Sri Lanka captain Dimuth Karunaratne won the toss and elected to bowl Friday at the rain-delayed start of the second Test against New Zealand in Wellington.
The Black Caps lead the two-Test series 1-0 after Kane Williamson inspired a last-gasp win in Christchurch.
Heavy overnight rain delayed the coin toss in Wellington until after lunch.
The Basin Reserve wicket had its traditional green sheen and Karunaratne wanted to give his bowlers the chance to attack the New Zealand batters early.
“It's a pretty good wicket, it's got something for the fast bowlers. We have to grab the opportunity in the first few hours,” Karunaratne explained.
“Our fast bowlers found really good lines in the last Test, so I think they will do the same thing and give the Kiwis some troubles.” Sri Lanka made one change with wicketkeeper Nishan Madushka making his debut, replacing Niroshan Dickwella.
New Zealand were forced into a single change with seamer Doug Bracewell playing his first Test since 2016, replacing Neil Wagner, who tore a hamstring in the first Test.
“It's an opportunity for Doug. It's exciting for him, he has done well in domestic cricket and I'm looking forward to having his skills out there,” said New Zealand captain Tim Southee.
New Zealand: Tom Latham, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Blundell, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee (capt), Matt Henry, Doug Bracewell, Blair Tickner Sri Lanka: Oshada Fernando, Dimuth Karunaratne (capt), Kusal Mendis, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, Dhananjaya de Silva, Nishan Madushka, Kasun Rajitha, Asitha Fernando, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lahiru Kumara. (AFP)
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