Match: South Africa v Pakistan, 2nd Test Match Venue: Newlands, Cape Town, South Africa. Date & Time: February 14th to February 18th, 2013, 13:30 PST / 08:30 GMT Overall Rivalry: Carnage; South Africa 9 wins, Pakistan 3 wins, 7 Draws Series: South Africa lead 1 – 0 (3-match series)

Weather Report: Mostly cloudy on Thursday morning, high of 25C and strong winds from the South at 20 to 30 km/h. It will remain clear and rain should not threaten through the course of five days of scheduled play.

Ground Report:  Set in the foothill of a mountain, Newlands is one of the most pictorially beautiful grounds in the world. Its grass embankment, traditionally a scene of sunbathing fans has been uplifted to more seats and less grass, increasing its total capacity to 25,000 spectators.

Pakistan has played two matches here; one resulted in an innings defeat and the other in a loss where neither side passed 200 in four innings. A pitch known to assist spin, the Newlands track is expected to be an easier batting surface under hot and dry conditions. Six out of the last 10 toss-winning captains have elected to field at this ground but Thursday morning should balance that stat.

Game On: Pakistani batsmen took an hour in the first Test to bring their greatest fear to life. It was as if their collapse was destined and each batsman kept giving into his own fate. The remainder of the match for Pakistan became about saving face and limiting further numerical and psychological damage.

What would have happened if Smith had made the mentally jolted Pakistani batsmen follow-on that afternoon? Against a still fresh and charged up South African pace quad, for Pakistan’s sake, that question best remains unanswered.

That game witnessed Smith’s 100th Test as captain, AB de Villiers’ historical performance behind the stumps and Steyn’s career-best figures. However, Pakistan should take respite from their second innings at the Bullring as it marked the first time a subcontinent team faced over a hundred overs in the fourth innings on South African soil in its post apartheid period. While it depicts the problems faced by all teams from South Asia it also highlights that, perhaps, in better batting conditions, Pakistan can weather the South African fast bowling storm.

There are enough positives for Pakistan to build on in the bowling department despite losing their most threatening pacer Junaid Khan through an injury on the eve of the 2nd Test. They kept pegging into the South African batting order through some uncharacteristic discipline on the first day at Johannesburg. Their bowling was consistent, catches were held and extras were minimal. It was as though Misbah’s calmness transcended into an unusually patient Pakistan team.

Much needed relief was found behind the stumps through the tidy glovework of Sarfraz Ahmed who pouched everything and saved extras wherever possible. However, his bat has to start adding value to the score sheet if he wants a permanent role in the squad.

There have been talks of playing three openers to negotiate the destructive new ball. Opener Nasir Jamshed sprained an ankle and his partner Mohammed Hafiz caught a viral infection but both should be fit to play.

Imran Farhat opened in both innings against the Emerging Cape Cobras, partnering with Younis Khan who showed signs of form and with Azhar Ali, who has been out of nick but was Pakistan’s best batsmen in 2012. With healthy competition in the middle it will be difficult for Farhat to break into the side.

Abdur Rehman claimed 5 for 33 at 1.8 RPO in the same game. On a turning surface he could be the surprise selection but the lack of a genuine pace-bowling all rounder denies Pakistan that luxury.

It was not too long ago when the South African team toppled the English from the number one slot in Test rankings and it looks unlikely they will be challenged for that spot soon. Pakistan at number 4, is not too far down that list but the gap in the level of game play between the two appears wide and is further exaggerated in conditions of the Southern Hemisphere.

Pakistani cricketers are known to be slow starters and usually take their time to adjust in foreign conditions. Not completely convincing, but it is a concession for their first innings horror show at Johannesburg. It is unlikely that the technically-wanting Pakistani batsmen will correct their flaws or start enjoying swing and bounce after three weeks in South Africa. However, it is enough time to acclimatise and make minor adjustments in their game; it also gives them fewer excuses to fall back on.

On paper South Africa has always been one of the best teams in the world. Though, what sets this current team apart from their predecessors is plausibly their psyche, and unlike the Proteas of the past, these men believe in vanquishing from any situation. Their triumph in Australia was a demonstration of that winning mindset.

Perhaps, this team still has to win a World Cup to get rid of the “chokers” tag and prevail in India and Sri Lanka to further stamp their global authority on Test cricket. With empirical evidence at hand, they have the strongest batting and the most feared bowling attack in the world. Their new found valour makes them more than capable of overcoming the ghosts of their past and overpowering the demons of their future.

For starters, South Africa will be eyeing a series win in Cape Town followed by a possible white wash at Centurion.

Game Changer:  Since the Pakistani batting collapse has already lived to its expectations there is another question that begs to be answered; how long before this Pakistani outfit starts dropping catches? Dav Whatmore’s men were good in the first Test but he might have his hands full if the infamous fielding team starts spilling chances. To compete with South Africa, Pakistan cannot afford to make the likes of Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla and company bat twice in an innings.

Pre-Game Talk: “Whenever you come to these conditions, you need to be mentally ready. It's always a challenge, but we must forget what happened in the first Test.” - Misbah looks ahead.

“We don't want to bring their spinners into it at all.” - Allan Donald is aware of Pakistan’s spin threat on a dry pitch.

Last XI Fielded South Africans: Graeme Smith (capt), Alviro Petersen, Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis, AB de Villiers (wk), Dean Elgar, Faf du Plessis, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel

Last XI Fielded Pakistanis:  Mohammad Hafeez, Nasir Jamshed, Azhar Ali, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Asad Shafiq, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Umar Gul, Junaid Khan, Saeed Ajmal, Rahat Ali.

Possible Changes:

South Africa: At the top of the world, there is little reason for South Africa to make changes. Also with the series still open it is unlikely they will lift their foot off the pedal and rest any of their players.

Pakistan: Keeping Rahat Ali's modest debut in mind, Tanvir Ahmed should replace the injured Junaid Khan. Ahmed's performance against Graeme Smith's men in UAE should also tilt the vote in his favour. Mohammad Irfan’s 7 for 40 against the Cape Cobras has made him impossible to ignore. In retrospect, it was a mistake at Johannesburg to play Rahat Ali instead or an error of the selection committee if he wasn’t fit for Test cricket in the first place. Given Misbah’s reluctance for chop and change, it is the only expected swap for the game at Newlands.

Final Words: Yes, Pakistan has been cricket deprived for four years while the country goes through socio-economic and political turmoil. Yes, they lost some of their best cricketing talent through scandals and bans. Yes, they grew up on slow tracks and are not accustomed to pace and bounce. None of this will show up in scorebooks or records, however, glory awaits those who win in the face of adversity.