Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews won the toss and made New Zealand bat first at Pallekele International Stadium in the only Twenty20 on this tour.
The match was delayed for 45 minutes because of rain but each team still received its full 20 overs on Tuesday.
Mathews leads for the first time officially after Mahela Jayawardene resigned following Sri Lanka’s defeat to West Indies in the World Twenty20 final this month.
Jayawardene and vice-captain Lasith Malinga have been rested for the match.
Teams:
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dilshan Munaweera, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Kumar Sangakkara, Dinesh Chandimal, Jeevan Mendis, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Akila Dananjaya.
New Zealand: Ross Taylor (captain), Rob Nicol, Tom Latham, Brendon McCullum, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Jacob Oram, Ronnie Hira, Andrew Ellis, Tim Southee, Kyle Mills.