Former South African skipper AB de Villiers has picked his favorite contenders for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 on Friday (15 March) and these are - England, India, Australia, and Pakistan.

However, De Villiers has not denied South Africa’s chances in the showpiece event, as the Proteas side have a lot of match-winners in their ranks, so they could make a strong impact in the 2019 World Cup, but the batting legend doesn’t think they will emerge as champions in England.

De Villiers told Sport24 on Friday, “I do believe South Africa have a chance, like we did at any other World Cup, because we are a world-class team with plenty of match-winners. The Proteas are certainly in the running, but I won’t say they are the favorites, to be honest with you.”

The 35-year-old Pretoria-born further added, “India and England are looking strong, Australia have won five World Cups in the past and Pakistan claimed the Champions Trophy in the UK two years ago. Those four teams are probably the favorites.”

De Villiers, who played in three World Cups- 2007, 2011 and 2015 for South Africa, said that the 50-over prestigious tournament is a tough contest, and added that the event poses a lot of challenges.

He signed off by saying, “The World Cup is a tough tournament. I have played in three of them and it’s never easy. You always feel like you’ve got a good squad, but once the tournament starts you very quickly understand that there are a lot of teams that are there to win it and have the ability to do so.”

(With Sport24 Inputs)