The tourists resumed from an overnight 282 for seven and lost their last three wickets for 23 runs with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan ending with five wickets for 90 runs.

Medium pacer Chris Cairns played a leading role in containing the prolific Sri Lankan batting line-up, capturing the vital wickets of Sanath Jayasuriya (10) and Marvan Atapattu (0), both caught behind by Adam Parore. He also bowled Sri Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga for 49.

Cairns snapped up the wicket of Atapattu in his first over and an over later got rid of the dangerous Jayasuriya who gloved a delivery to be caught down the leg side by Parore.

SCOREBOARD
New Zealand (1st innings; overnight 282-7): B Young c Kaluwitharana b Muralitharan 30, M Horne b Bandaratilleke 15, S Fleming c Jayasuriya b Kalpage 78, N Astle c Jayawardena bKalpage 30, C McMillan lbw b Muralitharan 0, A Parore c Jayasuriya b Wickremasinghe 67, C Cairns c Bandara b Muralitharan 19, C Harris lbw b Wickremasinghe 19, D Vettori c Kalpage b Muralitharan 20, P Wiseman c Atapattu b Muralitharan 6, S Doull not out 1; Extras: (lb10, w1, nb9) 20. Total: (all out in 105.2 overs) 305
Fall of wickets: 1-25, 2-97, 3-141, 4-141, 5-188, 6-229, 7-269, 8-282, 9-296
Bowling: Wickremasinghe 14-2-55-2 (w1), Jayawardena 3-0-10-0, Bandaratilleke 22-6-50-1, Muralitheran 38.2-9-90-5 (nb8), Bandara 13-3-41-0 (nb1), Kalpage 15-2-49-2

Sri Lanka (1st innings): S Jayasuriya c Parore b Cairns 10, M Atapattu c Parore b Cairns 0, M Jayawardena c Vettori b Wiseman 52, A de Silva c Doull b McMillan 37, A Ranatunga b Cairns 49, R Kaluwitharana b Vittori 72, R Kalpage b Wiseman 6, P Wickremasinghe batting 9, N Bandaratilleke batting 8; Extras: (lb4, nb4) 8. Total: (for seven wickets) 251
Fall of wickets: 1-6, 2-21, 3-101, 4-105, 5-206, 6-221,7-237
Bowling: Doull 8-2-24-0, Cairns 12-0-48-3, Harris 7-1-27-0, Vettori 23-7-56-1, Wiseman 20-3-61-2, McMillan 12-4-31-1