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The conditions here are likely to suit New Zealand more as cloudy and dry weather has been forecasted for Saturday — the day the big semifinal will be played at the Newlands Ground.

The weather here in Cape Town is cold with the mercury staying around 18C even in the mid day. If it stays cloudy or the atmosphere turns heavy, it would definitely help the Kiwis who are used to play under such conditions. There are also predictions that the sun would break through occasionally to make the condition a bit ‘cricket friendly’.

The wicket here at the Newlands has been prepared by Andy Atkinson — the same curator who was hired by the PCB a couple of years back to prepare the track for the Pakistan-India series.

The pitch gives a drier look with hardly any grass on it. “I tried my best to prepare a pitch that would give spectators some thing to cheer about,” the curator said.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik, however, rejected the general impression that the condition is expected to suit New Zealand more. “It is Twenty20 cricket where one good innings and a good spell can change the game,” he said.

He praised coach Geoff Lawson for working hard with the team and said he had prepared us for all the occasions. “He is an experienced coach who knows what to expect from the track and how the conditions would affect the game. I think he has been a marvellous addition to the Pakistan side. He has got a great cricketing mind,” Malik said.

One of the groundsmen said: “The field is soft because we have got a winter full of rains. You cannot expect big score here.”

Even Ramiz Raja feels that sub continent teams always face problems here. “I would have loved to see India playing against Pakistan in the semifinals at Newlands. Then both teams would have the same feeling here. Any team outside the sub-continent would definitely have an advantage,” he said.

Source:Cricket News