It was perhaps the narrowest of glimmers, but in a series where the result has been so rarely in doubt, grasping at straws was simply a necessary ploy to retain interest. Any real hopes of finding a proper Test scrap at the Wanderers appeared to have dissipated in the twilight of the second evening's play. Spearheaded by Hashim Amla, South Africa had clambered out of a somewhat queasy position of 45 for 4 to end the second day on 135, with half the side remaining and the lead having already crossed 200.
But South Africa had, remember, lost their last five wickets in the first innings for a mere 18 runs. Pakistan would have to gun for a repeat to harbour any wild aspirations of a memorable third-ever win in South Africa. After all, even that would leave them chasing 221, when their highest score while chasing successfully in the fourth innings in this country is 191 in Port Elizabeth in 2007. The most they've managed in a fourth innings in South Africa came at this very ground on their last tour, when fifties from Misbah-ul-Haq and Asad Shafiq gave them 268. Of course, being bowled out for under 50 in the first innings hadn't helped, and Pakistan still lost by 211 runs. But they had scored 268 here. There was still hope.
But it needed a big first hour on Sunday morning. Pakistan would be second favourites to win, whatever happened, but these remaining five wickets were an irritation, a hindrance to what might be an absorbing Test. This very site carried a piece just yesterday about how any chase above 250 is particularly unlikely to be successful. But, as it pointed out, we don't behave rationally in chases. Pakistan and their fans don't always behave rationally much anyway. There was still hope.
Off the fourth ball of the day, Amla looked to have been cut down by one that seamed in sharply, probably off a crack, and onto his knee roll. It was a close call. The umpire ruled against Pakistan, but the start buoyed them. More of the same, please.
For the first four overs, Pakistan targeted the stumps. Hashim Amla wasn't permitted to free those arms to unsheathe his artistic cover drives. But Quinton de Kock, famously more comfortable when given room, was kept quiet. Mohammad Abbas and Mohammad Amir were following a plan, and in the first four overs, South Africa managed six runs. Pakistan had begun the day sharply. There was still hope.
It had previously taken 10 glorious overs for Sarfraz Ahmed and Babar Azam to produce a partnership that made Pakistan forget their struggles on this tour. It was such a pleasing passage of play that Sarfraz was positively beaming at the post-match press conference, despite the odds of avoiding a whitewash stacked against his team. Here, it was the nine overs that followed the opening four that set the tone for the sort of day it would be. South Africa would not be knocked over cheaply, Pakistan would be denied their surge.
It began with de Kock, the hero of the day, flicking Abbas to deep midwicket to bring up his half-century. That loosened the shackles. It was the beginning of a passage where 53 runs came off as many deliveries, as the Pakistan bowlers began to lose the tightness they had begun with. South Africa's comfort against balls outside the line of the stumps was evident; of the 78 balls that Amla and de Kock batted together on Sunday, 49 were outside the off stump, and they scored 47 runs off them. By contrast, the 29 balls in the line of the stumps yielded just nine runs. Pakistan had built up pressure early on, but by the time the day's first wicket had fallen, South Africa's lead already stood at 272. De Kock's brilliance would see it balloon to 381, before South Africa finally let Pakistan have a bat.
Intriguingly, four bowlers bowled in those initial 13 overs, but arguably the pick of the lot, Shadab Khan, wasn't one of them. In fact, Shadab bowled just 4.1 overs. He took two wickets in that time - including that of de Kock - with batsmen in control of just 69.6% of his deliveries: the lowest of any Pakistan bowler. With the ball having taken turn since day one, might he have made a difference if brought on earlier? Who knows, really?
Pakistan would be chasing 382, which, incidentally, is also their highest successful chase ever. That came in the Sri Lankan summer in Pallekelle, which poses a different set of challenges. Here, against an impossibly good, all-pace attack, Imam-ul-Haq and Shan Masood put on 67 for the first wicket, the visitors' highest opening stand all series. Was there still hope?
Four overs later, both openers were still together. But, crucially, it was in the pavilion rather than on the pitch. The whitewash had always been coming, but the hope had only just died.