"Roads? Where we're going, we don't need roads."
With these immortal words Doc Brown ended Back To The Future I (and started Back To The Future II) and the Proteas' powerful batting lineup proved on Monday that they can bat on any surface, they don't need the roads that were prepared for the IPL to get their T20 World Cup campaign off to a winning start.
Maybe living in a country where the streets are full of potholes is a blessing ...
Having bundled Sri Lanka out for 78 in New York, yip, that New York, the South Africans dug deep and curbed their enthusiasm to secure a vital six-wicket win.
The pitch this game was played on was a drop-in, usually that means it's going to be tough and so it proved for all the men who went out there to wield the willow.
Quinton de Kock scored 20 off 27 balls, Tristan Stubbs 13 off 28, David Miller six off six and Heinrich Klaasen 19 off 22, these are four batters that make their money with their power games but not on Monday.
On Monday it was all about survival and that's what they did as the Proteas won with 22 balls to spare.
Had Sri Lanka made it to three figures they may very well have stolen this one but after being bowled out for their lowest ever T20 score they were always going to need a miracle and it wasn't to be, although they did make the SA side sweat.
Every Proteas bowler stood up to be counted but Anrich Nortje was the hero of the day as his thunderbolts blew the Sri Lankan batting lineup away as he claimed his best ever figures in T20 Internationals (4/7 off four overs).
Marco Jansen was the only bowler to not claim a stick but his tight lines and use of the bounce in the wicket set the tone from the first ball.
He ended with 0/15 off 3.1 overs while Kagiso Rabada took 2/21, Keshav Maharaj 2/22 and Ottneil Baartman 1/9 had themselves a day.
Baartman announced himself on the world stage in the best possible way by taking a wicket with his first ball at a World Cup and he kept things tight after that, a constant threat with his line and length immaculate.
Aiden Markram hit the shot of the day during his 12 off 14 balls (a lofted cover drive for six that had the commentators tingling) but he was at his best in the field as he marshaled his troops brilliantly and didn't take his foot off the Sri Lankan necks for a ball.
He had a slip for most of their innings and kept things tight as the slow outfield meant there weren't going to be many boundaries hit.
All in all, a pretty solid day out for South Africa as they start with a win and get their fans believing this might finally be the year ...
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