NZ, Pakistan unchanged as Black Caps bat first at SCG

New Zealand are aiming to ambush Pakistan just like they did Australia two-and-a-half weeks ago as captain Kane Williamson elected to bat first on the same SCG pitch used for their T20 World Cup opening battering of the tournament hosts.

The Kiwis will again be eyeing off the short 61-metre square boundary they ruthlessly exploited when they downed Australia by a record 89-run margin in the first game of the tournament in Sydney.

The comprehensive manner of that defeat effectively ended Australia's tournament, with the defending champions failing to make the final four.

Now New Zealand, beaten by Aaron Finch's men in Dubai last year to add to their recent history of World Cup heartbreak, have Pakistan in their sights in the semi-final clash.

While it is the same surface used for their match against Australia, its lack of grass and the fact it is now more worn that may make run scoring more difficult than it was when NZ blasted 3-200.

Both NZ and Pakistan named unchanged sides.

Finalists in three of the last four white-ball ICC men's tournaments but never the victors, the Kiwis' reputation as big-event performers has only been enhanced down under with Glenn Phillips having a breakout tournament to lead the side.

Their bowling attack has been dependable (they have used the same five bowlers all tournament) and miserly: Lockie Ferguson has been their most expensive bowler (economy rate of 8.13) with veteran seamers Tim Southee (6.35) and Trent Boult (7.18) taking advantage of a swing-friendly conditions.

Spinners Mitchell Santner (6.43) and Ish Sodhi (6.78) have also helped NZ reach the semis, with a loss to England their only setback.

Pakistan on the other hand only just snuck through to the final four, taking advantage of South Africa's slip-up against the Netherlands on the final day of the Super 12s to win through despite losing their first two matches of the tournament to India and Zimbabwe.

In a cruel twist, they finished with fewer points than Australia in the other group – six to the Aussies' seven.

Yet their pace attack of Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasim Jr. is arguably the most formidable in the tournament.

On the batting front, openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, Pakistan's trump cards in their run to the semi-finals in last year's tournament, have struggled.

Matthew Hayden, the former Australia batter who is now Pakistan's batting mentor, has tipped skipper Babar to channel his former teammate Adam Gilchrist, who famously broke out of a funk during the 2007 World Cup by batting with a squash ball in his right glove in the final.

"Babar and Mohammad Rizwan rightly are our No.1 combination opening," Hayden said.

"If you can take your mind back to the 2007 World Cup, when Adam Gilchrist had quite a lean World Cup by his standards.

"And if you remember that last match against Sri Lanka, he went on to score an incredible hundred and realised his potential in that tournament.

"He awakened the world that he was such an incredible batsman in that form of the game."

Men's T20 World Cup 2022

Semi-final 1: Wednesday, New Zealand v Pakistan, SCG, 7pm AEDT

Semi-final 2: Thursday, India v England, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

Final: Sunday November 13, MCG, 7pm AEDT

Click here for all 2022 T20 World Cup results