CENTURION, South Africa (Reuters):

Pakistan paceman Moham-mad Asif marked his comeback by taking all four wickets as South Africa reached 254 for four on the second day of the first Test yesterday.

Ashwell Prince (77) and Herschelle Gibbs (58) were the not out batsmen as the home team made a good fist of their reply after Pakistan totalled 313 in their first innings.

Prince and Gibbs shared an unbroken stand of 111 for the fifth wicket.

Asif, playing his first match for his country since he and Shoaib Akhtar tested positive for the banned steroid nandrolone in November, picked up four for 58.

The two pacemen were exonerated last month when a panel ruled they had not had sufficient warning the supplements they were taking could be contaminated by the steroid.

Pakistan lost five wickets for the addition of 71 runs after starting the day on 242 for five. Fast bowler Makhaya Ntini was the chief destroyer with five for 83.

Captain Inzamam-ul-Haq was the first to go, pulling Ntini to Hashim Amla at deep square leg for 42.

A top-edged pull also accounted for Kamran Akmal, who scored 29 before Andre Nel had him caught by Shaun Pollock at wide mid-on.

Ntini completed his five-wicket haul by having Shahid Nazir and Danish Kaneria caught in the slips for 15 and nought respectively.

Nel, who took three for 100, ended the innings when Naved-ul-Hasan (30) skied a return catch to the fast bowler.

Asif then dismissed Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers early to reduce South Africa to eight for two.

Smith edged to wicketkeeper Akmal for a five-ball duck before De Villiers (four) steered a catch to Younis Khan at second slip.

Asif also had Hashim Amla dropped on four by Mohammad Hafeez in the gully.

The Pakistan quickie struck for the third time when Jacques Kallis was caught by Younis at second slip for 18.

Amla and Prince repaired much of the damage with a stand of 90 before Asif had Amla caught behind by Akmal for 71 five overs after tea.

"I don't think we're in a very good position but I think you would rather be in our changing room than theirs," Amla told a news conference.

"We'll try to bat once, which would be ideal. The wicket is turning quite a bit so it could be more difficult to bat in the second innings."