif, who was their chief coordinator, also parted ways after questions were raised about the status of some one-day games played in the desert kingdom.

It is no secret that the ICC has listed some former players on an unofficial persona non grata list meaning they can't hold official cricket positions or get involved in broadcasting and sources said Asif was one of them.

"This is why the query has been made to Speed. Ashraf feels the position should be crystal clear as he has a lot of regard for Asif," one source said.