Centuries to both Kane Williamson and BJ Watling have taken New Zealand’s lead against Sri Lanka to 310 in the second Test in Wellington.

The pair combined to set a record sixth-wicket partnership against the visitors and had shared in a 286-run stand to take the hosts to 5-445 at tea on the fourth day at the Basin Reserve.

Williamson was 190 not out, two runs shy of his Test-best while Watling was unbeaten on 118 at the break.

Williamson brought up his ninth Test century before the lunch break while Watling went to three figures for the fourth time around 25 minutes before tea.

He had endured a torrid barrage of short-pitched bowling from Nuwan Pradeep as he closed in on his second successive century at the ground and was struck a solid blow on his shoulder at one stage.

But he and Williamson, who was dropped for a third time in his innings on 104, were largely untroubled by a tiring Sri Lankan attack who have toiled for 157 overs in the innings so far.

The pair went past the previous sixth-wicket best against Sri Lanka of 246, set by Jeff Crowe and Richard Hadlee in 1987, and looked in danger of breaking the record for the wicket against all countries.

That is 352 set by Watling and Brendon McCullum in the great escape against India last February when Watling scored his Test-best 124.

New Zealand resumed the day on 5-253 with a modest lead of 118 and looked at ease early on until Williamson gloved a ball from left-arm spinner Rangana Herath only for wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene to fail to grasp the opportunity.

Sri Lanka had also dropped him on 29 and 60 on the third day.

Watling’s innings was chanceless and his gritty display was rewarded with three figures when he dabbed a ball into the off-side and completed a quick single.

Herath, Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker in 2014, posed few issues apart from the Williamson chance and had just one wicket to show after 52 overs of effort.