Williamson ton guides Black Caps to win

Star batsman Kane Williamson says he learnt his lesson after he guided New Zealand to a series-clinching five-wicket win in the second Test against Sri Lanka in Hamilton.

Williamson struck an unbeaten 108 as the Black Caps got the 47 runs they needed on the fourth morning to finish on 189-5.

It completed a golden Test year for the stylish right-hander, who took his 2015 aggregate to 1172, the highest by a New Zealander. It also lifted the 25-year-old to the top of the ICC Test rankings.

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But Williamson had started his latest knock fresh from a rare failure, dismissed for one in the first innings at Seddon Park.

On a wicket with bounce, both sides used the short-ball strategy to profitable effect and Williamson was one the victims as he was caught in the deep.

"It wasn't the biggest chase," he said.

"But it seemed some distance away because both teams came up with pretty sound bowling plans on what was a good cricket wicket."

He said that made shot selection important.

"I was a victim of that in the first innings as well, having played the pull shot a lot in previous games and thinking I could go out and do that again," he said.

"I wanted to make sure I was more sound in my decision-making."

New Zealand resumed on Monday at 142-5 as they sought to back up their 122-run victory in Dunedin.

Williamson was on 78 and got himself going with the second ball of the day, turning a delivery from paceman Dushmantha Chameera behind square for four.

There were three more boundaries off Chameera before he brought up his century with another four off the same bowler through square leg.

Wicket-keeper BJ Watling, who was content to let Williamson do most of the scoring, ended on 13.

Watling brought up the winning run with a swept single as New Zealand equalled their best unbeaten Test run at home of 13 matches, set between 1987 and 1991.

Chameera was the most successful of the tourists' attack with 4-68 to add to his 5-47, his maiden bag of five, in the first innings.

A young Sri Lankan side, without run machines Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, both retired from Test cricket, had their moments, but couldn't push on from solid positions.

They had led by 55 runs after dismissing New Zealand for 237, but collapsed in dramatic fashion in their second innings, going from 71-0 to 133 all out and skipper Angelo Mathews was left ruing missed opportunities.

"We had our chances, especially after getting them all out for 240-odd and having a healthy lead," he said.

"We just had to bat well and dig deep, but we made a real mockery out of our second innings batting and we just couldn't give enough runs for the bowlers to get them out."

But Mathews was optimistic about the future, saying there was plenty of quality in the squad and it was a matter of getting the experience.

The two sides now meet in a five-match one-day series beginning at Hagley Oval in Christchurch on Boxing Day.