RAWALPINDI: A 12th career five-wicket haul in an innings by South Africa’s left-arm spinner Keshav Maharaj was not enough to prevent Pakistan from maintaining the upper hand in the second Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Maharaj, who missed the first Test in Lahore last week, returned excellent figures of 42.4–5–102–7 as Pakistan, resuming their first innings at 259 for five, were eventually bowled out for 333. The hosts added 74 runs on the second morning, before coming back strongly in the remaining two sessions to claim four South African wickets and leave the visitors on 185 for four at stumps on the second day.

South Africa still trail by 148 runs with five wickets in hand. Tristan Stubbs was holding the innings together on 68 not out, with wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne unbeaten on 10 at the close.

Stubbs has so far faced 184 balls, striking six fours and a six. He added 32 runs for the second wicket with Aiden Markram (32) and later featured in a 113-run third-wicket stand with Tony de Zorzi.

De Zorzi, who scored a century in Lahore, made 55 off 93 balls with one four and two sixes before becoming Asif Afridi’s first Test victim. The debutant left-arm spinner struck again four balls later, dismissing Dewald Brevis, to finish the day with figures of two for 24.

Earlier, Maharaj claimed the remaining five Pakistan wickets to keep his side in contention on a surface already showing assistance for slow bowlers, with a few deliveries from pacers keeping low.

He began by breaking the 70-run sixth-wicket partnership between overnight batters Salman Ali Agha and Saud Shakeel, triggering a lower-order collapse as Pakistan were dismissed for 333 after reaching 316 for five. Just as in Lahore — where they lost six wickets for 17 runs in their second innings — Pakistan again lost their last five wickets for just 17 runs.

Salman, who resumed on 10, was dismissed for 45 off 76 balls with five fours, while Saud, resuming on 42, became the seventh man out for 66 off 147 balls, including four fours. This was Saud’s 10th half-century in addition to four centuries in 21 Tests.

Maharaj trapped Salman leg-before, had Saud caught in the slips, and then shattered Shaheen Shah Afridi’s stumps. He followed up by dismissing Sajid Khan, also caught in the slips, before bowling Asif Afridi to wrap up the innings.

South Africa’s hopes of building on Maharaj’s effort were dented early.

Shaheen Shah Afridi had Ryan Rickelton (14) caught by Mohammad Rizwan with the score on 22, before Sajid Khan removed Markram at the score of 54. A double-strike by Asif Afridi reduced South Africa from 167 for two to 171 for four, and they eventually closed the second day at 185 for four, still 148 runs behind Pakistan’s first-innings total.

Scores in brief (Day 2 of 5):

PAKISTAN (1st innings) (overnight 259-5 in 91 overs) 333 all-out, 113.4 overs (Shan Masood 87, Saud Shakeel 66, Abdullah Shafique 57, Salman Ali Agha 45; Keshav Maharaj 7-102, Simon Harmer 2-75)

SOUTH AFRICA (1st innings) 185-4, 65 overs (Tristan Stubbs 68 not out; Tony de Zorzi 55, Aiden Markram 32; Asif Afridi 2-24)