Ashwell Prince, South Africa’s batting coach, labelled Aiden Markram as the "man for the big occasion" after the opener steered the Proteas towards what could be a famous run-chase in the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia on Friday.
Chasing 282 for victory, South Africa were 213 for 2 at the end of Day 3 at Lord’s, thanks to a majestic century from Markram and a gutsy 65 not out from captain Temba Bavuma.
South Africa need just 69 runs more to win the match and return with a first ICC trophy in 27 years.
Markram struck 11 fours in an unbeaten 102, bringing up his eighth Test ton with a gorgeous flick through mid-wicket in the penultimate over of the day.
He struggled to contain his emotions, wiping tears away from his eyes, and batting coach Prince said a small technical adjustment was the secret to his success.
"We certainly know he is someone for the big occasion; of that there is no doubt," Prince said, according to the ICC’s website.
"He has done some technical work, but not a lot. In the last little while he has had a tendency to push his hands away from his body and cut across the ball, but it was not a big fix, and as soon as he saw a few videos, it was simple.
"I think (coach) Shukri Conrad deserves credit for (him) staying calm; it is one of his strengths."
"As soon as Aiden and Temba came up the stairs, he said we need to do the same tonight as we always do, and tomorrow we do the same warm-up. It's the same processes. We understand the magnitude and what's at stake, but now we stay calm."
South Africa started Friday morning seeking two quick Australian wickets to leave the target as low as possible, but despite Kagiso Rabada trapping Nathan Lyon lbw early Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood dug in.
They put on 59 for the 10th wicket and batted for the entire morning session before Hazlewood was finally out to the last ball before lunch.
From there, South Africa all the way. While Australia benefited from benign conditions on a flat pitch to convert 144 for eight into 207 all out under the morning sun, it was the Proteas' turn for the rest of the day.
Starc removed Ryan Rickelton for six, but a 63-run partnership between Markram and Wiaan Mulder settled the nerves, with runs flowing amid regular boundaries.
A sharp Marnus Labuschagne catch sent Mulder back to the pavilion for 27, while Steve Smith dropped Bavuma on 2 and dislocated his finger in the process, earning him a trip to the hospital for the rest of the day.
However, after that scare, Bavuma oozed class despite damaging his hamstring in the afternoon session.
Prince admitted they considered retiring him during the tea interval but the captain insisted he could carry on and he hit five boundaries in a 121-ball knock.
"It is not done yet, but he has had to fight throughout his career, and this could be a defining moment for his career," Prince added.
"It is the biggest stage in Test cricket. He is tough, Aiden has great respect for Temba, and I think this team's greatest asset is the unity.
"You only have to look at how they celebrate a wicket to understand that. They are all aware that South Africa have had greater individual players, but they have something special going on in the dressing room, and it helps them drag each other along."
While 69 runs is not an intimidating number to score, keeping South Africa's batters level-headed is now the challenge.
Much has been made of their record in ICC tournaments - they have come close to adding to the ICC men's Champions Trophy 1998 success on many occasions, but always fallen short - but this is their greatest opportunity of breaking the duck.
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