COLOMBO, Sept 27: They have so far maintained a clean slate and there is very little to separate the two teams as South Africa lock horns with Pakistan in what is expected to be a battle of attrition in their ICC World Twenty20 Super Eights fixture here on Friday.

Both teams will be equally confident as they begin Group 2 action after their emphatic showings in the group stage of the tournament, and it will be interesting to see who emerges winner at the R. Premadasa Stadium.

Pakistan, winners of the 2009 edition, won both their group league matches with ease.

If skipper Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed shone in their win over New Zealand, Imran Nazir led the way with an onslaught that left the Bangladesh bowlers shell-shocked in their last game.

Hafeez deserves mention as he led admirably with both bat and ball, his canny off-spinners often proving to be a perfect foil for Saeed Ajmal, who has become a sort of a headache for batsmen the world over.

Kamran Akmal has also shown glimpses of his brilliance and looked in good nick against their South Asian rivals.

Pacers Umar Gul and Sohail Tanvir haven’t really fired, but Yasir Arafat made an impact with three Bangladeshi wickets, and Pakistan are unlikely to make any changes to the squad that played in the last game.

The match assumes more significance for Pakistan as a win against the Proteas will put them in the perfect frame of mind ahead of the big-ticket encounter with arch-rival India on Sunday.

Hafeez insisted his team was not even thinking about the game against India, the first T20 International between the arch-rivals since the 2007 World Twenty20 final.

“We take it match by match,” said Hafeez. “Our immediate focus is on how we are going to tackle a strong side like South Africa.

We will think about the others later.”

Hafeez said Pakistan’s game plan revolved around spinners Shahid Afridi and Saeed, saying the duo were capable of restricting the best batting line-ups.

South Africa have been their consistent self in the group stage, but the real tournament starts now, and more so for the Proteas.

The shocking 2011 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand in Dhaka still fresh in mind, South Africa would once again would look to shed the tag of perennial chokers in ICC tournament, and a win on Friday will be a positive step in that direction.

A look at their performance in the group stage will only add to South Africa’s confidence going into the competitive round.

Led by the explosive A.B. de Villiers, the team hammered neighbours Zimbabwe by 10 wickets to start the tournament in the best possible manner. In the rain-reduced seven-over hit against hosts Sri Lanka, the Proteas were well served by the skipper, who helped them to a 32-run win in Hambantota.

There is no dearth of strokemakers in the South Africa line-up and right from the in-form Hashim Amla to the great Jacques Kallis, each one of them is capable of single-handedly turning a match on its head.

The presence of Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and his brother Albie make for an effective pace battery.

“It is a tough group,” de Villiers said on Thursday. “Any of the sides can beat each other on any given day, so it is going to be a great challenge.

“But if we play good cricket, we will be difficult to stop. We have prepared well for this tournament, to the extent that we are ready for even the Super Over if that becomes necessary.”The South African captain’s main worry against Pakistan was how his team will cope against prolific Saeed Ajmal.

Asked if his batsmen had been able to understand Saeed’s action, de Villiers said: “Not really but there are not many batsmen who can read Saeed. We have studied him closely and analysed his action. The important thing will be to watch the ball closely.”

Teams: PAKISTAN (probable): Mohammad Hafeez (captain), Imran Nazir, Nasir Jamshed, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Umar Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Yasir Arafat, Sohail Tanvir, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal.

SOUTH AFRICA (from): Richard Levi, Hashim Amla, A.B. de Villiers (captain), Jacques Kallis, J.P. Duminy, Farhaan Behardien, Johan Botha, Faf du Plessis, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Umpires: Ian Gould (England) and Rod Tucker (Australia).

TV umpire: Richard Kettleborough (England).

Match referee: Ranjan Madugalle (Sri Lanka).—Agencies