KEY POINTS:
New Zealand cricket captain Stephen Fleming almost fell over when invited to bowl first today.
But by stumps it was counterpart Mahela Jayawardene who was sporting the shocked expression after a compelling Black Caps seam attack put Sri Lanka on the rack at Jade Stadium.
Jayawardene's decision to
bat first despite overcast conditions on a green-tinged pitch -- on the basis he wants Muttiah Muralitharan to have last use of a wearing deck -- appeared seriously flawed after New Zealand were thoroughly dominant on day one.
After a three-pronged pace battery scythed through Sri Lanka inside two sessions, routing the tourists for just 154 before tea, New Zealand were solidly placed at 85 for two at the close after negotiating the inevitable concession of another early wicket.
Mathew Sinclair and Craig Cumming calmly constructed a stand of 70 after Jamie How's five-test career as an opener struck another setback when he was trapped leg before by Lasith Malinga's fourth delivery for a duck with the score on three.
Sinclair, back from a two-year exile, was the only other casualty.
Well set on 36, he wafted at Chaminda Vaas and was caught behind to take a little sheen off a performance deserving to be witnessed by more than 1185 spectators.
Cumming, back on the ground where he made 74 on debut in 2005, was unbeaten on 37 alongside Fleming (7) when bad light curtailed play four overs ahead of schedule.
While a reorganised top order knuckled down and thwarted Muralitharan's first 12-over assault, it was the seamers who deserved the kudos after a spooked Sri Lankan top order were made to look ponderous, first by Shane Bond and then James Franklin before Chris Martin added his name to a select list of Black Cap bowlers to have taken 100 test wickets.
Bond, playing his first test on home soil, set the tone for the day when Sanath Jayasuriya prodded his 11th delivery to Fleming's safe hand's at first slip.
Kumar Sangakkara joined the early procession when Bond seamed a ball from leg to off, squaring up the Sri Lankan dangerman who could only spear the delivery to Sinclair at third slip to have the innings teetering at 17 for two.
Jayawardene then had the chance to justify his call at the toss but after clipping Bond over and through point, he steered a hook shot down Franklin's throat at fine leg to leave the cream of Sri Lanka's batting back in the hut for just 37.
Though Bond engineered the early carnage, a luckless Martin and Franklin also caused plenty of anxiety, beating the bat at will, as Upul Tharanga and Chamara Kapugedera survived to lunch.
However, when Franklin snared Tharanga (33) in the gully four overs after the resumption, the opener's demise was the catalyst for a collapse which saw the last seven wickets skittled for a mere 77 runs.
The Wellingtonian ensured Chamara Silva's test debut was fleeting by uprooting his off stump with the second ball he faced and at 87 for five, only Kapugedera looked capable of salvaging a measure of respectability.
But when he fatally padded up to Franklin on 37, the slide accelerated.
Vaas was smartly taken down the leg side by Brendon McCullum to give Jacob Oram his first success and then Martin became the 11th New Zealand bowler to join the 100 Club when How took a second sharp chance to remove Prasanna Jayawardene, the last of the recognised batsmen, for seven.
Only some lusty hitting from Farveez Maharoof, who slammed Oram into the No 3 stand before snicking his next ball to Fleming and Muralitharan's charmed 14 -- he twice watched skiers muffed by Bond -- dragged the visitors past 150.
In mitigation Bond's forte is bowling not catching the ball -- and he marked his latest comeback to an abbreviated test career with a confidence-boosting haul of four for 43 from 13 overs.
"I didn't bowl as well as I could," Bond said.
"I was a bit all over the show but to still pick up some key players is nice," he said, before quickly sharing the credit.
"I leaked a little bit of runs but we bowled well as a unit. The guys down the other end helped out. We have a nice mix and we did a good job today.
"It's a great way to start the season, to get on the front foot early, and obviously it's important we back it up tomorrow with a good first session."
Franklin chimed in after lunch with three for 30 while Martin's eight-month long wait to move from 99 to three figures left him 10th on the all-time list thanks to an analysis of two for 37 that barely did him justice.
The quiet right armer, who turns 32 on Sunday, took 32 tests over six years, to reach the landmark and was understandably relieved.
"It's been a long wait since South Africa (the three test series in April). It's nice to be in that 100 club because there's been so few New Zealanders to get there."
Meanwhile, it could prove fortunate the game advanced so significantly on day one with a southerly change expected to bring hailstorms and heavy rain to the region tomorrow.
- NZPA