Duminy Stars in Low-scoring Thriller

Colombo: JP Duminy hit a fighting hundred and then returned to pick up 3 wickets as South Africa sneaked through by 12 runs.

This is Sri Lanka's first loss in a T20I match in 2013. Sri Lanka have now lost six out of seven T20s at the Premadasa

The South Africa bowlers were superb as they defended a small total. Duminy was the hero of the day, he scored a fifty and took three crucial middle order wickets to stifle the Lankans.

Sangakkara (59*) fought hard, but he got zero support from his mates. South Africa go 1-0 up with two games to play.

JP Duminy is the Man of the Match.

Earlier, JP Duminy hit 51 off 52 balls as spin-wary South Africa recovered from a poor start to post 115/6 in the first Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday.

David Miller chipped in with 25 during a fifth-wicket stand of 56 with Duminy after the Proteas, electing to bat at the Premadasa Stadium, were reduced to 50-4 in the 11th over.

Off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake, who shared the new ball with Lasith Malinga, struck in each of his first three overs to reduce South Africa to 23-3 by the sixth over.

Senanayake claimed both openers, Quinton de Kock and Henry Davids, leg-before, and then bowled South Africa's Twenty20 skipper Faf du Plessis for eight.

Star batsman AB de Villiers looked good while making 15 when he skied Angelo Mathews to the cover region when Kusal Perera rushed in from the deep to take a good catch.

Duminy hit three boundaries and a six before he was dismissed in the penultimate over, caught in the deep off Ajantha Mendis.

Earlier, South Africa win the toss and decided to bat first.

Mahela Jayawardene is not playing today. Senanayake and Ajantha Mendis are the two specialist spinners. And the other Mendis, Jeevan, is also playing. Just the one specialist fast bowler is Malinga.

David Wiese debuts for South Africa. Three quicks in Parnell, Morkel and Tsotsobe, and the legspinner Imran Tahir makes his T20 debut.

Teams:

Sri Lanka: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kushal Janith Perera, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Dinesh Chandimal (Capt.), Lahiru Thirimanne, Angelo Mathews, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Sachithra Senanayake, Lasith Malinga, Ajantha Mendis

South Africa: Quinton de Kock (wj), Henry Davids, Faf du Plessis (Capt.), AB de Villiers, Jean-Paul Duminy, David Miller, David Wiese, Wayne Parnell, Morne Morkel, Imran Tahir, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

Brief scores
South Africa 115 for 6 (Duminy 51, Miller 25, Senanayake 3-14)
Sri Lanka 103 for 9 (Sangakkara 59*, Duminy 3-18)
Result South Africa won by 12 runs
MOM JP Duminy (South Africa)