There were also a couple of intense moments out in the middle, with Pat Cummins giving de Villiers a serve after the incredible innovator got off the mark by belting a six over the head of point.

But it is the small yellow piece of tape Bancroft stuffed down his pants that will hog all the headlines – that and what the incident says about the ethics and nous of Australian cricket’s standard-bearers.

It is one thing to consider cheating, but an order of magnitude worse to implement the plan without considering the ever-present TV cameras which capture every on-field moment.

https://twitter.com/carl_h/status/977532005184425984

Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith said the footage did not look good.

“In my opinion I think he’s tampered with the ball and used an object to do that,” Smith said on the international broadcast.

Cameron Bancroft appears to be slipping a small yellow something-or-other into his underpants.

“It does look like it’s a bit of sandpaper. The footage doesn’t look good. I’m quite amazed the umpires haven’t done anything with the ball. The footage is quite damning.

“If it is proved that what has gone on in the footage is correct then some tough questions have to be asked of Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann.

“I think there is a lot of questions that need to be answered and Australia need to answer them.

“For me it’s quite obvious that he’s doing something with the ball and the umpires need to do something about it.”

Can we talk about this? pic.twitter.com/cmpRrOArgD

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) March 24, 2018

Australia toiled diligently at Newlands and would have fancied their chances of keeping the target to something somewhat reasonable when the scoreboard read 5-201.

But de Villiers and Quinton de Kock warded off the prospect of another collapse, finishing unbeaten on 51 and 29 respectively when bad light ended play.

A pair of dropped catches helped Aiden Markram score 84, hammering home South Africa’s advantage after they seized a first-innings lead of 56 runs.

Usman Khawaja grassed a one-handed diving catch at gully during the first over, at which point both Markram and the Proteas had yet to score.

It was a sharp chance but Mitchell Starc’s look of anguish said plenty about its importance.

Smith then put down an even more difficult one-hander, which came when Markram was on 59.

Starc entered the third Test under an injury cloud because of a sore calf, with the tourists likely to sweat on his fitness ahead of the game in Johannesburg.

The left-armer, who has already delivered 36 overs in the match, looked to be in much discomfort at times on Saturday.

Cummins was Australia’s most potent weapon, removing Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla to back up his first-innings burst of 4-7.

Warner, acting as skipper when Smith was off the ground in Saturday’s final session, successfully reviewed an lbw shout from Nathan Lyon to help the offspinner grab his 299th Test wicket.