He is not exaggerating. Maharaj bowled 40 overs from the Queen’s Park media center end during West Indies’ first innings – although it was interrupted by a rain break – and the second-longest spell by a bowler in men’s Tests since 2001. A spinner in the XI in the absence of another specialist, Maharaj “knew that I would have to bowl a lot,” and was prepared for it in the months of white-ball cricket ahead of the series that included the SA20, IPL and World T20. Cups were included.

“Whatever format I play, I always keep my workload as if I am preparing for Test cricket,” Maharaj said. “The only thing that changes a little bit is your length and sometimes your lines, but from a longevity point of view, I still bowl my long hours, whether it’s T20s or fifty-over cricket. “That’s something I’m proud of. I don’t have as many variations as other types of spinners around the world, so I try to rely on consistency and being able to do it for a long time.”

On a tame pitch, Maharaj’s discipline was key in helping South Africa to a 124-run first-innings lead but they also got some turn on day three. The bounce sign meant that when South Africa declared on the fifth morning, with two sessions and 20 minutes remaining, they were relying heavily on Maharaj to guide them to victory.

But, the batting looked easy in the final afternoon and the West Indies scored at a healthy enough rate to keep South Africa at bay. Finally, Maharaj thought that the five days of rain also played a role in his refusal.

“Continuous rain surrounded the wicket and made it more pleasant to bat,” he said. “Had it not been for the rain, I think the wicket would have deteriorated as we expected.”

Given the spinner-friendly conditions, South Africa opted for an XI with only Maharaj as a front-line spinner and left Dean Padd on the bench. Lungi Ngidi and Wayne Mulder contributed a little more than a fifth of the total overs bowled, South Africa also looked a bowler short but Maharaj believed “we got it (selection) in the end. Our fourth The bowler created chances and got that crucial breakthrough on the morning of West Indies’ first innings.

Markram’s dismissal of Jason Holder left the West Indies at 60 for 6 in 17.1 overs, setting the stage for South Africa to push for victory. Everyone from captain Temba Baoma to Maharaj described them as “disappointing”, especially with only a handful of fixtures scheduled in South Africa.

In this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, they play only two Test series. They have played five Tests and have just seven to go between now and January. To give themselves a good chance of making the finals, they will need to win all seven and keep trying to force the results in their favour.

He said that the lack of result is definitely disappointing. South Africa have set West Indies a target of 298 runs in Trinidad. “Draws don’t count for much. We obviously know the World Test Championship is at stake, but we are focused on every game.”

And in Maharaj’s case – on bowling as much as possible in every game. “I never want the captain to take the ball away from me in Test cricket so I always try to bowl my best and try to act as an old character.”