True to Rance's prediction, Stoyanoff's strip had become batsmen friendly as the Knights ended their second dig at 331-6 in 80 overs with a lead of 366 runs and in defiant of Rance's prediction of chasing around 300 runs in the hope of skittling them yesterday.
Poor light again had stopped play about 4.30pm and the umpires lifted the bails an hour later for the day, just as it had done on day one with daylight saving over last weekend.
However, Malan said finishing early wasn't "the worst thing in the world" because it gave the bowlers time to recover from a long day.
ND No 4 Anton Devcich scored 107 runs , his fifth first-class century, from 76 balls, including 14 boundaries and two sixes while wicketkeeper Tim Seifert added 52 runs, emulating opener Henry Cooper.
CD skipper William Young will take the new ball available today when play resumes at 10am, mindful time will be of essence to reel in the remaining four batsman.
Malan said it was an opportunity for CD to finish their campaign with a sense of accomplishment regardless of what was transpiring between the Auckland Aces and the Wellington Firebirds at Eden Park outer oval.
"A couple of our boys have to do something special tomorrow. It's been a long day [yesterday] but it's a chance for them to make it up for themselves," he said.
When they start asking for middle and leg, Malan was expecting the Stags batsmen to forge partnerships, not just in terms of eking out runs but also facing balls in a red-ball format where the number of deliveries one leaves is as important as the ones they watch go by.
"It's about people applying themselves for long periods of time but, again, there's the silver lining of the outcome after the process would be to have a result."
Asked if the Stags had an eye on what was unfolding at Eden Park outer oval, Malan said it was something they couldn't control.
"We know what's going on but we can't get too excited what'll happen. We have to get excited about that we have to bowl them [Knights] out here in the middle and that we all understand there's a blueprint we want to adhere to."
He said having four seamers who also bat in the top six or seven position meant they would adjust with Rance's loss, employing Ajaz Patel, who took 4-117 yesterday at one end and Adam Milne, Doug Bracewell and Blair Tickner at the other.
Milne and Tickner took a scalp each although Young tried to break partnerships with slow bowler Tom Bruce in two unsuccessful overs.
The top-placed Stags hope to collect their first accolades this summer after bowing out in the grand finals of both white-ball formats with an outright win but if the Firebirds prevail they will become champions.
