Sharif expresses gratitude to Zimbabwe president for undertaking cricket tour

Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday expressed his gratitude to Zimbabwe's President, Robert Mugabe, for permitting his nation's cricket team to undertake a safe and successful tour of Pakistan.

In a letter dispatched from the Prime Minister House, Sharif described the recent cricket tour as a "resounding success".

He expressed delight over the reception Pakistani fans gave to the Zimbabwean cricketers.

The Dawn quoted Sharif, as saying in his letter, "The government and people of Pakistan are grateful to you for your leadership, vision and solidarity with Pakistan and Pakistani cricket for helping make this entertaining cricket contest a reality."

He also recognised that this tour had ended a six-year-long drought of international cricket in Pakistan and also gave the opportunity to many players to play on their home soil for the very first time.

The Zimbabwe Cricket Team toured Pakistan despite security concerns expressed by the ICC and the international cricket community.