Cape Town: It cannot get better than this. The Asian artistry of Pakistan versus never-say-die New Zealand in a semi-final clash in the ICC World Twenty20 on a weekend. A Newlands wicket which is not exactly a belter makes things even more exciting, as it will truly test the skills of both the teams.

If Pakistan is high on talent, New Zealand has the grit. New Zealand is superior in the field, and to balance things out, the Pakistan bowling machine is going from strength to strength.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand skipper, is not just a wily left-arm spinner. He is also an astute student of the game. Immediately after ordering a nice box of chocolates for Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh, Vettori would have sat down with his laptop, analysing minutely his mercurial semi-final opponents.

The Pakistanis, on the other hand, like to rely on their instincts and that works best for them. Skipper Shoaib Malik said as much, "The wicket here at the Newlands is not your usual T20 belter and New Zealand is a tough opponent. But at the same time, we need to trust our abilities and go all out."

When asked what would be his message to his boys, and Malik said, "I don't believe in complicating things nor am I a believer in delivering long speeches. All I want is that we concentrate on the task at hand, don't think about the final already and play to win. If we back our abilities, we can overcome the conditions and the opponents. We don't have to worry too much about the opposition."

For Vettori, or any captain leading against Pakistan, it is always a step into the unknown, no matter how often you play the Pakistanis. They can be sizzling hot one day, and damp the next day. You never know what to expect, and that can be a huge worry.

"Indeed, Pakistan is high on talent," said Vettori, "They also have a couple of young players who are unknown quantity. It should be an interesting challenge to play them as you never know what's coming at you."

While New Zealand's batting with the likes of Lou Vincent, Craig McMillan and Ross Taylor can hurt anyone, Pakistan will have to be very careful against spinners Vettori and Jeetan Patel.

Of course, Shane Bond with the new ball can be devastating on his day, but the way Vettori bowled against India was simply master class. "Obviously after all these years I have an idea about what to do at different stages of the game and how the team is going overall," said Vettori about his bowling form, "The slow bowlers will definitely have a role to play here."

Pakistan may just be tempted to once again try out Shahid Afridi up the order. There was some criticism regarding Afridi's batting number. Many believe an explosive batsman like him batted too low down the order.

He hit a quick fire 39 against Bangladesh and he could again come up the batting order. But there is also a school of thought – which probably Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson subscribes to as well – which believes Afridi's chances of succeeding as an opener against the moving ball are very remote.

Pakistan would rely heavily on their seamers Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and the revelation of the tournament – Sohail Tanvir, the unorthodox left-arm seamer. They bowled extremely well against Australia and Sri Lanka, and a repeat performance on Saturday will put New Zealand under immense pressure.

It's game on at Cape Town, and the action starts 1 pm local time. Grab your beers and seats wherever you are.

Cape Town: It cannot get better than this. The Asian artistry of Pakistan versus never-say-die New Zealand in a semi-final clash in the ICC World Twenty20 on a weekend. A Newlands wicket which is not exactly a belter makes things even more exciting, as it will truly test the skills of both the teams.

If Pakistan is high on talent, New Zealand has the grit. New Zealand is superior in the field, and to balance things out, the Pakistan bowling machine is going from strength to strength.

Daniel Vettori, the New Zealand skipper, is not just a wily left-arm spinner. He is also an astute student of the game. Immediately after ordering a nice box of chocolates for Indian skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni and left-arm seamer Rudra Pratap Singh, Vettori would have sat down with his laptop, analysing minutely his mercurial semi-final opponents.

The Pakistanis, on the other hand, like to rely on their instincts and that works best for them. Skipper Shoaib Malik said as much, "The wicket here at the Newlands is not your usual T20 belter and New Zealand is a tough opponent. But at the same time, we need to trust our abilities and go all out."

When asked what would be his message to his boys, and Malik said, "I don't believe in complicating things nor am I a believer in delivering long speeches. All I want is that we concentrate on the task at hand, don't think about the final already and play to win. If we back our abilities, we can overcome the conditions and the opponents. We don't have to worry too much about the opposition."

For Vettori, or any captain leading against Pakistan, it is always a step into the unknown, no matter how often you play the Pakistanis. They can be sizzling hot one day, and damp the next day. You never know what to expect, and that can be a huge worry.

"Indeed, Pakistan is high on talent," said Vettori, "They also have a couple of young players who are unknown quantity. It should be an interesting challenge to play them as you never know what's coming at you."

While New Zealand's batting with the likes of Lou Vincent, Craig McMillan and Ross Taylor can hurt anyone, Pakistan will have to be very careful against spinners Vettori and Jeetan Patel.

Of course, Shane Bond with the new ball can be devastating on his day, but the way Vettori bowled against India was simply master class. "Obviously after all these years I have an idea about what to do at different stages of the game and how the team is going overall," said Vettori about his bowling form, "The slow bowlers will definitely have a role to play here."

Pakistan may just be tempted to once again try out Shahid Afridi up the order. There was some criticism regarding Afridi's batting number. Many believe an explosive batsman like him batted too low down the order.

He hit a quick fire 39 against Bangladesh and he could again come up the batting order. But there is also a school of thought – which probably Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson subscribes to as well – which believes Afridi's chances of succeeding as an opener against the moving ball are very remote.

Pakistan would rely heavily on their seamers Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul and the revelation of the tournament – Sohail Tanvir, the unorthodox left-arm seamer. They bowled extremely well against Australia and Sri Lanka, and a repeat performance on Saturday will put New Zealand under immense pressure.

It's game on at Cape Town, and the action starts 1 pm local time. Grab your beers and seats wherever you are.