In the three matches that have been played in Lahore in this Champions Trophy, the batters have mostly had a party, feasting on their strokes as team totals soared past the 300-mark.

Australia chased down a 350-plus target against England and England almost won while in pursuit of 326 only to fall short by 8 runs. The only match which saw a sub-300 total was the Afghanistan-Australia match, which got abandoned midway because of rain. But even in that game, Travis Head was batting like a dream.

So with that kind of a backdrop, what else to expect than a run-fest when New Zealand take on South Africa in the second semi-final on Wednesday?

What further enhances that possibility is the fact that both the teams have quality batters. South Africa, though, seem to have the bigger muscles in terms of power-hitting.

Captain Temba Bavuma is fit to rejoin the team after missing the last match, but there’s uncertainty about Aiden Markram (hamstring niggle). But even if Markram fails to be match-fit, the Proteas have the men who can make good use of the batting-friendly conditions in Lahore. Rassie van der Dussen, Heinrich Klaasen, David Miller... They all are potential match-winners.

Klaasen, of course, is the most dangerous of them all. He has been in terrific form in white-ball cricket and can trample all kinds of bowlers.

The New Zealand bowlers, therefore, will need to tread carefully. Pacers Matt Henry and Will O’Rourke have been disciplined and wise so far, while captain Mitchell Santner’s left-arm spin is always effective.

However, in the batting department, the Black Caps must get over their tendency to over-rely on Kane Williamson. They have some fine batters in Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham and Daryl Mitchell, all of whom are proven performers.

The Proteas’ bowling line-up is pace-heavy with Keshav Maharaj being the sole spinner. If the Kiwi batters can work their plans out around that point, they can exploit the weaknesses in South Africa’s attack.

In terms of variety, New Zealand seem to have better bowlers. Michael Bracewell is the second spinner in their XI, while Glenn Phillips can also roll his arm over for part-time spin.

Talking of Phillips, his superpower that lets him ‘fly’ while fielding to pull off unimaginable catches and stops adds spunk to the New Zealand team.

Overall, both teams are quite evenly-matched and so a fierce tussle is on the cards. That South Africa and New Zealand are also quite similar in terms of their trophy luck is a different story though. But that comes later, first let’s see who earns the final ticket.