Injured captain Angelo Mathews hit two sixes in the last over to hand Sri Lanka a series-levelling three-wicket win in the second Twenty20 international against South Africa on Sunday. Fall of wickets: 1-5 (Smuts), 2-13 (De Bruyn), 3-41 (Mosehle), 4-57 (Kuhn), 5-68 (Miller), 6-74 (Parnell), 7-74 (Phehlukwayo), 8-107 (Behardien), 9-109 (Imran Tahir)
But the win came at a cost. Mathews said at the after-match presentation that he could miss the rest of the tour after twisting his right ankle when he dived to avoid being run out in the penultimate over.
"It's pretty bad, I think I will be out for a couple of weeks," said Mathews, who made 54 not out as Sri Lanka chased down a low South African total of 113 with two balls to spare.
The third and final Twenty20 international will be played in Cape Town on Wednesday, followed by five one-day internationals, finishing on February 10.
On an unusually dry, slow Wanderers pitch, South Africa were bowled out in 19.3 overs.
Left-arm wrist spinner Lakshan Sandakan, playing in his first T20 international - although he has played in three Test matches and a one-day international - took four for 23 and bamboozled the South African batsmen with his ability to spin the ball both ways.
Seamers Isara Udana and Nuwan Kulasekera took three for 13 and two for 10 respectively. Heino Kuhn top-scored for South Africa with 29.
New fast bowling discovery Lungi Ngidi gave South Africa hope of defending their low total, taking four for 19.
Ngidi, who was man of the match when South Africa won the first game in Centurion, took three wickets in an electrifying three-over opening spell, then came back to take another wicket in the 15th over, at the end of which Sri Lanka were 89 for four.
It came down to eight needed off the last seven balls when man of the match Mathews was injured after a risky leg bye. He managed to hobble a single off Wayne Parnell's last ball to keep the strike.
Mathews went for a big hit off the first ball of the last over, bowled by left-arm spinner Jon-Jon Smuts, and was dropped by a diving Heino Kuhn at deep midwicket.
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South Africa
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J. Smuts c Sandakan b Kulasekera 4
H. Kuhn st Chandimal b Sandakan 29
T. de Bruyn c D. de Silva b Udana 7
M. Mosehle c Chandimal b Sandakan 11
D. Miller c Mathews b D. de Silva 11
F. Behardien c Chandimal b Udana 27
W. Parnell c Mathews b Sandakan 3
A. Phehlukwayo c Chandimal b Sandakan 0
A. Phangiso c Gunaratne b Udana 13
Imran Tahir b Kulasekera 1
L. Ngidi not out 2
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Extras: (lb2, w3) 5
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Total: (19.3 overs) 113
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Bowling: Mathews 2-0-11-0, Kulasekera 3-0-10-2, Udana 2.3-0-13-3 (1w), Prasanna 3-0-24-0, Sandakan 4-0-23-4 (2w), Gunaratne 4-0-27-0, D. de Silva 1-0-3-1
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Sri Lanka
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N. Dickwella c Mosehle b Ngidi 22
D. de Silva c Miller b Ngidi 2
K. Mendis b Ngidi 4
D. Chandimal c Mosehle b Ngidi 22
A. Mathews not out 54
A. Gunaratne lbw b Imran Tahir 3
S. Prasanna c Imran Tahir b Smuts 2
T. de Silva c Behardien b Parnell 3
N. Kulasekera not out 0
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Extras: (b3, lb2, w2) 7
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Total: (7 wkts, 19.4 overs) 119
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Fall of wickets: 1-11 (D. de Silva), 2-15 (Mendis), 3-35 (Dickwella), 4-86 (Chandimal), 5-93 (Gunaratne), 6-97 (Prasanna), 7-105 (T. de Silva)
Bowling: Ngidi 4-0-19-4 (1w), Parnell 3-0-16-1, Phehlukwayo 2-0-22-0, Imran Tahir 4-0-14-1, Phangiso 4-0-24-0, Smuts 2.4-0-19-1 (1w)
Did not bat: I. Udana, L. Sandakan
Result: Sri Lanka won by three wickets
Series: The three-match series is tied at 1-1
Toss: South Africa
Umpires: Adrian Holdstock, Bongani Jele (both RSA)
TV umpire: Shaun George (RSA)
Match referee: Richie Richardson (WIS)
Remaining fixture: January 25, Cape Town.