A second aggressive spell of the match from Sri Lanka quick Nuwan Pradeep has sparked another New Zealand batting collapse, leaving the Black Caps struggling to save the second Test in Wellington.

The hosts lost three wickets in 30 balls to slump to 96-3 at lunch on day three at the Basin Reserve, still trailing the tourists by 39 runs.

Brendon McCullum, who hit a record 302 in similar circumstances to save the Test against India on the same ground almost a year ago, was 14 not and Kane Williamson was with him on four.

Resuming on 22-0, the Black Caps had advanced to 75 before Pradeep got the breakthrough to entice a loose shot from Hamish Rutherford (40).

A ball after he was unsettled by a short one, he slashed a cut to Dinesh Chandimal on the third man boundary.

The stand between Rutherford and Tom Latham was the best they have shared in seven attempts.

Rutherford had a scratchy start to the day and was lucky to survive the opening hour.

In the second over he dropped his hands to a ball from Dhammika Prasad, but it touched his gloves and went through to a gleeful Pasanna Jayawardene.

But the wicketkeeper’s joy was short-lived as umpire Steve Davis called Prasad for a front-foot no ball despite replays suggesting the delivery was fair.

He also got an inside edge to the same bowler and fended off a short ball which would have been comfortably taken had a short leg been in place.

But he made it through to drinks and with the Basin Reserve pitch offering little for the bowlers, Sri Lanka were down to just a solitary slip by the time he fell in the 16th over of the day.

Latham, on the other hand, looked far more assured and it came as a surprise when he chased a wide one from Pradeep 13 balls later when on 35.

When Ross Taylor departed playing the wrong line to left-arm spinner Rangana Herath without scoring the hosts had slid to 79-3 – still 56 runs shy of making the visitors bat again.

Pradeep claimed 4-63 in the first innings and his removal of Taylor in that innings triggered a collapse in which New Zealand lost their last eight wickets for 80 runs.

He had figures of 2-17 at lunch while the No.3-ranked Test bowler Herath had 1-17 from 11 testing overs.