Black Caps strike before stumps

Trent Boult and New Zealand celebrate under the darkening skies of Seddon Park. Photo / Getty

This was supposed to be a walkover; New Zealand's experienced seamers slicing through Sri Lanka's lightweight batting group on a snooker table pitch at Seddon Park.

It didn't quite work out that way today and, had it not been for late mishaps just before rain set in with 23 overs unbowled, Sri Lanka would have had every right to be delighted with their day's work.

They'll start day two at 264 for seven, still better than might have been anticipated, with captain Angelo Mathews' gaze on an eighth test century. He was not out on 63.

The rain won't have hurt New Zealand's cause with the ball. Sri Lanka will be hoping it gives their less-seasoned seamers a lift when their turn comes.

"I guess we started OK," New Zealand bowler Tim Southee said. "We probably didn't use what was in the wicket as much as we could have. But we came back in last session to claw our way back. Got a big start tomorrow morning."

Break the day down into sessions and there's a case that Sri Lanka won the two which were completed.

They scored 107-2 in the first and 90-2 in the second, but the loss of three wickets in 13 balls midway through the final session - one to a juggled slip catch, another a leading edge to mid-off and a third to a run out courtesy of some fine work by Kane Williamson - hurt.

Rangana Herath is a fine cricketer, but a 100m sprinter he's not and he was caught short in a needless run out. There was the sense Sri Lanka had tossed away a hard-won advantage.

Sri Lanka may have been fearful of what lay ahead when the toss went wrong. But New Zealand didn't quite hit the right notes consistently enough, whether through getting over-eager at the sight of the green baize or having one of those slightly off-days.

Ross Taylor put two catches down - one a regulation in the second over, the other stretching one-handed high above his head, Sri Lanka were more purposeful with their batting. Put part of that down to the natural inclinations of the likes of Dinesh Chandimal and Milinda Sirawardana.

Chandimal, following an 83/58 double in the first test in Dunedin, is the best-performed Asian batsman this year and entertained in a bracing 47 before going to the driving well once too often.

Siriwardana is in his fourth test, but has a bit about him. Three times he cleared the boundary rope - albeit once off a top-edged six from Neil Wagner - and he seemed to grow in confidence as his fifth-wicket stand with Angelo Mathews reached 137, a fifth-wicket record against New Zealand.Southee wondered if part of Sri Lanka's batting rationale was "try and get us before we get them".

There's something in that, given what must have been rattling around in their minds as they surveyed the pitch before play began.Just when it looked as if the day would turn out to be a rousing success for the tourists, it went pear-shaped late on.

Trent Boult struck twice, and the day's second run out was another reward for the hours of work players put into their fielding drills.

Doug Bracewell had good moments, and little luck, but was pricy either side of an impressive squeeze play just after lunch - 5-2-5-1 - while it wasn't Wagner's day.

If Sri Lanka can get to 350, New Zealand will face an intriguing challenge. Cue Mathews, who can score briskly. As Southee put it, a clutch morning ahead.

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MANHATTAN