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RAWALPINDI: Pakistan took advantage of some poor South African fielding to reach 177-3 at tea on the opening day of the second and final Test in Rawalpindi on Monday.

Despite their fielding lapses South Africa’s spinners removed Abdullah Shafqiue (57) and Babar Azam (16) to check the momentum of the hosts, who won the toss on a spin-friendly pitch.

Shan Masood, dropped on 71 off a luckless Keshav Maharaj, was unbeaten on 77 with two fours and three sixes while Saud Shakeel was six not out at the break.

Shafqiue’s chancy knock finally ended when he edged Simon Harmer to wicketkeeper Kyle Verreynne after adding an invaluable 111 runs for the second wicket with skipper Masood.

Azam, again cheered by a home crowd willing him to return to form, fell after Tony de Zorzi took a low catch at silly point for Maharaj’s first wicket.

Azam has gone 29 Test innings without a century.

Maharaj himself dropped Shafique on 15 off his own bowling and then saw Aiden Markram drop the same batter on 41 and 53.

Shafique also survived on nine when a Marco Jansen delivery beat him and hit the stumps after rolling down but did not dislodge the bails.

In the morning session South Africa’s only breakthrough came from Harmer, who bowled Imam-ul-Haq for 17 with a sharp turner that beat the bat and hit off-stump.

Fast bowler Kagiso Rabada was also unlucky when Tristan Stubbs dropped Shafique in the slips off the fourth ball of the match for nought.

Harmer has figures of 2-57.

Having won the first Test in Lahore by 93 runs, Pakistan strengthened their attack by including a third spinner in Asif Afridi, dropping fast bowler Hasan Ali.

At 38 years and 299 days, Asif becomes the second oldest Pakistani Test debutant, behind Miran Bakhsh, who made his debut at 47 years and 284 days against India in 1955.

South Africa named three spinners and two pacers.

Spin Boldak, Afghanistan: After a week of violence, residents on the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hoping a new ceasefire deal will end the clashes and revive crucial cross-border trade.

While the crossings remain closed, life has regained a semblance of normality, with bakers kneading bread, fruit and vegetable sellers wheeling out their carts, and customers frequenting shops.

"People can breathe and feel relieved. (But) before that, gunfire damaged a few houses in our village," said Sadiq Shah, 56, a shopkeeper from Baizai on the Pakistani side.

Fighting between Afghanistan and Pakistan broke out after explosions in Kabul on October 9.

The Taliban government blamed the blasts on its neighbour and launched a retaliatory border offensive, prompting Islamabad to vow a strong response.

After further clashes left soldiers and civilians dead, the two sides declared an initial 48-hour ceasefire on Wednesday.

New Pakistani strikes hit Afghanistan on Friday, with Islamabad saying it was targeting armed groups that the Taliban harbours and allows to launch attacks on Pakistani territory -- a claim that Kabul denies.

The two sides approved a second ceasefire on Sunday, to the relief of many along the border.

"It's incredible: both sides are Muslim, (ethnic) Pashtuns, so why fight?" said Shah.

"Previously, trade with Afghanistan went through here, and now we're shooting at each other. What country does that?"

'Losing money'

The border only opened temporarily this week to admit Afghan migrants expelled by Pakistan under a campaign that it launched back in 2023.

In the Pakistani town of Torkham, a normally busy crossing point into the Afghan province of Nangarhar, stranded drivers bought tea from a vendor as they waited in colourful trucks.

More than 1,500 trucks, trailers and containers carrying cement, medicines, rice and other basic goods are waiting in Torkham, according to a senior Pakistani customs official in nearby Peshawar.

Abdul Rahman Habib, spokesman for the Taliban's economy ministry, said fruit and vegetables were rotting as they awaited export to Pakistan.

"Businessmen are losing money," he said, without giving an estimate of the damages.

Habib warned that if this situation persisted, "it could increase prices and unemployment, and destabilise markets".

"Trade relations should be separate from political issues," he told AFP.

After the peace talks in Doha, Qatar's foreign ministry said the ceasefire deal provides for "the establishment of mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace", but their details have not been disclosed.

Niaz Mohammed Akhund, a 39-year-old car salesman in Spin Boldak, an Afghan town where fighting flared last week, said "people here are very happy with the ceasefire".

"(They) have no farmland or other source of income -- everyone depends on cross-border trade, on both sides," he said.

Nematullah, a 24-year-old vendor, also told AFP he hoped "this problem won't resurface".

Across the road on the Pakistani side, market worker Imran Khan called on the two countries to establish a "mechanism to end these conflicts and to start treating each other like brothers".