A wonderful unbeaten century from Tom Latham put New Zealand on course for a lead after Dhananjaya de Silva saved Sri Lanka with his very own great hundred on day three of the second Test in Colombo.
All-rounder Dhananjaya (109) profited by some favorable luck with a fifth Test century, getting Sri Lanka up to 244 full scale at P Sara Oval.
Tim Southee (4-63) and Trent Boult (3-75) did the however main part of the harm yet Dhananjaya held up the visitors, who were just ready to bowl 66 overs in the initial two days because of downpour as they endeavor to rescue a 1-1 draw.
Latham then arrived at three figures for the tenth time in the longest group and the opener was still there on 111, on a pitch offering a lot of turn, when New Zealand shut on 196-4 – trailing by 48.
Dhananjaya should have been gotten and bowled for nine by Boult on day two and made the left-arm snappy compensation, playing decidedly after Sri Lanka continued on 144-6.
Ajaz Patel finished a 6th wicket remain of 41 by sticking Dilruwan Perera leg before wicket, yet Suranga Lakmal offered support for Dhananjaya.
Dhananjaya struck spinner Patel for three sequential limits, cutting and driving with conviction and raised his hundred by striking Southee to the third-man limit after the seamer expelled Lakmal and Lasith Embuldeniya.
Dilruwan made an early leap forward when the Black Caps began their answer,
New Zealand were 84-3 with key men Kane Williamson (20) and Ross Taylor (23) back in the structure in the wake of scratching off to Embuldeniya and Lahiru Kumara separately, and Dilruwan struck again to see the back of Henry Nicholls following a break for downpour.
Latham played with extraordinary confirmation against the spinners, however, and BJ Watling developed in certainty after an unsure begin.
The formed Latham arrived at a well deserved century with a limit – one of 10 in his splendid thump – into the leg side off Dilruwan (2-76) and Watling was 25 not out at stumps with New Zealand surrounding a lead.