London: Kyle Jamieson took three wickets to put New Zealand under pressure to level the series after New Zealand left with a record run chase in the second Test against England at The Oval on Saturday.
England were 182/5 at the end of day four, needing 281 runs to reach the mammoth target of 463 runs.
West Indies’ 418-7 against Australia at St John’s in 2003 is the most fourth-innings win by any team in 149 years of Test cricket.
But England captain Joe Root remained unbeaten on 75, becoming only the second batsman after retired Indian legend Sachin Tendulkar to cross 14,000 Test runs.
Not for the first time in his 165-Test career, however, the prolific pacer Jamieson had England in trouble at 13/2 after taking two wickets in five balls.
Root and Harry Brook (58) kept New Zealand in check before New Zealand first-innings bowling hero Matt Henry put an end to the Yorkshire pair’s entertaining 97-run stand.
James Reve, one of three England debutants at the Oval, lbw on the review just before stumps, while Jamieson ended the day with good figures of 3-37 from 14 overs.
The situation is apt for a counter-attacking innings associated with regular England captain Ben Stokes.
But all-rounder Stokes, who scored 95 for county side Durham on Saturday, is missing from the match after being dropped for breaching a team curfew following England’s 115-run win in the first Test at Lord’s a fortnight ago.
Stokes is expected to return for next week’s series finale at Trent Bridge, but Root will have debutant Jordan Cox for company at the start of Sunday’s game in south London as England try to stop New Zealand from leveling the three-match series 1-1.
In the fourth over of England’s chase, Emilio Kay (11) dropped Jamieson at midwicket and four balls later the pacer was lbw to Jacob Bethel at No. 3 for a duck.
Root, who was England captain before Stokes took over four years ago, needed just two runs to join Tendulkar in an exclusive club, with a quick single from Henry taking him to 14,000 Test runs.
The 35-year-old, somewhat shy of his two not outs, raised his bat as the Oval crowd applauded his achievement.
Root’s next target could be Sachin’s 15,921 runs from 200 Tests.
But on nine, Root could see Ben Duckett recklessly hook a Will O’Rourke delivery over his head and spoon a simple catch to short midwicket.
New batsman Brooke showed excellent judgment in what to hit, England should have any chance of chasing their mammoth total.
He lifted Nathan Smith for a superb legside six and drove Jamieson for four, scoring 46 runs — 10 fours and one six — while scoring a 33-ball fifty.
However, Brook managed just seven more runs off his next 21 balls as the Black Caps regained control of the field and eventually he dropped England’s five-wicket haul to Henry at slip.
Out lbw for 44, Root brought up his half-century by neatly guiding Jamieson through the third man rope for the eighth boundary in the 81 balls he faced.
Earlier, New Zealand were bowled out for 362 after 252-3 in their second innings.
Henry Nicholls added just two runs to his overnight 119 for retired New Zealand great Kane Williamson, but Daryl Mitchell fell with 68 off the first ball on Saturday.