With less than nine months to go for the 2019 World Cup, West Indies batting legend Brian Lara has predicted the finalists of the marquee event, scheduled to be held in England from May 30 to July 14.

While Lara feels the hosts England would take on India in the summit clash, he named Pakistan as the biggest dark horse for the tournament.

“England is a very strong team. Though it has not won any major events, at home it should be a difficult proposition. India has been consistently playing well. However, it (playing in England) is different compared to doing well at home. It looks it is too dependent on Rohit (Sharma) and Kohli. You need to have good players from No. 4 to 7 as there is no guarantee of the top-order clicking all the time,” Lara quoted as saying by Sportstar.

The Caribbean batting giant also expressed his disappointment over West Indies’ poor performance in the ongoing India tour.

"They could have done better. We have left a legacy in this format (Test cricket) with all our hard work and skills. Test matches getting over in just three days is not a very good sign for West Indies cricket,” Lara asserted.

He also rued the lack of proper infrastructure back home.

“It is not just about building beautiful stadia. You need to have a structure, have full-fledged academies across the islands to ensure an assembly-line of players. There are many young talented players who need to be groomed in the right manner,” the southpaw pointed out.

Lara believes to be a successful cricketer in this day and age, one needs to have a complete game. 

“The sport has advanced so much that natural ability plays a very small part now in contemporary cricket. Look at Virat (Kohli). See his fitness regimen and the way he takes his game to a different level,” he concluded.