Theunis de Bruyn and Temba Bavuma may not have had the chance to bat together at test level regularly, but they know how to compete with Australia on even terms.
Bavuma's ill-timed finger injury meant De Bruyn received an opportunity to show whether he belongs at the highest level. The Australians know about Bavuma and his match-shaping ability with the bat and in the field.
South African cricket though needs assurance that all will not be lost when Hashim Amla (34), AB de Villiers (34) and Faf du Plessis (33) finally call it a day.
Knights coach Nicky Boje has been at the coalface of De Bruyn's red-hot franchise performances and knows there's no better time for the 25-year-old to make his international presence felt.
"He's got the pedigree to be a massive player for the Proteas in the future, but he's finding himself in a place where he's in and out of the side. That's not always ideal for someone who's trying to cement his place in the team. He dominates at domestic level and his scores are testament to his dominance at franchise level. It's going to be a good thing if a player like him comes off at international level," Boje said.
"How he played against Australia in the first test and in the three-day game is how he plays. He likes to take control of the game and we've got a couple of players in the test team who also like doing that. Aiden Markram and Quinton de Kock can do that. De Bruyn also falls into that category of wanting to boss the game and put the bowlers under pressure. What stood out in that second innings was the way he stood up when South Africa were in trouble - and that's a positive sign."
The 36 De Bruyn clocked up that played a part in South Africa's second innings salvage mission was a start that should have been converted. The same applies to the 46-ball 43 he aggressively compiled in the three-day game for South Africa A against the Australians.
If there's one thing the Australians don't like it is batsmen who take the game to them, exactly what De Bruyn did in Benoni and Durban.
De Bruyn has scored 568 Sunfoil Series runs at an average of 81 with two tons and a 50 in six matches. He played three matches more last season and made 751 runs at 57 with two hundreds and four 50s. Bavuma (27) may average 33 from his 27 tests with a sole ton, but he's an established firefighter.
With the players not yet 30, the importance of their future contributions for the national team hasn't been lost on Boje.
"It's important to have these guys in the team and watch them perform because there are other youngsters who've already put up their hands in the summer. The important thing is for them to play as much franchise cricket when on international breaks and push on when the chance comes again at the highest level," Boje said.
"The future is a difficult thing to predict, but look at where Australia found themselves some years ago with a raft of retirements. You want to breed the young players alongside the current experience but if they all go, it won't be an easy gap to fill and it takes time to plug that void."..