Islamabad, Feb 15: Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Saturday wished his country's national team best ahead of their opening match of the 2015 ICC World Cup against arch-rivals India at Adelaide.

Tournament Guide

Sharif said the whole nation was praying for the team's success and hoped that the players would do their best in the crucial match, AFP reported him as saying.

"Pakistan's cricket team has brought many laurels to the country in the past, and the nation wants it to keep the national flag fluttering high every time it enters the arena and give its very best in all fields of the game," he said, adding that the players should have strong belief on themselves and compete with "confidence and resilience".

India and Pakistan met for the sixth time in the World Cup with the former winning all the five previous encounters.

Sharif also wished the team the very best for its remaining matches in the tournament as well.

Sharif was the PM of Pakistan when they won the World Cup in 1992

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called up the leaders of the four Saarc nations of Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan and sought cricket diplomacy as a means to boost regional peace.

Sharif was the prime minister when Pakistan had won the World Cup in Australia in 1992.

Oneindia News