Johannesburg - The presence of two of cricket's most dominant players - Graeme Smith and Sanath Jayasuriya - will add an explosive dimension to the second Standard Bank Pro20 Series cricket semi-final between the Cape Cobras and the Dolphins in Cape Town on Friday.

Throw in the exciting talents of JP Duminy, Herschelle Gibbs and Hashim Amla, and all the ingredients are there for a thrilling encounter.

The first semi-final on Wednesday saw the Diamond Eagles draw first blood when they defeated the Warriors by four wickets in Bloemfontein.

All four sides will be involved in the second legs of the semi-finals on Sunday, being played in Port Elizabeth and Durban.

Jayasuriya spent some time earlier in the season with the Dolphins, playing in the MTN Domestic Championship before returning to Sri Lanka to represent his country in a series of one-day internationals. Although he wasn't a major success with the Dolphins, his experience and prowess with both bat and ball will be a huge fillip for the KwaZulu Natal franchise.

HD Ackerman has also been a commanding presence for the Dolphins this season and if their top-order can fire on all cylinders, they could make life difficult for home team.

But considering the opposition lined up against them, the Dolphins will need to be at their best.

Although Smith has not played for over a month, he'll be itching to get back into action, while Duminy and Gibbs are potential match winners for the home side.

Besides their national stars, the Cobras have a batsman in Henry Davids who has shown great destructive batting capabilities this season, while the experience of bowlers like Claude Henderson, Charl Langeveldt and Roger Telemachus will be crucial in the heat of battle.

The best of three semi-finals does give the teams a second chance, but the momentum gained from going into the second leg with a win under your belt cannot be underestimated.

The squads are:

Cape Cobras: Graeme Smith (captain), Herschelle Gibbs, Henry Davids, JP Duminy, Justin Ontong, Richard Levi, Andrew Puttick, Rory Kleinveld, Roger Telemachus, Claude Henderson, Charl Langeveldt, Stiaan Van Zyl, Vernon Philander

Dolphins: Ahmed Amla (captain), Sanath Jayasuriya, Hashim Amla, Grant Rowley, HD Ackerman, Jon Kent, Pierre de Bruyn, Daryn Smit, Johann Louw, Quinton Friend, Alfonso Thomas, Yusuf Abdulla, Imraan Khan.