Pakistan President General Pervez Musharraf thanked Bangladesh for touring Pakistan and bringing international cricket back to his country. He also wished that they would soon win a Test match.

The Pakistan president said this while speaking as chief guest during a reception hosted by Pakistan Cricket Board in honour of the Bangladesh team at a hotel in Islamabad on Tuesday evening.

"I wish Bangladesh keeps progressing and in this region if Sri Lanka can create history Bangladesh can also do that," he said.

"With this tour, the bonds of friendship between Pakistan and Bangladesh will further strengthen and I thank Bangladesh team for coming to Pakistan to bring international cricket back to this country," he said.

"I closely watched their (Bangladesh) performance on television and I am amazed at their improved performance in the Test series.

"And they came very close to winning the Multan Test. But it was Inzamamul Haq who came between Bangladesh and their victory," said the chief patron of Pakistan Cricket Board.

He advised Bangladesh not to get disappointed because the lesson they learned from his series was confidence.

He also said that South Asia was very rich in cricket and every team except Bangladesh from this region have won the World Cup. He also wished that they would one day also win the coveted prize.

The Pakistan president also offered Bangladesh to send their age-group teams to Pakistan Cricket Academy.

"All facilities in Pakistan are open to Bangladesh and they can utilise those resources," said Musharraf.

PCB chairman General Tauqir Zia and Bangladesh Ambassador Shamim Ahmed were also present in the reception and spoke.

Later, Musharraf presented medals to the players of both teams. Besides he awarded gold medals to Habibul Bashar, Rajin Saleh, Mohammad Rafique and Alok Kapali for their outstanding performances in the Test series.

Bashar received a medal for scoring the highest number of runs (379) in the series. Saleh earned recognition for his consistency. Rafique for being the highest wicket-taker while Kapali was rewarded for his historic hattrick in the second Test in Peshawar.

Both teams were also given five lakh rupees each.