Jonny Bairstow made a quickfire 73 before New Zealand recovered to hold the hosts to 175-8 in the fourth Twenty20 international at Trent Bridge on Tuesday.
In a match they have to win to end the series all square at 2-2, New Zealand were in danger of conceding a huge total while opener Bairstow hit five fours and six sixes in his blistering 41-ball innings.
England, both the T20 and 50-over world champions, were 105-1 off 11 overs after stand-in skipper Moeen Ali, deputising for the rested Jos Buttler, had won the toss.
But left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner led New Zealand’s fightback in the field with a haul of 3-30 that included the prize scalp of Bairstow.
Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone, who both made 26, were the only other batsmen in the innings to make it past 20.
Bairstow dominated the powerplay with three legside sixes, pacemen Matt Henry and Kyle Jamieson the bowlers to suffer.
But the Yorkshireman’s assault ended when he failed to clear long-on after lofting Santner down the ground.
Ish Sodhi, another of New Zealand’s spinners, induced ring star Harry Brook to hole out for four before Santner struck twice in the 16th over, removing Malan and Moeen as the batsmen tried to hit out.
Henry then had Livingstone caught off the last ball of the innings to leave New Zealand needing 176 to square the series.
Test match gloveman Bairstow, listed to keep wicket in Buttler’s absence, injured himself while batting. As a result, Buttler was drafted in as an emergency wicketkeeper.
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