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Galle: Tillakaratne Dilshan smashed 92 off 72 balls in his new role as opener as Sri Lanka hit back after early shocks in the first Test against New Zealand on Tuesday.
Sri Lanka, sent in to bat by New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori under overcast conditions, slipped to 16 for two2 before Dilshan's belligerent knock steered the hosts to 293 for 3 at stumps on the opening day.
Dilshan, who hit 12 boundaries and a six, hit the fastest Test half-century by a Sri Lankan off 30 balls, upstaging former captain Arjuna Ranatunga's 31-ball effort against India at Kanpur in 1986.
Mahela Jayawardene, who was unbeaten on 108 (217b, 14x4), joined the rescue act by adding 118 for the third wicket with Dilshan and 159 for the undefeated fourth with Thilan Samaraweera unbeaten 35 (167b, 11x4).
The start of the Test was delayed by 90 minutes due to early morning rain, although the pitch and outfield at the Galle International Stadium were unaffected under the covers.
Umpires Daryl Harper and Nigel Llong pushed back the lunch break by an hour to make up for lost time.
Seamer Chris Martin provided a dramatic start when he had Tharanga Paranavitana, Dilshan's fellow opener, edging the third ball of the match to wicket-keeper Brendon McCullum.
Martin also removed Kumar Sangakkara for eight, the Sri Lankan captain flicking a half-volley to the mid-wicket fielder after hitting two boundaries in the same over.
Dilshan, who has batted in the middle order in all of his previous 55 Tests, was promoted to open the batting in order to accommodate fit-again 'keeper Prasanna Jayawardene.
Seamer Iain O'Brien, who bore the brunt of Dilshan's assault and conceded 55 runs in his first six overs, denied the batsman his ninth Test century by bowling him off the inside edge soon after lunch.
The Black Caps will play two Tests, two Twenty20 internationals and a limited-overs tri-series also featuring India during the five-week tour.
Brief Score: Sri Lanka 293/3 (DPMD Jayawardene 108*, TM Dilshan 92, TT Samaraweera 82*, CS Martin 2-59) v New Zealand.
