Proteas fan struck in face by Aussie six

A young South African spectator was taken for precautionary scans after being struck by a six in the Kingsmead crowd in the first T20 between Australia and South Africa on Saturday morning.

The boy was struck near his left eye after a towering Mitchell Marsh six bounced into the fan who was standing in the second row.

The boy was quickly attended to by the stadium's medical officers and given an ice pack to put on his face. He soon walked off with the medical staff and was reportedly taken to a local hospital for a precautionary X-ray.

No further word of his condition was available.

Marsh had pulled Chris Morris over the backward square leg fence in the 17th over of Australia's innings in the midst of a 25-ball cameo that yielded 35 runs.

It was one of two sixes in Marsh's innings that helped Australia reach 9-157 from their 20 overs, and helped the tourists recover from a middle-order collapse that had seen them lose six wickets for 45 runs.

The match featured several towering sixes, including three in a row from Australia opener Aaron Finch in the game's fifth over.

Finch took to the first three balls of JP Duminy's over, sending each ball further back into the crowd over cow corner with powerful heaves.

South Africa's David Miller was able to respond in kind in an unbeaten 53 that helped South Africa home, including two from one over by Andrew Tye that helped swing the match in the home side's favour.

A new ball was required on three separate occasions throughout the match as sixes disappeared onto or over the Kingsmead stadium's corrugated iron shelters.

Australia will seek to level the series at Johannesburg's Wanderers stadium on Sunday night, where the thinner atmosphere in the Highveld city will undoubtedly see more big hits sailing into the stands of the famous Bullring venue.