David Leggat: Plenty to admire in Williamson's technique

Tom Latham. File photo / Getty Images

They stand on different sides of the bat and have contrasting roles but Tom Latham acknowledged last night there's much to admire about the way Kane Williamson goes about his work.

Williamson is on 80 after more than five hours in the middle, 93 runs into a solid partnership with BJ Watling, on 48, which could prove a match-winning stand at the Basin Reserve today.

"I think it's just his mental state, which is great when he's at the crease, and his technique is pretty outstanding," opener Latham said.

"It's always nice watching him bat and learning from him."

Latham said he's talked with world No13-ranked batsman Williamson about his modus operandi.

"I suppose he's just got that knack. He just loves batting, loves spending time out in the middle.

"He's been doing that for the last couple of years and hopefully he can keep going tomorrow."

In a way, New Zealand have a better chance of winning than drawing the test. To get a draw they will need to bat through at least the full day today.

However, bowling Sri Lanka out, providing they have enough runs to set a challenging target may be a more likely scenario.

"There's always a possibility of winning," Latham said. "You can see how quickly it can change out there. We were 75 for none and then all of a sudden 80 for three. I'm sure we're going to give it a good crack at winning it."

Sri Lankan seamer Dhammika Prasad said his team have not even considered what chase they would be happy with.

"We aren't thinking about that.

As soon as we get back to the field tomorrow we expect early wickets.

"They batted really well," he said of Williamson and Watling. "They left the ball a lot."

Another incentive for New Zealand today is the expectation that they will rise to No5 in the test rankings if they win this series.

Some rain is forecast for each of the final two days, but probably not enough to change the result.