Former Indian skipper Sachin Tendulkar has picked his semifinalists for the forthcoming ICC World Cup 2019, to be held in England and Wales from May 30. The 12th edition of the tournament is expected to be a closely-fought competition and Tendulkar has backed hosts England, India and Australia as three of the four semifinalists.

Further, he also backed one of Pakistan or New Zealand to edge past the other oppositions and reaches the last four. In an exclusive interview with media, Tendulkar, the former Indian cricketer and a legend of the game, stated the following when asked about the semifinalists.

"India, England, Australia should be in the semis. The fourth could be one of New Zealand or Pakistan," added the 46-year-old.  Going by Tendulkar's picks, hosts England and India have maximum chances of reaching the top four given their splendid run in the 50-over format in the past few years.

Since 2017 Champions Trophy, Virat Kohli-led India has lost only 2 bilateral series -- one at home versus Australia (in March) and the other versus England in mid-2018. On the other hand, Eoin Morgan-led England will enter the World Cup on the back of 11 consecutive bilateral series triumphs.

While Tendulkar remained not fully sure of the fourth semifinalist, there are as many as 5 contenders for the slot. New Zealand, -- the runners-up in 2015 edition --- Pakistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, and West Indies have enough firepower to take the remaining slot.

The upcoming World Cup will commence from May 30 wherein England play host to South Africa at Kennington Oval, London.

read: Honda Motors recalling its new sports vehicle for this reason