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RAWALPINDI: Veteran debutant spinner Asif Afridi took two crucial wickets to restrict South Africa to 185-4 and leave the second Pakistan Test in the balance on Tuesday in Rawalpindi.

Tristan Stubbs was unbeaten on 68 at the close on day two having added 113 runs for the third wicket with Tony de Zorzi.

De Zorzi scored a polished 55 as the duo lifted the visitors from 54-2 on a spin-friendly Rawalpindi stadium pitch.

When it looked the pair would stabilize the innings the 38-year-old Asif trapped De Zorzi leg-before and earned his first wicket on review.

In his next over he had Dewald Brevis caught in the slips for nought.

Kyle Verreynne was the other unbeaten batsman, on 10.

South Africa trail by 148 runs on Pakistan’s first-innings 333 as they attempt to square the series, after losing the first Test in Lahore by 93 runs.

Asif has figures of 2-24 while Sajid Khan and Shaheen Shah Afridi took a wicket apiece.

“I am really happy for Asif, who has done so well in domestic matches,” said batsman Saud Shakeel.

“At one point he’d given away just 19 runs in 10 overs and then he came up with two good wickets to give us some respite.”

“The match is even at this stage and we need to get them out early on day three,” he added.

South African batting coach Ashwell Prince said he was satisfied with a day’s play in which spinner Keshav Maharaj finished with figures of 7-102.

“Losing the last two wickets were not ideal,” said Prince, a former South African batter.

“We knew these conditions are harder to bat, but I would say pretty good day for us and we need to build on that.”

In South Africa’s reply fast bowler Shaheen struck early to remove Ryan Rickelton caught behind for 14.

Visiting skipper Aiden Markram tried to take the attack to the home spinners, clouting debutant Asif for six before holing out off Sajid at long-on for 32.

The highlight of the day was some superb bowling by the left-armer Maharaj.

Maharaj, who missed the first Test defeat with injury, exploited the dry conditions to maximum effect for his 12th five-wicket Test haul.

Pakistan resumed on 259-5 and reached 316 untroubled when the Maharaj show began.

Having taken two wickets on the opening day, he broke through the defense of Salman Agha, trapping him leg-before for 45 to give the World Test champions hope of wrapping up the innings quickly.

Agha hit five fours and added 70 for the sixth wicket with Saud Shakeel.

Shakeel looked steady and reached his 10th half-century with a couple off Maharaj.

But the spinner had him caught in the slips for 66 and it triggered a collapse.

Maharaj bowled Shaheen for nought, completing his first five-wicket haul against Pakistan.

Maharaj wrapped up the innings with the wickets of Sajid (five) and Asif (four) as Pakistan lost their last five wickets for 17 runs.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Prime Minister Shhebaz Sharif on Tuesday expressed hopes to strengthen Islamabad’s relations with Japan as the Japanese parliament election Sanae Takaichi as the first woman premier of the country.

Takaichi replaces Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum and wrangling since the Liberal Democratic Party’s disastrous election loss in July. Ishiba, who lasted only one year as prime minister, resigned with his Cabinet earlier in the day, paving the way for his successor.

Takaichi won 237 votes — four more than a majority — compared to 149 won by Yoshikoko Noda, the head of the largest opposition party, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. The vote took place in the lower house, the more powerful of Japan’s two chambers of parliament and the one that chooses the prime minister.

“Heartiest congratulations to H.E. Ms. Sanae Takaichi on her election as the Prime Minister of Japan,” Pakistan PM Sharif wrote on X. “We look forward to working closely with Prime Minister Takaichi to further strengthen the enduring friendship and cooperation between our two countries.”

Pakistan and Japan have enjoyed cordial and friendly relations since the former’s creation in 1947. Both countries have several bilateral institutional mechanisms, including Annual Bilateral Political Consultations and Security Dialogue.

The Japanese Official Development Assistance (ODA) program has been supporting Pakistan’s efforts to revive its economy and reduce poverty through a series of reforms and initiatives in health, sanitation, education, agriculture, irrigation, economic infrastructure and economic development.

This month, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met with Nobumitsu Hayashi, Governor of the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC), on the sidelines of International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank meetings in New York, according to the Pakistani finance ministry.

Aurangzeb welcomed JBIC’s formal commitment to join the Reko Diq lender group, noting that this move would strengthen investor confidence and encourage Japanese businesses to expand their presence in Pakistan.

Located in Pakistan’s insurgency-hit Balochistan province, the Reko Diq mines have one of the world’s largest underdeveloped gold and copper deposits, and the potential to generate $90 billion over the next 37 years.

“He (Aurangzeb) emphasized the government’s priority on ensuring security for foreign investors and identified new avenues for bilateral cooperation,” the Pakistani finance ministry said.