The South Africans started the day on 264 for six, needing a further 71 with six wickets in hand. The first runs of the morning came by way of two wides in Brett Lee’s first over and Prince scored the first runs off the bat with a single off Glenn McGrath.

Both batsmen occasionally played and missed, but neither offered Australia a clear d chance and when Lee overpitched on leg stump, Kallis whipped him through midwicket for the first boundary.

Further evidence that Kallis had settled came when Lee bounced him and Kallis pulled the ball off his eyebrows to the old grandstand for four.

When Shane Warne replaced Lee at the Umgeni end, Prince leaned back to cut him for four an another cut in Warne’s first over brought South Africa another two.

Kallis brought up the South African 300, and his 50, when Warne overpitched and was driven through the covers for four.

Prince, too, was growing in confidence, twice hitting Jason Gillespie through the covers for four when he strayed in his line.

Together the pair whittled away at the target to take drinks with Kallis on 51 and Prince on 36.