After a persistent drizzle wiped out the entire first session, Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne blunted the new ball and moved his side to 71 for 1 at tea at the P Sara Oval, having chosen to bat, ESPN reports.
Kusal Mendis was keeping him good company, having contributed 30 to an unbroken 42-run second-wicket stand. Karunaratne, too, was unbeaten, 13 runs away from a half-century.
Offspinner Will Somerville took the only wicket to fall, when he extracted turn and bounce to have the other opener, Lahiru Thrimanne, spooning a catch to short cover for a skittish 2 off 35 balls. Both Tim Southee and Trent Boult found swing and seam movement on a grassy track, but their lengths weren't full enough.
Karunaratne, much like Thirimanne, had been uncertain when the ball was pitched up, and threaded the cordon twice when he reached out outside off in the early exchanges.
However, when Boult erred short, Karunaratne rose on top of the bounce and crunched him between point and cover for a brace of fours.
Karunaratne's defensive technique was much tighter against Somerville and Ajaz Patel although he faced only eight balls of spin in the afternoon. Somerville's tussle with Thirimanne was more intriguing as the offspinner challenged both the edges with fuller lengths. Somerville could have had Thirmanne with his third ball when he drew an outside edge, but wicketkeeper BJ Watling wasn't quick enough to close his gloves around the ball.
Moments after being dropped, Thirimanne loosely drove Somerville to Williamson, handing New Zealand their first and only breakthrough so far.
Mendis then played a few risky shots and upset Somerville's lengths, but he was largely circumspect against the seamers.
New Zealand broke up their three-man spin attack and picked seam-bowling allrounder Colin de Grandhomme in place of Mitchell Santner, who not too long ago was their No.1 spinner. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recalled a fit-again Dilruwan Perera in place of Akila Dananjaya, who risks suspension after being reported for suspect action for a second time in ten months. Play began at 1.40pm local time and could be extended up to 6pm, weather permitting.
Score (Day 1): Sri Lanka 71/1 (Karunaratne 49*, De Grand
homme 1/14).
