Predicting the semi-finalists of 2019 World Cup

England are dominating Australia, India have embarked for the tour to the United Kingdom, Pakistan are doing what they can do best, West Indies are slowly starting to get their belief back, it is all perfectly set up for the World Cup next year.

The different teams are all trying to figure out their best combinations, various players are being tried out, the established one are trying to nail down their spots, it is all building up nicely for the mega event in 2019.

However, there are still teams who look fairly well-settled and by all means, will start as favourites and here in this slider, we stick out our necks and try to predict the four teams which will make it to the semi-finals.

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#4 Pakistan

They blow hot and then they blow cold, but if Pakistan want, they can be world beaters.

It was in England back in 2017 that after slipping initially, they resurrected their campaign and in an almost heroic heist not only slammed away oppositions but smashed India to win the Champions Trophy.

They have the bowling to drool at and have a few mouth-watering prospects with the bat too, but Pakistan have to work on their temperament and if they manage to calm themselves down and look not too far ahead, they might well be a tricky opponent next year.

With fitness being a norm, their fielding has improved immensely and this bodes well for Sarfraz Ahmed's team. The captain himself is inspirational and looks to extract the best out of all his players and once again the onus will be with him to get the job done.

They face India, and they should believe that they can get one past their arch-rivals this time and get on the board as far as their world cup head-to-head is concerned.

#3 Australia

Yes, Australia, the very team which was pasted by England recently have a great chance of making it to the top four, primarily because they will have the players back in the squad who are world beaters.

Steve Smith and David Warner should walk into the team after serving their respective bans, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood should take charge with the ball and suddenly the team assumes a solid look.

However, who leads the team will be debated upon and this is where Australia need to fix things soon.

#2 India

2013 and 2017, India have done brilliantly in the Champions Trophy, both of which were held in England and there is no reason why Virat Kohli and crew should not extend their dominance in 2019.

The side is fairly settled – they will get more insight after the England tour gets over, and the roles are clearly defined.

Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and skipper Kohli can win matches all on their own. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah are superb with the ball and then they have the wrist spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Yadav.

The team has all the bases covered, and should definitely make it to the top four, if not go all the way.

#1 England

Arguably, the most explosive ODI side at the moment, England are definitely the overwhelming favourites leading into the tournament.

If their current mauling handed out to Australia is anything to go by, England at home might well be the most exciting team to watch out for.

Their batting is dynamic and their bowling gets the job done, the fielding is secure and they know how to win matches, which puts them in just the right space ahead of the tournament.

However, they do falter at key moments and if they guard against complacency, they might well play the finals and Eoin Morgan could well the trophy for the first time for England.