Temba Bavuma didn't contemplate an early declaration on the third day at St George's Park, instead wanting to grind down an undermanned Australia and then set his bowlers the task of a two-day victory push to level the series.
Bavuma's career-best 179 alongside vital lower-order runs from Marco Jansen and Simon Harmer turned the tables in the second Test with South Africa now the only side with a realistic chance of winning although being able to enforce the follow-on will likely be key to the outcome. By piling up 425, it means Australia will need to reach 226 in their first innings to save it, and they had already lost a wicket before the close to finish on 3 for 1.
As Bavuma's partnerships with Jansen and Harmer hauled the team out of danger, and with more than 130 overs having been lost across the first two days of the game, there was a school of thought that Bavuma could have pulled out earlier to give his attack an extended run at the Australia top order in the final session. However, he revealed he had even considered batting until the close before opting to declare when he edged behind against Mitchell Starc the ball after Harmer had been bowled by Marnus Labuschagne.
"Part of our plan was to keep them in the field for as long as we can," Bavuma said. "I think that paid off … being able to bowl and get that wicket there. If we're going to get on the right side of the result, we're going to have to spend the majority of those two days out there on the field. So I think mentally for us it is to prepare for that overnight.
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"There's still something there in the wicket, especially with that new ball. If we can get the ball in the right place for a considerable amount of time, anything can happen. Hopefully on day five, the spin comes into play as well and Simon can be a lot more of a threat. We obviously want to go for the win and we'll do as much as we can to bring that to life."
But even if South Africa aren't able to force victory over the next two days they could gain benefits down the line from their batting effort which put considerable overs into an Australia attack that was hampered by the ongoing struggles of Josh Hazlewood who was still suffering the effects of food poisoning.
He returned to the field after missing the second day's play and became eligible to bowl again shortly after lunch but only sent down nine overs, with Starc saying that was a commendable effort for someone not at full health. It therefore left Starc to clock up 24.1 overs, Scott Boland 29 and Pat Cummins 26 with another four-day turnaround into the Cape Town Test next week.
The omission of Nathan Lyon meant Australia did not have a frontline spinner to hold up an end although with Boland having torn through South Africa's top order over the truncated first two days, then finishing with 5 for 81, it is a situation that needs to be put down to bad luck rather than a wrong selection.
"Obviously [we were] a man down for a fair while so the three of us had a fair amount of rotation there," Starc said. "Josh did pretty well to get through the overs he did the way he was feeling.
"Coming into the game you don't mean to be a man down, do you. Beau [Webster] bowled a lot more than he probably expected to. I thought he bowled quite nicely so he probably played that holding role a bit more. If you know you are man down from the start you are probably playing a different make-up but unfortunately Josh has had a dodgy prawn or something."
Starc added that Lyon had responded to his omission with a team-first attitude. It is the third time in the last eight Tests Lyon has been available for where he has been left out in favour of an all-pace attack, and when the move was made against England at the Gabba last year Lyon didn't hide his anger, terming himself "filthy" in a broadcast interview.
"Not sure he's doing any sideline reporting today," Starc quipped. "Everyone wants to play every game. Naturally you are going to be disappointed when you don't get put in the XI. He's been around long enough to put his shoes back on [and] be the team man he is.
"He's been the man on the boundary most of the day today whether it's down at fine leg running drinks or [giving] a little tap on the back. I've been left out plenty of times and you are naturally disappointed that you don't get to play but he'll get another opportunity."