England faced mission improbable to try to level the Investec Test series against South Africa, and therefore stay in with a chance of winning it, at Headingley today.
Matt Prior for one, though, was not giving up hope last night.
England's wicketkeeper insists he saw enough from his team-mates with the new ball - despite a South Africa second-innings score of 39 for none - to hope they can still take all 10 of the tourists' wickets, and then knock off their target in time.
Even if the rain, which took almost 60 overs out of yesterday, stays away from Leeds today, England's prospects are far from obvious.
Prior, however, will keep the faith.
His counter-attacking 68 helped England to 425 all out yesterday, for a first-innings lead of just six runs - on the back of Kevin Pietersen's scintillating 21st Test century on Saturday.
England faltered from 351 for five, after Pietersen was out lbw to only the second ball of the day on his return - and then between the storms, they could not take a South African wicket.
Even so, Prior said: "The way Jimmy (Anderson) and Broady [Stuart Broad] bowled in the afternoon was absolutely fantastic.
"They got a lot of movement. It started swinging again.
"That's what makes it exciting. If it was doing absolutely nothing, you'd say 'okay, it's going to peter out into a boring draw'.
"But there was a bit there, and if we can get a couple of early wickets ... we've got the firepower to bowl them out."
If Broad, Anderson, Steven Finn and Tim Bresnan cannot put South Africa under pressure with seam, Prior is not discounting success for Pietersen's part-time off-spin - in the controversial absence of specialist Graeme Swann, left out of an England Test team for the first time in three-and-a-half years.
"I'm sure he's ready for that, and we will see him bowling at some stage," Prior said of Pietersen, who picked up his one wicket in the first innings with only the second delivery of the seven overs he bowled.
"I hope our seamers can do a good job up front, and he won't have to do too much.
"But if he's needed, I'm sure he'll be there and will do a good job."
Prior is hoping, like thousands of others, that Pietersen's batting talents remain available to England for the foreseeable future too - amid concerns in some quarters that, following his shock limited-overs retirement, the 32-year-old's Test career may also be truncated at some stage.
"Kev will make Kev's decision," he said.
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"You look at the innings he played here, why wouldn't you want him in your team? Of course you want him to play those knocks. That goes without saying.
"I don't have a clue what Kev's going to do.
"All I can say is he's a freak, an unbelievable batter. To play that innings he did was fantastic."
