Stokes bows out with a blaze, but England's chase hangs in the balance

The scorecard suggested New Zealand held the upper hand, but the fourth day at Trent Bridge became a celebration of Ben Stokes. On the day he announced that the third Test would be his final appearance for England, the captain delivered one last reminder of his brilliance. He bowled continuously in the second session and then promoted himself to open the batting in his farewell innings, blasting 30 off 20.

The day also belonged to Daryl Mitchell, who battled his way to his sixth Test hundred, soon after which New Zealand declared at 288 for 9. Needing 383 for victory, England rekindled the glory days of Bazball with Stokes setting the tone at the top. But they also lost wickets regularly and ended the day at 103 for 4, needing 270 more, with Joe Root still at the crease.

Stokes walked out to another guard of honour – from the New Zealand team this time. Zakary Foulkes was struck for a six over his head by Stokes, who also edged one that evaded the keeper and slip. Stokes scoop-flicked Nathan Smith for a six, and then edged Foulkes for another boundary.

England raced past fifty in quick time but Stokes' entertaining innings ended when he hit a Foulkes delivery to mid-on, leaving the field for the last time to a standing ovation. Jacob Bethell fell lbw in the same over after shouldering arms. Harry Brook got off the mark with a six off Nathan Smith and struck three more fours before hitting a short ball from Foulkes straight to fine leg for a nine-ball 21.

Root announced his arrival with a reverse scoop for four off Nathan Smith while Ben Duckett dealt in regular boundaries. Ben Sears, back on the field after injury, struck in his first over to have Duckett caught at slip for 36.

Earlier, New Zealand weathered a probing first session despite England's disciplined efforts. The hosts conceded only 60 runs in 25 overs but had just one wicket, as Mitchell and Rachin Ravindra frustrated them with a 129-run partnership. Ravindra looked set for a century but Shoaib Bashir trapped him lbw for 94, leaving New Zealand at 180 for 4 at Lunch.

The variable bounce continued to aid England's seamers after Lunch. Mitchell brought up his 17th Test fifty, but wickets continued to fall. Stokes bowled 11 consecutive overs unchanged, finally having Foulkes caught at slip. Players from both sides congratulated Stokes before he led England off for Tea, with New Zealand at 234 for 8.

Mitchell decided to accelerate in the final session, striking boundaries off Josh Tongue, Gus Atkinson, and Jofra Archer. With a boundary and a single off Atkinson, Mitchell reached his hundred and New Zealand declared soon after.

Brief scores: New Zealand 438 & 288/9 decl. (Daryl Mitchell 100*, Rachin Ravindra 94; Jofra Archer 4-53) lead England 354 & 103/4 (Ben Duckett 36, Ben Stokes 30; Zakary Foulkes 3-42) by 269 runs.