Shoaib Bashir provided a much-needed lift for England at Trent Bridge during the fourth morning of the Rothesay Series decider, but New Zealand maintained a commanding lead of 264 runs.

Just before lunch, England faced the daunting prospect of a wicketless morning on a pitch that had become increasingly unreliable. Bashir, making his entrance in the penultimate over, achieved immediate success by dismissing Rachin Ravindra, who had been crucial with his score of 94. Bashir's fourth delivery turned enough to trap Ravindra clean in front of the stumps, giving England a glimmer of hope.

At the break, New Zealand stood at 180 for four, having added only 60 runs in a challenging session. Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell had formed a resilient partnership, with Mitchell not out on 47, as they navigated tricky bounce variations.

England's chase in the fourth innings loomed large, with six wickets still required. Ben Stokes began aggressively from the Radcliffe Road End, delivering an intense eight-over spell where the pitch showed unpredictable behavior, causing some balls to skip low while others leaped unexpectedly.

Despite Stokes' efforts, which included a painful blow to Mitchell's forearm, England struggled to find a breakthrough. Jofra Archer came close to success when Mitchell was given lbw for 28, but DRS revealed the ball was missing the stumps.

The first hour yielded only 26 runs, as the Kiwi batsmen remained patient. However, as lunch approached, the scoreboard began to move more freely, particularly with Josh Tongue bowling more expensively. Stokes’ decision to bring Bashir on for a solitary over proved pivotal, as Ravindra misread the delivery, igniting celebrations that indicated England was not ready to concede defeat.