Babar admitted the dismissals meant it was disappointment rather than relief that dominated his emotions. "I'm very disappointed with both innings. I started well, but didn't finish well," he said. "If you settle, you must go much bigger. That is why I was a bit upset. There were just 15 minutes left."

"The conditions here are different from Centurion," Babar said. "When you come to South Africa, you don't expect that [the pitch will be so flat]. With the new ball, it was a bit challenging, but once you settled down and built a partnership, it became easier. But there are some rough patches; you saw a couple of overs from Maharaj to Shan which got some turn and bounce. So the spinner is a bit of a challenge for the batter. But against the fast bowler, if you're settled, just play your normal game."

There was, however, some relief for Babar. After about two years without a Test fifty, he had scored three on the trot, a run stretching back to the second innings in Centurion. However, all three dismissals were down to poor shot selection rather than bowlers working him out.

"I should have capitalised during our partnership, but unfortunately it didn't happen," he said. "In the second innings, my partnership with Shan has helped us come back into the game a little. Tomorrow, we have to try and build a partnership, and the longer those partnerships are the more pressure there'll be on South Africa."

But there is a bigger picture, one that his continued struggle of late has put him in a better position to appreciate. He is the highest run-scorer for Pakistan this series, and now has something every batter values: competitive time at the crease under his belt.

"Things change in life all the time," he said. "I learned a lot during this time [of poor form] when what I wanted to do I wasn't able to do, and when I couldn't do the things that people expected of me. I just kept telling myself to stay calm, and believe that my ability and hard work would be vindicated, and to try and enjoy myself. But what was really important was to spend some time on the pitch, and thankfully [that has happened this series]."