Carse, Bethell lead England to thumping first Test win

England have comfortably chased down their 104-run victory target on the fourth day of the first Test against New Zealand to claim a convincing eight-wicket victory and take a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Zak Crawley departed for one and his fellow opener Ben Duckett for 27 but Jacob Bethell, who was making his Test debut, and Joe Root, playing his 150th, got the visitors across the line before tea on Sunday in Christchurch.

Bethell scored the winning run with a single to deep square leg to complete a 37-ball half-century, while Root chipped in with 23 runs from 15 deliveries.

Brydon Carse had earlier taken 6-42 in only his third Test as England dismissed New Zealand for 254 to bring up lunch and move to the brink of victory.

"An amazing couple of days," said Carse, who was named player of the match.

"To top it off today with getting a 10-for and winning, an amazing feeling, and I'm very proud.

"We've still got two big games in this series, and we'll see what the surfaces are like going forward."

Daryl Mitchell frustrated England with a defiant 84, but it only delayed the inevitable at Hagley Oval after sloppy New Zealand fielding, including a flurry of dropped catches, had helped England to a dominant position.

"No one means to drop catches," said Black Caps captain Tom Latham, who was responsible for a couple of them.

"But I guess when you give opportunities to some quality players ... sometimes that can hurt you.

"We weren't quite at our best in this game, but we know how fickle this game can be, and we'll head to Wellington and stay reasonably level."

New Zealand had resumed in a parlous state at 6-155 with a lead of just four runs, and the writing was on the wall when Carse removed Nathan Smith (21) and Matt Henry (1) cheaply in one over to claim his first Test five-wicket haul.

Tim Southee, playing his final series, hit his 94th and 95th Test sixes to score 12 runs before Root caught him at deep midwicket off the bowling of Gus Atkinson.

There was one concerning moment for England when skipper Ben Stokes pulled up while bowling and handed the ball over to Atkinson to complete the over.

Carse finally got Mitchell out with the help of a catch by Chris Woakes in the deep to give him a first Test match 10-wicket haul after his 4-64 in the first innings.

The series continues with the second Test in Wellington starting on Friday and concludes in Hamilton.