(AFP)
Pakistan's sultan of swing Wasim Akram proposed to the 30-year-old former public relations consultant Shaniera Thompson on bended knee last month and they married on August 12.
The marriage was solemnised in the presence of immediate family and a few close friends in Lahore.
The former paceman announced on Wednesday that he had married his Australian girlfriend, saying he has started a new life on a happy note.
(Twitter: @iamShaniera)
Shaniera visited Pakistan this month to celebrate the festival of Eid Al Fitr and visit Wasim's ailing father. .
When the 47-year-old icon landed in the country, he said that Thompson would have no problem living in conservative Pakistan, the Nation reported.
Akram also revealed that he had sought the blessings of his former wife Huma’s parents. His first wife Huma died in 2009 after multiple organ failure.
(Twitter: @wasimakramlive)
"I married Shaniera in Lahore last week in a simple ceremony and this is the start of a new life for me, my wife and for my kids," Wasim told AFP.
Shaniera, who has started cooking Pakistani dishes, said that she was happy to stay in Pakistan and would love to celebrate Eid Al Fitr in the country with zeal and zest.
(Twitter: @iamShaniera)
Wasim said Thompson had converted to Islam and is learning Urdu.
"She has embraced Islam and is learning our language. She has been close to my sons and they form a very good bond," said Wasim of his two sons from his first marriage.
(Twitter: @iamShaniera)
He said his new wife was eager to settle quickly in Pakistan.
"I sincerely hope the people of Pakistan and our friends and supporters across the globe will give us their blessing and support," he said.
(Twitter: @iamShaniera)
Wasim played 104 Tests and 356 one-day internationals for Pakistan in a career lasting from 1984 to 2003.
He was regarded as one of the best left-arm fast bowlers to have played the game and remains a major celebrity in Pakistan.
(Facebook)
Wasim was player of the tournament in the country's only triumph in the World Cup, in Australia in 1992. He captained Pakistan to a runners-up finish in the 1999 World Cup in England.
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