LAHORE:Pakistan's interim cricket chief, Najam Sethi, said on Monday he would ask the sport's governing body to reduce a five-year ban against promising fast bowler Mohammad Amir for spot fixing.

Amir, regarded as hot property in international cricket for his pace and guile, was banned with team-mates Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif in February 2011 by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The trio were exposed in a sting operation by now defunct British tabloid News of the World, which saw them promising to bowl deliberate no-balls in return for money in the 2010 Lord's Test against England.

All three and their agent Mazhar Majeed were also jailed in 2011.

Sethi, appointed interim chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday, said he would ask the ICC to reduce Amir's ban at its annual meeting in London starting on Tuesday.

“Amir is our talented cricketer and I will request the ICC that (as) he has spent two and a half years of his ban, was also jailed, so for God's sake reduce his ban,” Sethi told a press conference.

Under the ICC players code of conduct the minimum punishment for such a violation is five years.

Sethi, a 65-year-old journalist who was also interim chief minister of Punjab during a recent general election campaign, replaced Zaka Ashraf after he was suspended on charges of being dubiously elected.

Among Sethi's top priorities: representing Pakistan at the ICC meeting; approving the team for next month's one-day and Twenty20 series against the West Indies; and conducting fair and transparent elections in the PCB.

Sethi refused to take the blame for Pakistan's poor performance in the recent Champions Trophy where Misbah ul Haq's team lost all three group matches, could not score beyond 170 runs in the three games and senior batsmen like Shoaib Malik, Imran Farhat and Kamran Akmal failed miserably.

"I didn't make (choose) the team for Champions Trophy," Sethi said.

He added he will not be interfering in the workings of the national selection committee, but also said there would be accountability for decisions made.

"They (selectors) have to take the responsibility when the team wins or loses,'' he said.

"Similarly the captain, vice-captain, coach and manager will be held accountable."

Sethi said he received numerous telephone calls on Monday from people wanting to get certain players on the team for the tour of the West Indies.

"But I didn't pay attention to anyone because I want the selectors to do their job and hopefully they will finalize the squad in four-five days," he said.

Sethi said he will try to streamline the affairs of the PCB by taking all the stakeholders on board and conduct transparent elections for the new PCB chairman.

"That's my job," he said.

"I have no plans to play a long innings, my program (on private television channel) is scheduled to restart from next month.

He said his aim is "that a new administration comes and runs the affairs of the cricket board in a transparent manner."

Sethi said events such as Saturday's killing of 10 foreign climbers in the north made it difficult to bring international cricket back to Pakistan, a task he said would be for a permanent chairman.

International cricket has been suspended in Pakistan since militants attacked the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in March 2009, forcing the national team to play their home matches on neutral venues.

Sethi said the squad for the upcoming tour of the West Indies would be announced later this week. Pakistan will play five one-day and two Twenty20 internationals in the Caribbean next month.