Shoaib celebrated his return to Test cricket in grand style

Shoaib Akhtar marked his Test comeback with four wickets but fellow paceman Makhaya Ntini helped South Africa fight back on day one of the second Test.

Shoaib, back after a drugs ban was lifted, and Danish Kaneria (3-36) helped skittle the Proteas for 124.

Mark Boucher (35), Graeme Smith (28) and Jacques Kallis (24) all failed to capitalise on a blameless surface.

But Ntini (4-18) removed Mohammad Yousuf (32) and Younis Khan (45) as Pakistan finished 11 ahead on 135-6.

It was a frenetic passage of play on a pitch that contained few real terrors.

Shoaib took only three overs to strike in his first Test appearance for 11 months, AB de Villiers under-edging behind in an attempt to pull a ball from outside off-stump.

Hashim Amla quickly followed when he gloved a catch down the leg-side and leg-spinner Kaneria, introduced after only an hour, was soon in on the act.

Skipper Smith greeted his introduction by hitting him over mid-off for four, but his attempt to drive the next ball resulted in a nick which deflected off Kamran Akmal's gloves and looped up for Younis to take at slip.

Ashwell Prince flashed outside off-stump at the recalled Mohammad Sami, having been dropped four balls earlier by wicket-keeper Akmal.

Ntini gave the Proteas hope with his burst of wickets

Herschelle Gibbs, available pending an appeal against a two-match ban for making racist comments during the first Test, joined the procession as the hosts went to lunch on 64-5.

He was lbw sweeping at Kaneria for two after being dropped by Akmal the previous delivery and Pakistan struck a big blow soon after the resumption.

Kallis was undone by a beauty from Shoaib which was angled in and straightened to find the edge and Shaun Pollock lazily flicked a leg-stump half-volley from the "Rawalpindi Express" to square-leg to make it 89-7.

Boucher attacked with three fours and a swept six off Kaneria but he perished trying a repeat, while Mohammd Asif (2-34) polished off the tail.

Ntini recovered some ground for South Africa when Imran Farhat and Yasir Hameed were caught at third slip and Mohammad Hafeez miscued a pull to leave Pakistan on 19-3.

Yousuf - Test cricket's leading run-scorer in 2006 - looked in the mood for another big innings as he launched several sumptuous drives.

It took a debatable lbw decision, when Pollock swung the ball back into the right-hander, to end that prospect and a stand of 60 with Younis.

The aggressive Akmal (33) was fortunate to survive a caught-behind appeal from Andre Nel on 28.