Another half-chance evaded Mitchell at slip off Foulkes, as Stokes' outside edge ricocheted off Tom Blundell's gloves. That was followed in the next over by Stokes launching an outrageous slog-sweep off Smith into the crowd for six more, as cries of "Ben Stokes' Barmy Army" rang around the ground. However, after flogging Foulkes through the covers for his fourth boundary, he fell for a manic 30 off 20 balls, Mitchell holding a sharp catch at midwicket.

After a 50-run opening stand in 7.2 overs, England had a platform. But instead it was New Zealand who seized the moment. Jacob Bethell was pinned lbw not offering a shot in the same over and Harry Brook, who had hit a six and three fours in his first eight balls, then flipped a simple catch to fine leg to give Foulkes a third.

The suspicion had always been that any fourth-innings chase upwards of 250 was going to be challenging, with the surface showing signs of breaking up from day three onwards. That was proven by Ben Sears, who had returned to accompany Mitchell through to his hundred after retiring hurt with a blow to the finger, finding devastating lift from a length with his sixth ball to snag Ben Duckett's outside edge minutes before the close. That left England four down and running on the fumes of Stokes' last-ditch attempts to inspire a famous win.

Even allowing for the presence of Emilio Gay at No. 6, having slid down to accommodate his captain's move up the order, and Joe Root, who had himself shuffled down to No. 5, a requirement of 270 more on the final day looks the stuff of miracles - and England without their miracle-maker-in-chief.

New Zealand's grip on the match would not have been possible without the efforts of Mitchell, who was left battered but unbowed after holding off England for two-and-a-half sessions, glueing the innings together as batting became more and more challenging on a wearing pitch. He put on 129 with Rachin Ravindra, who made 94, and then eked out vital runs with the tail after England, led by Stokes with the ball, fought back with four wickets in the middle session.

Having ground his way to a 170-ball half-century, Mitchell returned after tea on 63 not out in the company of the No. 10, Sears, and immediately upped the tempo. He hooked Josh Tongue for six over deep midwicket, then launched Gus Atkinson down the ground, putting on 50 from 58 balls with Sears.

He was briefly halted on 85 when taking yet another blow - this time from Atkinson to the helmet - but fought on, losing Sears to a damaged finger and then O'Rourke, palpably lbw (the ball actually brushed off stump after hitting the pads). But Sears returned with his finger strapped to help get Mitchell to his century, from 241 balls - his sixth in Tests, and fourth against England - celebrated with a guttural roar.

England's tussle with Mitchell threatened to become a subplot in the wider drama of the summer as Stokes' retirement was announced mid-spell and, in a moment that almost appeared choreographed in its perfection, he took a wicket with his very next ball, then tore off in celebration, arms spread wide, before being engulfed by his team-mates.

Foulkes had at least hung around for almost 13 overs alongside Mitchell, who had chugged along at his own pace throughout, helping New Zealand to add 114 runs to their overnight lead of 204 over the course of the first two sessions - and repelled England when they might have rolled through them with the lead below 300.

At the interval, the crowd stood to applaud Stokes again as he walked off the field, having bowled throughout the session for figures of 11-1-16-2. As ever with Stokes, the numbers only told half the story.

England had been frustrated for almost the entirety of the morning session, but snapped up three wickets in the space of 10 balls after lunch. Jofra Archer claimed his third and fourth of the innings, having Blundell caught in the deep and Smith at the wicket, either side of Mitchell Santner edging behind - although Stokes needed to be talked into a review to confirm it.

Until the dismissal of Ravindra, five minutes before the lunch break, New Zealand's fourth-wicket pair had weathered everything that England - and an increasingly up-and-down pitch - could throw at them.

Ravindra and Mitchell only scored 60 runs across 23.4 overs, as England's attack plugged away manfully. The challenge of batting last was only highlighted when Stokes turned belatedly to spin and Shoaib Bashir trapped Ravindra lbw going back to one that kept low with his fourth ball.

The closest they came to being separated before that was when Mitchell was given out lbw in the second over of the morning, off the bowling of Archer. Ball-tracking showed it would have cleared middle stump, however, and Rod Tucker had to overturn his decision - to the delight of Mitchell, who was animated in celebrating his reprieve.

He had less to smile about as the first hour wore on, repeatedly taking blows on the hands and body, with Stokes in particular managing to exploit the surface's variable bounce. Mitchell managed six runs in the first 55 minutes of the day, before edging Josh Tongue through a vacant second slip for four. He then went scoreless for more than half an hour as lunch approached.

If England were to tip a see-sawing contest back their way, they needed early wickets. But despite Stokes finding movement during an eight-over opening spell that returned figures of 8-1-14-0 and Archer winning a decision (overturned on review) with his second delivery, their initial efforts were hard-working but fruitless.

Mitchell bore the brunt of it, with Stokes pinging him on the forearm, and at least two other balls rapping him painful blows on the gloves. When one delivery took off past the outside edge, Jamie Smith, standing up to the stumps through large parts of the session, copped a blow on the grille of his helmet.

Ravindra was more fluent, pulling Stokes firmly through midwicket and then whipping Archer off his pads for four more. He moved into the 90s with a thick edge through third and then a clip off the pads in the space of two balls, but was unable to convert what would have been his sixth Test hundred.