England look well-set to complete a 3-0 series whitewash over New Zealand after an unbeaten 132-run partnership between Ollie Pope and Joe Root left them needing 113 runs to win with eight wickets still in hand.
England will resume on 183-2 on day five in front of a capacity crowd at Headingley after Yorkshire announced that tickets will be free. And those supporters will surely be treated to a fitting conclusion to what has been a brilliantly entertaining series.
Having put themselves in the driving seat with a late flurry of wickets on day three, England desperately needed to find a way to break the Daryl Mitchell and Tom Blundell partnership which has repeatedly frustrated them.
They had already put on three partnerships worth more than 100 runs in the series and the pair once again blunted England's bowlers on day four as they both passed fifty and put on yet another crucial stand worth 113 runs.
England did have an lbw decision overturned against both players on review, but it was third time lucky for the hosts when Matthew Potts finally dismissed Mitchell for 56, his fifth score of 50+ in six innings.
Just four balls after Potts was denied the wicket of Blundell, he removed Mitchell lbw with a massive roar going up around Headingley when the decision was upheld by DRS. Mitchell's dismissal left New Zealand 274-6 with a lead of 243 and allowed England to quickly wrap up the innings.
Jack Leach took the final four wickets as he ended with another five-wicket haul and ten wickets in the match. He got Michael Bracewell caught in the deep for nine and then delivered a double wicket maiden to remove Tim Southee and Neil Wagner, with Wagner remarkably getting caught between wicketkeeper Sam Billings' legs.
When Leach bowled Trent Boult for four, it left Blundell left stranded on 88 not out and meant England needed 296 runs to win, which would be the fifth-highest successful run chase at Headingley. However, they got off to a horror start in response when both their openers fell cheap.
A terrible mix-up resulted in Alex Lees getting run out for nine, before Zak Crawley's poor form continued when he holed out to cover off Bracewell for 25. When Root joined Pope at the crease England were 51-2 and needing a further 245 runs to win and the pair proceeded to share a brilliant unbeaten partnership to leave England on the verge of victory, with Pope on 81 and Root on 55.
