JP Duminy left for Sri Lanka with one mission; get the Proteas back on track.
And he did just that, as the Cape Cobras star blasted an unbeaten 53 runs off 32 balls in an innings that included two sixes and six fours to help South Africa to a five-wicket win over their hosts in the first ODI on Sunday.
Having lost the Test series quite badly, Duminy admits he had to fight pitch ‘demons’ as he made his way to the crease.
Throughout the Test series, Sri Lanka prepared pitches that favoured spin bowlers and the South African batsmen simply couldn’t cope with the slow bowlers.
Still, they tried an aggressive batting approach, which finally paid off in the first of five ODIs on Sunday.
After bowling out their hosts for just 193 runs, with Tabraiz Shamsi and Kagiso Rabada claiming four wickets each, South Africa chased down the winning runs with five wickets left in the bank.
Of his top score in the SA innings, Duminy says: “We are trying to take the positive option [when batting].
“It’s the game plan and we’re sticking to it.
“[There are ] a few demons [in your head] when you go on, and today the mindset was to take it on. We can draw a lot of confidence out of [this win], [but there are also] a lot to work on.
“Coming off a bad series loss [in the Tests], it’s important to put our best foot forward.”