England blazed to an eight-wicket victory in the first Test against New Zealand Sunday, knocking off their 104-run target in just 12.4 overs of their second innings. After bowling out New Zealand for 254 on day four in Christchurch, debutant Jacob Bethell scored the winning run to reach a maiden Test 50 off 37 deliveries with eight fours and a six. Joe Root was not out 23 off 15 balls at the other end.&nbsp;

"Very happy with the way we performed throughout the week," said England captain Ben Stokes after his side took a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. "Our bowlers were relentless throughout."

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New Zealand resumed on 155-6 in their second innings, a lead of four runs, and frustrated England for more than two hours to reach 254, a lead of 103.

Daryl Mitchell, 31 overnight, scored a defiant 84 and put on a stubborn 13-over partnership for the last wicket worth 45 runs with Will O'Rourke (five not out).

England's Brydon Carse took six second-innings wickets to finish with 10 in a Test for the first time.

The 104-run target was never going to be enough to stop England, who sealed the Test midway through the afternoon session.

They lost Zak Crawley in the second over, caught and bowled by Matt Henry for one, and Ben Duckett caught by Henry off O'Rourke for a rapid 27 off 18 balls before Bethell and Root took over.

The home defeat evaporated New Zealand's euphoria from their recent 3-0 sweep in India and all but ended their hopes of a berth in the World Test Championship final.

Through the first two sessions of the Test, the Black Caps had the upper hand, despite losing the toss, as they reached 199-3 on a seamers' wicket.

Even when they were all out for 348 and England were 71-4 in reply the momentum was with New Zealand.

But from there the game turned England's way with belligerent batting aided by sloppy fielding, which included eight dropped catches.

When New Zealand batted again, a masterful seam bowling session by Chris Woakes and player-of-the-match Carse tilted the match firmly back to England.

<h2>'Catches win matches'</h2>

"We were happy with the position we had, and we had our opportunities," said New Zealand captain Tom Latham. "On a different day, catches go to hand and things might be different, but that's the sport we play."

England's first innings 499 gave them an imposing 151 run-lead, but had New Zealand taken their catches it could have been a different scenario.

Harry Brook was dropped on 18, Stokes was put down on 50 and added 30 more, a catch off Duckett was spilt on 25 and he went on to make 46, while Carse finished 33 not out after escaping on six.

"Catches win matches," said Brook as he reflected on the five lives he had on his way to 171.

Brook then caught opener Latham at the start of the New Zealand second innings to give Woakes his first wicket.

In a one-and-a-half sessions on Saturday, New Zealand lost six wickets as Woakes and Carse found movement with the ball.

After removing Latham, Woakes bagged New Zealand's premier batsman Kane Williamson for 61 and Tom Blundell in consecutive deliveries.

Carse chipped in with the wickets of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips.

In the first session Sunday, Carse removed Nathan Smith and Henry in the same over.

Smith advanced from his overnight one to 21, playing through a barrage of short deliveries before a fuller ball from Carse nipped back and rapped into his pads.

Four balls later the 29-year-old Carse, in only his third Test, accounted for Henry (one) with a similar delivery.

He came back later to end the innings with Mitchell's wicket to finish with an impressive Test-best 6-42.

Woakes took 3-59 with the other wicket taken by Gus Atkinson, who was hit for two sixes by Tim Southee before the tall New Zealander was caught on the boundary swinging for a third.

The second Test starts in Wellington on Friday. The third and final Test is in Hamilton, beginning December 14.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

England blazed to an eight-wicket victory in the first Test against New Zealand Sunday, knocking off their 104-run target in just 12.4 overs of their second innings.

England blazed to an eight-wicket victory in the first Test against New Zealand Sunday, knocking off their 104-run target in just 12.4 overs of their second innings. After bowling out New Zealand for 254 on day four in Christchurch, debutant Jacob Bethell scored the winning run to reach a maiden Test 50 off 37 deliveries with eight fours and a six. Joe Root was not out 23 off 15 balls at the other end. "Very happy with the way we performed throughout the week," said England captain Ben Stokes after his side took a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series. "Our bowlers were relentless throughout." ALSO READ: South Africa push Australia down to third position on WTC table after huge win in first Test vs SL New Zealand resumed on 155-6 in their second innings, a lead of four runs, and frustrated England for more than two hours to reach 254, a lead of 103. Daryl Mitchell, 31 overnight, scored a defiant 84 and put on a stubborn 13-over partnership for the last wicket worth 45 runs with Will O'Rourke (five not out). England's Brydon Carse took six second-innings wickets to finish with 10 in a Test for the first time. The 104-run target was never going to be enough to stop England, who sealed the Test midway through the afternoon session. They lost Zak Crawley in the second over, caught and bowled by Matt Henry for one, and Ben Duckett caught by Henry off O'Rourke for a rapid 27 off 18 balls before Bethell and Root took over. The home defeat evaporated New Zealand's euphoria from their recent 3-0 sweep in India and all but ended their hopes of a berth in the World Test Championship final. Through the first two sessions of the Test, the Black Caps had the upper hand, despite losing the toss, as they reached 199-3 on a seamers' wicket. Even when they were all out for 348 and England were 71-4 in reply the momentum was with New Zealand. But from there the game turned England's way with belligerent batting aided by sloppy fielding, which included eight dropped catches. When New Zealand batted again, a masterful seam bowling session by Chris Woakes and player-of-the-match Carse tilted the match firmly back to England. 'Catches win matches' "We were happy with the position we had, and we had our opportunities," said New Zealand captain Tom Latham. "On a different day, catches go to hand and things might be different, but that's the sport we play." England's first innings 499 gave them an imposing 151 run-lead, but had New Zealand taken their catches it could have been a different scenario. Harry Brook was dropped on 18, Stokes was put down on 50 and added 30 more, a catch off Duckett was spilt on 25 and he went on to make 46, while Carse finished 33 not out after escaping on six. "Catches win matches," said Brook as he reflected on the five lives he had on his way to 171. Brook then caught opener Latham at the start of the New Zealand second innings to give Woakes his first wicket. In a one-and-a-half sessions on Saturday, New Zealand lost six wickets as Woakes and Carse found movement with the ball. After removing Latham, Woakes bagged New Zealand's premier batsman Kane Williamson for 61 and Tom Blundell in consecutive deliveries. Carse chipped in with the wickets of Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra and Glenn Phillips. In the first session Sunday, Carse removed Nathan Smith and Henry in the same over. Smith advanced from his overnight one to 21, playing through a barrage of short deliveries before a fuller ball from Carse nipped back and rapped into his pads. Four balls later the 29-year-old Carse, in only his third Test, accounted for Henry (one) with a similar delivery. He came back later to end the innings with Mitchell's wicket to finish with an impressive Test-best 6-42. Woakes took 3-59 with the other wicket taken by Gus Atkinson, who was hit for two sixes by Tim Southee before the tall New Zealander was caught on the boundary swinging for a third. The second Test starts in Wellington on Friday. The third and final Test is in Hamilton, beginning December 14. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.

NZ vs ENG 2024: Brydon Carse and Jacob Bethell star for England in Christchurch Test win

Batting veteran Joe Root has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the player with the most runs in the fourth innings as the visitors complete the quickest 100-plus-run chase against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch. Root remained unbeaten on 23 off 25 balls, hitting a six and three fours, as England chased 104 in 12.4 overs with eight wickets remaining.&nbsp;

Playing his 150th Test, Root got out on a duck in England's first innings but got past Sachin’s tally of 1625 runs in the second outing. Root now has 1,630 runs (in the fourth innings) in 49 innings, with Sachin achieving this feat in 60 innings.&nbsp;

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The right-handed batter now leads the chart full of superstars, including third-place Graeme Smith (1611 runs in 41 innings), Alastair Cook (1611 runs in 53 innings), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1587 runs in 49 innings) and Rahul Dravid (1552 runs in 56 innings), respectively.

Off these 1,630 runs, Root has two hundreds and eight fifties, with 620 of those resulting in England’s wins. Only Smith has recorded over 1,000-plus runs in victories.&nbsp; 
Meanwhile, Root (12,777) is 3,144 runs behind Sachin’s overall Test tally (15,921).

<h2>Stokes brushes off injury concerns</h2>

England Test captain Ben Stokes suffered an injury scare in the second innings of the first Test at the Hagley Oval after aborting a spell midway into his fifth over; he later played it down as ‘more management than anything else’, declaring himself fit for the second Test.

"I've not spent that much time out in the middle for a long time. It's been a pretty heavy week this week: a lot of time in the field, bowled 20 overs, and then spent some time out in the middle,” Stokes said of his injury.&nbsp;

The English captain also revealed that he sustained a back injury while fielding during the game.&nbsp;

“I hurt my back diving for a ball as well. It's more management than anything else: with where we were in the game, it didn't feel necessary to eke out any more balls than I needed to. I think the body is going to be good for this outing, and I'm raring to go for Wellington,” Stokes continued.&nbsp;

Meanwhile, before the first Test against New Zealand, Stokes said he had completely recovered from the hamstring injury but opted against registering for the IPL 2025 mega auction to manage his workload and ‘prolong his career’.

(With inputs from agencies)

Batting veteran Joe Root has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the player with the most runs in the fourth innings as the visitors complete the quickest 100-plus-run chase against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch.

Batting veteran Joe Root has surpassed Sachin Tendulkar for the player with the most runs in the fourth innings as the visitors complete the quickest 100-plus-run chase against New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch. Root remained unbeaten on 23 off 25 balls, hitting a six and three fours, as England chased 104 in 12.4 overs with eight wickets remaining. Playing his 150th Test, Root got out on a duck in England's first innings but got past Sachin’s tally of 1625 runs in the second outing. Root now has 1,630 runs (in the fourth innings) in 49 innings, with Sachin achieving this feat in 60 innings. ALSO READ: Champions Trophy 2025: Pakistan agree to hybrid model but place few conditions – Report The right-handed batter now leads the chart full of superstars, including third-place Graeme Smith (1611 runs in 41 innings), Alastair Cook (1611 runs in 53 innings), Shivnarine Chanderpaul (1587 runs in 49 innings) and Rahul Dravid (1552 runs in 56 innings), respectively. Off these 1,630 runs, Root has two hundreds and eight fifties, with 620 of those resulting in England’s wins. Only Smith has recorded over 1,000-plus runs in victories. Meanwhile, Root (12,777) is 3,144 runs behind Sachin’s overall Test tally (15,921). Stokes brushes off injury concerns England Test captain Ben Stokes suffered an injury scare in the second innings of the first Test at the Hagley Oval after aborting a spell midway into his fifth over; he later played it down as ‘more management than anything else’, declaring himself fit for the second Test. "I've not spent that much time out in the middle for a long time. It's been a pretty heavy week this week: a lot of time in the field, bowled 20 overs, and then spent some time out in the middle,” Stokes said of his injury. The English captain also revealed that he sustained a back injury while fielding during the game. “I hurt my back diving for a ball as well. It's more management than anything else: with where we were in the game, it didn't feel necessary to eke out any more balls than I needed to. I think the body is going to be good for this outing, and I'm raring to go for Wellington,” Stokes continued. Meanwhile, before the first Test against New Zealand, Stokes said he had completely recovered from the hamstring injury but opted against registering for the IPL 2025 mega auction to manage his workload and ‘prolong his career’. (With inputs from agencies)

Joe Root surpasses Sachin Tendulkar for most runs in fourth innings as ENG complete quickest run chase vs NZ

Australia captain Pat Cummins hailed several match winners in the Test squad who helped the touring side win the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch by three wickets. Reeling at 34 for four late on day three and 80 for five at one stage early on day four, Australia clawed their way back into&nbsp;the game, taking the series 2-0.

After losing Travis Head early on day four, the under-fire pair of Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey, whose position in the Test team was under severe scrutiny for his series of low scores, stitched a brilliant 140-run stand in 29 overs to put Australia in the winning position.

While Ben Sears took two wickets in two balls to dent Australia’s run, including removing Marsh (on 80) and Starc on the first ball, Carey and Cummins stood tall to see their team home. Cummins remained on 32, and Carey registered his best Test score in the fourth inning.

ALSO READ:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/cricket/aus-vs-nz-alex-carey-mitchell-marsh-help-australia-whitewash-new-zealand-after-tense-win-in-second-test-698828">AUS vs NZ: Alex Carey, Mitchell Marsh help Australia whitewash New Zealand after tense win in second Test</a>

"Think the story of this series was in key moments one guy stood up, we didn't necessarily play the complete game, but in those pivotal moments someone stood up and made themselves a matchwinner," Cummins said after the second Test. "[We] keep finding ways to win, it's a pretty awesome squad."

Meanwhile, in the last decade, or probably a bit more than that, Australia has chased 275-plus totals only thrice, and coincidently, Cummins was at the crease on all three occasions.&nbsp;

While the first instance came during his debut&nbsp;Test series against South Africa in 2011 (the JoBurg Test), Cummins and Lyon won it for Australia in Edgbaston for the second time last year. In 2024, the Aussie captain was at the crease, winning it for his side once again.

"We've been on the other side of it plenty of times, and if the scoreboard's not moving, you feel in the game, but if they are chipping away, it seems like it's all happening pretty quickly," he said. "That was the goal today, be busy, keep the run rate ticking over, and bit by bit getting closer."

"[It was] pretty tense," Cummins said. &nbsp;

"Pretty nervous watching for the last couple of hours, everyone trying to keep themselves busy then looking up at the board. Amazing win,” the Aussie captain added.

<h2>Australia whitewash Kiwis</h2>

However, with this 2-0 win in the Test series, Australia completed a series whitewash over New Zealand by beating them in all five matches on their away tour, including winning the T20I series 3-0.&nbsp;

The Aussie and Kiwi players will feature in the Indian Premier League,&nbsp;starting on March 22 in Chennai.&nbsp;

Besides, New Zealand will tour Pakistan for the white-ball leg in April.&nbsp;

Australia captain Pat Cummins hailed several match winners in the Test squad who helped the touring side win the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch by three wickets.

Australia captain Pat Cummins hailed several match winners in the Test squad who helped the touring side win the second Test against New Zealand in Christchurch by three wickets. Reeling at 34 for four late on day three and 80 for five at one stage early on day four, Australia clawed their way back into the game, taking the series 2-0. After losing Travis Head early on day four, the under-fire pair of Mitchell Marsh and Alex Carey, whose position in the Test team was under severe scrutiny for his series of low scores, stitched a brilliant 140-run stand in 29 overs to put Australia in the winning position. While Ben Sears took two wickets in two balls to dent Australia’s run, including removing Marsh (on 80) and Starc on the first ball, Carey and Cummins stood tall to see their team home. Cummins remained on 32, and Carey registered his best Test score in the fourth inning. ALSO READ: AUS vs NZ: Alex Carey, Mitchell Marsh help Australia whitewash New Zealand after tense win in second Test "Think the story of this series was in key moments one guy stood up, we didn't necessarily play the complete game, but in those pivotal moments someone stood up and made themselves a matchwinner," Cummins said after the second Test. "[We] keep finding ways to win, it's a pretty awesome squad." Meanwhile, in the last decade, or probably a bit more than that, Australia has chased 275-plus totals only thrice, and coincidently, Cummins was at the crease on all three occasions. While the first instance came during his debut Test series against South Africa in 2011 (the JoBurg Test), Cummins and Lyon won it for Australia in Edgbaston for the second time last year. In 2024, the Aussie captain was at the crease, winning it for his side once again. "We've been on the other side of it plenty of times, and if the scoreboard's not moving, you feel in the game, but if they are chipping away, it seems like it's all happening pretty quickly," he said. "That was the goal today, be busy, keep the run rate ticking over, and bit by bit getting closer." "[It was] pretty tense," Cummins said. "Pretty nervous watching for the last couple of hours, everyone trying to keep themselves busy then looking up at the board. Amazing win,” the Aussie captain added. Australia whitewash Kiwis However, with this 2-0 win in the Test series, Australia completed a series whitewash over New Zealand by beating them in all five matches on their away tour, including winning the T20I series 3-0. The Aussie and Kiwi players will feature in the Indian Premier League, starting on March 22 in Chennai. Besides, New Zealand will tour Pakistan for the white-ball leg in April.

'We keep finding ways to win, it's an awesome squad' - Cummins hails Australian team after Christchurch win

Ace spinner Nathan Lyon feels the Christchurch Test is still in Australia’s pocket despite needing 202 runs with only six wickets remaining. After New Zealand reduced the touring side to 34 for four in the chase of 279, Australia looked like running out of fuel to make it 2-0 in this series. However, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head ensured they didn’t suffer any more hiccups as Australia ended day three on 77 for four.

Speaking to the media after the third day of play, Lyon said the belief in the dressing room echoes they can pull this chase off, and if they do, it’d be nothing short of brilliance.&nbsp;

Lyon hails the leadership group for instilling confidence in the side, ensuring each batter is thrilled about completing what looks like a tough run chase at hand.

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"It would be a great Test match win if we're able to pick this off," Lyon said after play.&nbsp;

"There's a lot of belief in that change room, and I think that's a credit to Pat [Cummins] and Ron [Andrew McDonald], the way they go about their leadership, instilling a lot of belief that we can win from any position."

"And we've now found ourselves in this position that our backs are up against the wall. New Zealand were on a roll tonight, but I'm sitting here understanding and believing that we can win, that's for sure,” the off-spinner said.

<h2>Been there, done that</h2>

Although Australia’s record of chasing 270-plus totals hasn’t been great in the past decade or so, they last completed a chase of that size against England in Edgbaston last year (chased 282), with Pat Cummins and Lyon adding 55 for the ninth wicket to steer Australia through.

Before that, it was in 2011 against South Africa when Australia chased a total above 270, when Test debutant, an 18-year-old Cummins, won the match for his team with the bat, while Lyon was padded up to play at number 11.

"We've been able to tick off a couple of totals in the past," Lyon said.&nbsp;

"So, there's a lot of confidence within our batting group and us bowlers with the bat in hand. We pride ourselves on our batting, so we'll give it our best chance if it comes down to that,” the nightwatcher, who was ready with his pads as day three play was winding up, added.&nbsp;

Ace spinner Nathan Lyon feels the Christchurch Test is still in Australia’s pocket despite needing 202 runs with only six wickets remaining. After New Zealand reduced the touring side to 34 for four in the chase of 279, Australia looked like running out of fuel to make it 2-0 in this series.

Ace spinner Nathan Lyon feels the Christchurch Test is still in Australia’s pocket despite needing 202 runs with only six wickets remaining. After New Zealand reduced the touring side to 34 for four in the chase of 279, Australia looked like running out of fuel to make it 2-0 in this series. However, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head ensured they didn’t suffer any more hiccups as Australia ended day three on 77 for four. Speaking to the media after the third day of play, Lyon said the belief in the dressing room echoes they can pull this chase off, and if they do, it’d be nothing short of brilliance. Lyon hails the leadership group for instilling confidence in the side, ensuring each batter is thrilled about completing what looks like a tough run chase at hand. ALSO READ: PCB lists Shane Watson and Darren Sammy as options for head coach role "It would be a great Test match win if we're able to pick this off," Lyon said after play. "There's a lot of belief in that change room, and I think that's a credit to Pat [Cummins] and Ron [Andrew McDonald], the way they go about their leadership, instilling a lot of belief that we can win from any position." "And we've now found ourselves in this position that our backs are up against the wall. New Zealand were on a roll tonight, but I'm sitting here understanding and believing that we can win, that's for sure,” the off-spinner said. Been there, done that Although Australia’s record of chasing 270-plus totals hasn’t been great in the past decade or so, they last completed a chase of that size against England in Edgbaston last year (chased 282), with Pat Cummins and Lyon adding 55 for the ninth wicket to steer Australia through. Before that, it was in 2011 against South Africa when Australia chased a total above 270, when Test debutant, an 18-year-old Cummins, won the match for his team with the bat, while Lyon was padded up to play at number 11. "We've been able to tick off a couple of totals in the past," Lyon said. "So, there's a lot of confidence within our batting group and us bowlers with the bat in hand. We pride ourselves on our batting, so we'll give it our best chance if it comes down to that,” the nightwatcher, who was ready with his pads as day three play was winding up, added.

NZ v AUS 2024: Christchurch Test still in Australia’s pocket, feels nightwatcher Nathan Lyon