Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, the Kiwis got off to a steady start with Colin Munro and Martin Guptill adding 23 for the first wicket, before Munro fell to the bowling of the Sri Lankan captain Lasith Malinga for 13.
Guptill, who is expected to play a vital part during the 2019 World Cup, and his skipper Kane Williamson then hit 163 off the next 26 overs to keep the scoreboard moving rapidly. Williamson was out for 76, bowled by Nuwan Pradeep, having hit 6 fours, but Ross Taylor joined Guptill in the middle and the momentum continued.
Guptill reached his 13th ODI century but, having hit 5 sixes and 11 fours, departed for 138 to Thisara Perera. Taylor fell to the same bowler for 54, and Henry Nicholls and Tim Seifert were both out cheaply chasing quick runs. However, Jimmy Neesham shared a 7th wicket stand of 46 with Matt Henry scored off just 16 balls, as the all-rounder led a one-man assault on the Sri Lankan bowling.
Henry scored just six of them, with Neesham finishing undefeated on 47, with the 13 balls he faced including 6 sixes. He helped his side to a massive 371 -7 at the end of their 50 overs, which, even given the fact that it was a good surface on which to score runs, represented a major challenge for the visitors.
However, they got off to an excellent start through their opening pair of Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka who put on 119 for the first wicket, keeping them up with the required run rate. Both fell in quick order to Neesham, who was having a fine match, Gunathilaka caught behind for 43, and Dickwella, who had hit 3 sixes and 8 fours, bowled for 76.
Kusal Mendis and Kusal Perera then added 52 before Mendis was caught behind off the bowling of Ish Sodhi for 18, with Neesham then claiming his third wicket, dismissing Dinesh Chandimal for 10. Asela Gunaratne and Mendis added a further 56 for the fifth wicket, but when Gunaratne fell, caught by Lockie Ferguson off the bowling of Sodhi for 11, the visitors began to stumble, with Thisara Perera out next over to Ferguson.
Kusal Perera reached his fourth ODI century, but then was caught behind off the bowling of Trent Boult for 102, having made one six and 13 fours. The tail-enders added a further 28 runs, but Malinga was last man out, bowled by Henry for 11, with 8 balls still to be bowled in the innings.
Guptill was named man of the match.