Honest talking may have been at the heart of South Africa's resurgent form in the third one-day international against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, when the Proteas produced a resounding 68-run victory to take a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.
"We had a lot of chats and the senior players accepted that it was about time we put our hands up and started playing some proper cricket," captain AB de Villiers said.
Faf du Plessis was the man under the most pressure going into Wednesday's game, after he unwisely attempted to defend himself against the ball-tampering charges he was convicted of during the second Test in Dubai last week.
With a top score of just 35 in his past 12 one-day internationals, contributing to what Du Plessis admitted had been a "tough week and massive pressure", the Titans batsman was promoted to number three and made a commanding 55 from 60 balls, claimed two catches and was man of the match.
Dale Steyn's week of rest in Cape Town during the first two matches clearly did him no harm and he turned in a resounding performance.
The teams reconvene on Friday for the fourth match at the Sheikh Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi before the series concludes in Dubai.