England need 263 more runs to beat New Zealand in the second Test and clinch the series after reaching 36-1 at lunch on a dramatic final day at Trent Bridge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Zak Crawley fell for a duck at the start of England's bid to chase down 299.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
But Alex Lees's brisk 30 not out kept England in the hunt, while first-innings centurion Ollie Pope was unbeaten on six.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
In-form Daryl Mitchell earlier made 62 not out as New Zealand were dismissed for 284 after resuming on 224-7.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mitchell, on 32 overnight, and Trent Boult put on 35 for the last wicket to leave the match delicately balanced.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
All four results are still possible with a minimum of 63 overs left, but a win for Ben Stokes' team requires the highest successful Test run chase at Trent Bridge.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The existing record is England's 284-6 against New Zealand in 2004.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Test world champions New Zealand are painfully aware that England have already knocked off the 277 required to beat them in the final innings of the first Test at Lord's.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England must score at above four an over to win, although New Zealand will be without the services of injured pace bowler Kyle Jamieson.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The home side are aiming for a first Test series victory since January 2021 as Stokes and new coach Brendon McCullum look to start their reign in style after a gloomy period for the national team.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A dramatic collapse in the evening session on day four had left New Zealand with a precarious lead of 238, giving England unexpected hope of a memorable success.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England's Ben Foakes had claimed any total under 300 would be a realistic score to chase, while New Zealand's Devon Conway was confident his side would triumph if they built a lead of 280.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Both teams will still believe victory is in their grasp with two sessions remaining.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
- Pivotal battle -
\r\nEngland looked heavy underdogs when New Zealand posted 553 in their first innings, but their impressive fightback had convinced fans to take advantage of free admission to create a boisterous crowd.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Matt Henry responded to the raucous fans by punching Stokes to the boundary, prompting the England captain to send down a menacing bouncer that left Henry sprawled on the pitch after taking evasive action.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
A grin plastered on his face after that near-miss, Henry quickly unleashed another four, but Stokes again turned to the short ball in a pivotal battle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Dropping short proved the correct tactic as Henry looked to fend one off his ribs from Stuart Broad, but could only nick it to Foakes for the crucial breakthrough.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Jamieson perished when his attempted pull off Broad took a thin edge and Foakes dived to his right to make a good catch.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Trent Boult became the highest-scoring number 11 in Test history, moving past Muttiah Muralitharan's 623 runs.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Mitchell, who scored an imperious 190 in the first innings, crunched a pair of boundaries to reach his half-century.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Boult followed suit with some lusty blows off Stokes, leaving the skipper shaking his head in frustration.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
England finally took the new ball and James Anderson dismissed Boult for 17 to set up the thrilling finale.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Lees opened the chase in blistering fashion as he smashed three of Tim Southee's first four balls to the boundary.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
It was quite a statement of intent, but New Zealand were unfazed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n