Toby Roland-Jones enjoyed a “great day” after taking 4-39 on his Test debut for England - but insists he will not be pestering Joe Root for a chance to complete his five-for on Saturday morning.
The Middlesex seamer had earlier made a run-a-ball 25 with the bat as England posted 353 in their first innings before running through the South Africa top-order.
Roland-Jones took the first four South African wickets to fall as the tourists slipped to 61-7 before a recovery of sorts saw them to 126-8 by stumps at the end of the second day at The Oval.
"It's a great day," Roland-Jones told Sky Sports. "I've waited a long time to play Test cricket and the first day I spent with my feet up, so it was nice to get in the thick of it today.
"A few runs with the bat eased me in a bit then I was able to go enjoy myself out there and ran in as freely as possible.
"I think [my plan was] to keep things pretty simple. With the overheads as they were, we felt if we tried to commit to a slightly fuller length and make them play as much as possible then we were going to be a threat. Fortunately that was the way it went."
Dean Elgar was the 29-year-old's maiden Test scalp, feathering the ball behind, but Roland-Jones admitted he did not hear the edge.
"I didn't! I don't know what it was, I didn't hear anything but fortunately the umpire did," he added.
There was no doubt when it came to the other three though and perhaps the most cherished by Roland-Jones was a snorter of a delivery that Hashim Amla gloved behind.
"Ironically enough, it was a little bit shorter than I was trying to bowl but it seemed to find a bit of live grass and kick up so I absolutely enjoyed that one," he said.
South Africa trail by 227 runs going into day three, needing another 27 to avoid the follow on, after two days of excellent bowling conditions and Roland-Jones feels the England batsmen deserve credit for their efforts in posting such a sizeable total.
"The guys batting always said there were some good balls in there," he explained. "I think we got through some sticky periods at times throughout the two days and the guys dug in so credit to them and hopefully [with the ball] we can continue to make the most of those conditions."
But with a maximum of just two wickets - depending on whether Vernon Philander is fit to bat - required for England to wrap up South Africa's first innings on Saturday morning, will Roland-Jones, one short of a five-wicket haul, be demanding the ball at the start of play?
"Absolutely not!" he said. "First game in, I think I'll leave that to [the captain]."
Watch day three of the third Test between England and South Africa from 10am, Saturday on Sky Sports Cricket with a Kevin Pietersen masterclass to precede the morning session.