The clouds that have curtailed play in two of the three days of the Chittagong Test may continue to have an impact on the match as it enters its decisive stage. The light drizzle which fell over the city for most of Thursday, and the heavy shower on Wednesday, could thwart the bowlers, who will be on the hunt on the final two days.
"I don't think the cracks will get a lot worse with the amount of rain that's been around. We played through a lot of rain today as well. I don't see the cracks being a factor," Simon Harmer, South Africa's offspinner, said.
That assessment will not come as good news to either attack. Time has already been taken out of the game and there are still, effectively, two innings to play, now that the deficit has been reduced to 17 runs. All things being equal, the match is set for a memorable finish, but the weather could weigh things the other way.
Usually, the final two days of a Test can happen in fast-forward as the surface deteriorates and becomes more unpredictable. But now, there is a chance these could take place in pause instead.
The batsmen have already seen run-scoring get slightly easier while the bowlers have discovered that wicket-taking has become more difficult. South Africa saw that through most of Bangladesh's first-innings and decided that damage control would be the most effective strategy. "If you are not going to be bowling teams out, you don't want them scoring at a high run-rate," Harmer explained.
South Africa's seamers worked on frustrating Bangladesh, instead of fighting them. Bangladesh's spinners had done a similar thing on the first day but it worked better for the hosts because South Africa's batsmen became negative in their approach. Instead of looking for ways to rotate the strike, Dean Elgar and Faf du Plessis stuck to one end. They defended well and they left well, but they did not get anywhere.
It already seems as though Elgar is trying to put that right in this innings. His footwork has been more pronounced, his urgency more obvious, but whether that strategy will extend through the line-up remains to be seen. Historical evidence and Harmer's post-play hints suggest that may not be the case.
The offspinner said the team don't have a target in mind and that could be because they're not sure what a challenging target would be. They could and probably already have looked up the most successful score chased in Chittagong - 317 by New Zealand in 2008 - or the lowest fourth-innings score - 158 by Bangladesh against Sri Lanka in 2009 - but they cannot find out yet whether those numbers will have any bearing on the Bangladesh team they are currently up against.
In terms of results, this Bangladesh side has already achieved things their predecessors have not. Last week, they beat South Africa in an ODI series for the first time. In terms of their approach, too, this Bangladesh side appears a far more confident unit than their predecessors. Their self-belief spills over into their action and their maturity stops them from getting carried away. That combination is a sign of progress, the kind of progress that has seen them challenge South Africa thoroughly.
Now it will be up to South Africa to decide how much more of a challenge they want in this Test. In Hashim Amla's brief period as captain, he has demonstrated a willingness to make a fist of things, like in Galle last July, when Sri Lanka were set a fourth-innings target of 370. He also recognises when putting up a brick wall is easier than trying to break one down, like Colombo last year on the same tour, when South Africa played out a draw in the face of a steep target.
It may not even be up to South Africa. If Bangladesh bowl the way they did in the first innings, and bat the way they did in the first innings, the only weather people will talking about will be the storm of success.