Summary New Zealand were 114-1 at lunch on day one of first Test against Sri Lanka.
DUNEDIN (AFP) - New Zealand were 114 for one at lunch on the opening day of the first cricket Test against Sri Lanka in Dunedin on Thursday.
Martin Guptill bounced back from a horror series in Australia to defy bowler-friendly conditions in Dunedin with a half-century in a solid New Zealand start to the first Test against Sri Lanka.
New Zealand were 114 for one at lunch with Guptill on 53 and Kane Williamson on 32.
Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews was quick to send New Zealand into bat when he won the toss and conditions were ripe for the seamers with a green-top wicket, breeze and moderate cloud cover.
However, his new-ball pair Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal were unable to cash in allowing Guptill to play his way into form.
The opener, who averaged a shade over 13 in New Zealand s recent series against Australia, was not chanceless but luck was on his side.
On 29 he had to dive to make his ground to avoid a run out with only centimetres to spare, and on 30 a thick edge off Lakmal whistled past a diving Kithuruwan Vithanage in the gully.
He brought up his 15th international 50 with an outside edge off Mathews which raced to the boundary.
He completed the morning session with 11 boundaries, and his highest score in eight innings since he notched 70 against England at Leeds seven months ago.
Williamson was batting at a run-a-ball pace and had six boundaries in his 32.
In a brisk opening, Guptill and Tom Latham had New Zealand 38 without loss after seven overs forcing Mathews to bring himself and his medium pacers into the attack ahead of the third seamer Dushmantha Chameera.
He did manage to stem the run flow, and delivered two maidens in a four-over spell, but it was Lakmal who made the breakthrough when he captured Latham for 22.
The New Zealand opener miscued an attempted drive through mid-on and sent the ball straight back to the bowler who made no mistake with the catch.
Lakmal ended the session with one for 33 off eight overs.
