Kiwis send message with innings victory over England

New Zealand have sent a powerful message to upcoming opponents Australia by defeating their Ashes rivals England in the first Test at Mount Manganui by a whopping innings and 65 runs.

Neil Wagner delivered the decisive blows as the hosts sealed victory with an hour to spare, finishing with 5-44 on Monday to put the icing on a dominant final three days.

Wagner finished with eight wickets for the match while a maiden Test double century from player-of-the-match BJ Watling helped set up the comprehensive win.

But the Black Caps will sweating on the scan results of strike bowler Trent Boult, who could be in doubt for the three-Test tour of Australia.

Boult left Bay Oval in pain after completing one over on the final morning and medical staff ruled out the prospect of a return to the field after diagnosing an issue down the right side of his torso.

He was set to undergo an MRI scan on Tuesday and is in serious doubt to line up for the second Test starting in Hamilton on Friday.

There is only a short turnaround before the three-Test series in Australia, starting in Perth on December 12.

England were knocked over for 197 just before the final drinks break at Bay Oval on Monday, never threatening the 262 they needed to make the hosts bat again.

Four wickets in the space of 11.3 overs midway through the middle session swung momentum, undoing some belligerent batting earlier in the day when England resumed at 3-55.

Wagner, a proven performer in the second innings of Tests on Kiwi soil, claimed three of those scalps and then wrapped up the match when removing tailenders Joffra Archer (30) and Stuart Broad with successive deliveries. Sam Curran was unbeaten on 29.

The damage was done after lunch on a pitch playing tricks, although the surface wasn't entirely to blame for England's middle order meltdown.

Tim Southee ended a gritty stand between Joe Denly (35) and Ben Stokes (28) which lasted 26 overs after the cheap dismissal of out-of-form skipper Joe Root.

Stokes was unfortunate to play on, the ball clipping a bail, removing the man regarded as most likely to deny New Zealand victory.

Extra bounce from Wagner feathered Denly's glove before he also removed Ollie Pope and Jos Buttler, the latter inexplicably shouldering arms to end a scoreless 18-ball knock.

Root was caught tamely at gully off Colin de Grandhomme in the only morning breakthrough as the visitors crawled to 4-98.

Mitchell Santner (3-53), who claimed three late wickets on Sunday, bowled virtually unchanged through the day but without success, despite his left-arm spin causing problems.

It was a memorable and fighting victory for New Zealand, set up by their exceptional response of 9-(dec)615 after England posted 353.

Watling's 205 and a maiden Test century to Santner (126) squeezed the life from the visitors, who will face an inquisition ahead of the second Test in Hamilton from Friday.