David Warner was offered three lives as Australia marched toward a score of 1-147 at tea on day three of the first Test against South Africa.

The visitors’ lead is already 338 runs, with the Proteas facing a record run-chase if they’re to somehow snatch victory in Centurion.

The highest final-innings total at the venue is England’s 8-251 in 2000, and that carries an asterisk given it was when Hansie Cronje convinced Nasser Hussain to turn it into a one-innings match after heavy rain.

“I don’t know which bits of that match were for real. I don’t know which runs were freebie runs,” Hussain later told UK newspaper The Daily Telegraph, after revelations Cronje was acting at a bookmaker’s urging.

However Warner, who will start Friday’s third session needing seven runs to bring up his century, will be keen to pile on more pressure given South Africa will be lacking nothing in self-belief.

The Proteas’ 4-414, in 2008 at the WACA, is the second highest successful fourth-innings chase in Test history.

They also amassed 7-450 in a dramatic draw against India in December, 2013.

Warner made the most of his three reprieves, combining well with debutant Alex Doolan (48 not out) as Australia scored 129 runs in the second session.

The aggressive opener was dropped on 26, 27 and 51.

None was a regulation catch and, frustratingly for Graeme Smith, the first was the most simple.

Substitute fielder Dean Elgar ran in from the deep and was well position to snaffle the ball, but it somehow slipped through his hands.

Three balls later, Robin Peterson leapt at an edge from second slip but couldn’t pull it down.

Smith was responsible for the final chance when he couldn’t pluck a one-hander from first slip.

Apart from the dropped catches there way far too many gifted runs.

Earlier, Mitchell Johnson skittled the hosts in the opening session.

Johnson set a new mark for his best Test figures outside Australia, finishing with 7-68 including the prized scalp of AB de Villiers.

De Villiers fell nine runs short of a century after shepherding his side past the follow-on, with the Proteas rolled for 206 half an hour before lunch.