Replay the manner in which South Africa were defeated four times on their tour of Sri Lanka so far and you would have expected them to lose this match as well. The top order failed, the middle order was exposed but only just hung together and the bowlers had too little to work with. But this time, they pulled off a heist despite all their deficiencies.
JP Duminy followed up his half-century with a match-winning bowling performance while Morne Morkel and Wayne Parnell finally showed capabilities of bowling at the death. Kumar Sangakkara's 59 was one of only two double-figure scores on Sri Lanka's card as the rest battled on a slow surface.
South African fans would not have expected that, after their team seemed to have lost the match before the first innings powerplay was even complete. Sri Lanka's offspinner Sachitra Senanayake plucked three wickets from a top order that has yet to find their confidence. Their bowlers, though, had theirs boosted after they defended a low total which required Sri Lanka to score just 37 runs in the last five overs.
South African fans would not have expected that, after their team seemed to have lost the match before the first innings powerplay was even complete. Sri Lanka's offspinner Sachitra Senanayake plucked three wickets from a top order that has yet to find their confidence. Their bowlers, though, had theirs boosted after they defended a low total which required Sri Lanka to score just 37 runs in the last five overs.
Sri Lanka looked set to chase down the total without much fuss when they scored 13 runs in the first two overs. Kusal Perera showed attacking intent but his temperament gave way when he mis-hit Morne Morkel to point.
Dinesh Chandimal also seemed in a hurry. He hit two boundaries before bottom-edging Lonwabo Tsotsobe, after struggling with the extra bounce.
With early set-backs, Sri Lankans seniors Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara knuckled down and tried to pick singles off Wayne Parnell and Imran Tahir. All the patience Dilshan showed in the ODI series vanished and he took Duminy as early as he could only to offer AB de Villiers a catch at long-on.
Sri Lanka needed to score 70 runs in the second-half of their innings but with the in-form Sangakkara at the crease, they would have thought it more than possible. While he found the boundary, the rest found the fielders.
Angelo Mathews gave Duminy a tame return catch and then Jeevan Mendis swept him to deep square leg the next ball. Duminy didn't complete a hat-trick but he wouldn't mind that.
Lahiru Thirimanne and Thisara Perera holed out within six balls of each other and suddenly, South Africa had the upper-hand. With 21 runs to defend off 12 balls, Parnell mixed up his pace in a double-wicket maiden and Morkel bowled a few full to ensure run-scoring opportunities were unavailable. Sangakkara hit two fours off the last over but he could not do it alone and in the end, Sri Lanka ended up with a worse batting performance than South Africa.
That hardly seemed possible after Senanayake's start. He exposed Quinton de Kock's inexperience and had the young wicket-keeper batsman playing down the wrong line to one that straightened to get him lbw.
Henry Davids also could not read Senanayake. After trying to work him to leg and push him to cover, he went for the sweep to a full delivery and was also trapped in front. And then, Faf du Plessis' lean series became leaner. After constant shuffling at the crease, he played tried to play inside the line of a straighter one and was bowled.
De Villiers and JP Duminy posted a small stand of 27 and Duminy took on the responsibility of anchoring the innings. He hung around for long enough to accelerate slightly and between him and David Miller, South Africa managed 21 runs off the 16th and 17th over.
Miller became Lasith Malinga's 50th T20 victim but Duminy notched up a more favourable record. He brought up his fifty with a slog-sweep off an Ajantha Mendis full toss, which took over 1,000 T20 runs and made him South Africa's leading scorer in the format, overtaking Graeme Smith, and giving the team a morale-boosting win during a tough tour.
It was a change of format but not change in proceedings as South Africa's batsmen struggled again in the first of a three-match Twenty20 series. Their top-order was inept on a surface with neither lateral movement nor any significant turn and their lack of confidence was apparent as things got from bad to worse for the visitors.
Sri Lanka will be delighted with their efforts, even though they came quite easily against a side whose lack of a plan is obvious. Again, South Africa seemed to change tack at the 11th hour. After Faf du Plessis confirmed on their departure that last year's strategy of opening the batting with AB de Villiers would be stuck to, the opposite happened.
De Villiers is either injured or has realised he cannot cope with the workload, so not only did Quinton de Kock inherit the gloves, he also took over de Villiers' position in the batting line-up. De Kock's struggles continued and it took only two deliveries from Senanayake to expose his inexperience. He played down the wrong line to one that straightened and was out lbw.
Henry Davids also could not read Sachithra Senanayake. After trying to work him to leg and push him to cover, he went for the sweep shot to a full delivery and was trapped in front. Senanayake's opening spell got even better when he bowled Faf du Plessis - whose lack of form has deepened - as he tried to play inside the line of a straighter one. Du Plessis looked uncomfortable from the get-go and his constant shuffling about cost him.
Senanayake picked up three wickets in three overs and South Africa's powerplay ended at 23 for 3.
AB de Villiers posted a small stand of 27 with JP Duminy, at least, proving South Africa were still in the contest. He drove Thisara Perera through the covers and pulled him to deep mid-wicket but was soon silenced by Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis.
After seeing off an over from either, de Villiers tries to go after Angelo Mathews. He was dropped after pulling to Dinesh Chandimal but it cost Sri Lanka nothing. The next ball, he slashed to Kusal Perera who took a tumbling catch at deep cover.
Duminy took on the responsibility of anchoring the innings and worked it around with David Miller before scoring the first six - a slog-sweep off Mendis. That Duminy hung around allowed for some acceleration. They managed 21 runs off the 16th and 17th over with big-hitting Miller freeing his arms to hit Mendis for six as well and looking increasingly dangerous.
Miller tried to hit Malinga over long-off but Senanayake caught the ball before throwing it back in as he fell over the rope. It saved five runs. Miller tried again two balls later but sliced to Dilshan at sweeper cover to become Malinga's 50th T20 victim.
Duminy finished strongly, bringing up fifty with a slog-sweep off a Mendis full-toss. It took him to over 1,000 T20 runs and made him South Africa's leading scorer in the format, overtaking Graeme Smith, but its unlikely that will be enough. Not only is it South Africa's lowest total when they have batted the full 20 overs but it is well below what was considered par, around 150.
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