A confident Pakistan will take on an injury-ravaged but spirited New Zealand in the second semifinal of the ICC Champions Trophy.

Pakistan, the reigning Twenty20 world champions, defeated West Indies and India before losing a last-ball thriller to Australia to qualify second from group A.

New Zealand, on the other hand, lost to South Africa before pulling off sensational wins over Sri Lanka and England to top group B.

But while Pakistan has had little injury problems except for the fractured index finger of skipper Younus Khan, New Zealand have lost some key players in the run-up to the semifinals.

The Black Caps are without explosive opener Jesse Ryder, who was ruled out due to a groin injury just when he was beginning to hit form. They are also missing prolific all-rounder Jacob Oram through a hamstring strain.

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Pacer Daryl Tuffey too is out with a hand injury.

Besides, the Kiwis have been consistently inconsistent with batting being a major worry.

The line-up did manage a 300-plus total in the win against Sri Lanka but that was only after Ryder had laid a strong foundation at the top despite batting on virtually one leg due to the groin strain.

He didn't play after that and the Kiwis felt the burly right-hander's absence big time when they made heavy weather of a small chase of little over 130 runs against England in their must-win final group tie.

Skipper Daniel Vettori has been multi-tasking with both the bat and ball, doing a commendable job but the Black Caps cannot afford to leave it to him all the time.

On the bowling front, Shane Bond showed glimpses of his old self against England and he would relish the opportunity of opening the attack at the Wanderers' track where a majority of the matches played so far in the tournament have been low-scoring.

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Pakistan, meanwhile, have little to worry about going into the match and senior batsman Mohammad Yousuf was not too wrong when he said that his side would start favourite.

"We have fought and played well in all of our three games so far. The entire team gave a good performance and our morale is high. I think we are favourites in the semi-final. I hope we win this match," he has stated.

The only sub-continental team left in competition, Pakistan have been led well by Younus. Their batting looks solid with middle-order mainstays Shoaib Malik, who scored a match-winning hundred against India, and Yousuf in fine form.

Pacers Umar Gul and Mohammed Aamer have led the bowling with precision and off-spinner Saeed Ajmal's good form has lent good balance to the attack.

Younus, in fact, faces a happy selection dilemma of whether to go with Aamer or comeback man Mohammad Asif, who made a sensational return to international cricket after serving a one-year dope ban, by picking up three wickets against Australia.

Teams:

New Zealand: Daniel Vettori (c), Neil Broom, Brendon Diamanti, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Gareth Hopkins, Brendon McCullum, Kyle Mills, Jeetan Patel, Ross Taylor, Shane Bond, Ian Butler, Iain O'Brien, Aaron Redmond, James Franklin.

Pakistan (from): Younus Khan (c), Imran Nazir, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Rana Naved-ul Hasan, Fawad Alam, Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, Umar Gul, Mohammad Aamer, Mohammad Asif, Rao Iftikhar, Saeed Ajmal.

Head to Head: New Zealand vs Pakistan in ODIs

- New Zealand enjoy cent per cent record at Wanderers Stadium, winning all their three ODIs - one each against South Africa, Sri Lanka and England.

- New Zealand have won both their encounters against Pakistan in the ICC Champions Trophy - by four wickets at Nairobi on October 11, 2004 and by 51 runs at Mohali on October 25, 2006.

- In case of a win over New Zealand, Pakistan, for the first time, would be contesting a final of the ICC Champions Trophy.

- Pakistan's only win by five wickets at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg was recorded against West Indies on September 23, 2009 after losing six in a row.

Brief Results - ICC Champions Trophy

Date        Venue      Toss   Result

11.10.2004  Nairobi    Pak.   N.Zealand won by 4 wickets

25.10.2006  Mohali     Pak.   N.Zealand won by 51 runs

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