"In England's green and pleaaaaasaaant land," roars the smattering of England fans in this disappointingly empty Eden Park as the morning rendition of Jerusalem ends. It's bright sunshine in Auckland so you wouldn't expect too much swing but that might come later under lights.

Here's Dawid Malan on strike for the first time...

Ooooof. That's risky. He has a flirt outside off stump on his very first ball, wanting to feel bat on leather. You could see by the look on Malan's face how disappointed he was with himself there.

Jeremy Coney
Ex-New Zealand captain on Test Match Special

It's going to be a bit of hard toil for New Zealand because of the pitch to take seven wickets. The fullness of the bowling is going to be key. With the shortness of the boundaries down the ground there is an element of self interest from the bowlers protecting themselves by bowling shorter.

What's all the fuss about! Four to Ben Stokes to start the day. Easy as that. In truth it's a poor ball down the leg side from Trent Boult. Still, four to the total.

It'll be Tim Southee from the other end.

Arif D: Prediction: All out within 45 overs.

As ever I want to hear from you during this day's play. Let's start off with your predictions for the day...

Graeme Swann
Ex-England spinner on BBC Test Match Special

It was a shockwave to lose Joe Root which went through the dressing room. Ben Stokes would rather than turned up for half an hour this morning and watched some cricket before batting. There are players with talent for England who could bat all day, but there's some who are on a pair! The pitch is still good though.

That's sounds like fighting talk from Dawid Malan. Can he back it up? He's on his way out to the middle alongside Ben Stokes who is on a pair remember.

Stokes will be on strike for the one ball left in Trent Boult's over from last night.

England batsman Dawid Malan, speaking to TMS before play: "This is what players' reputations are built on if you can bat the day and save your team. The rain has given us a chance to fight and save the match. We are going to have show the application needed.

"It's a different challenge under lights, it feels a different game but that's Test cricket. It was a frustrating end yesterday, we've all been in that situation where you work hard to get into a position and then it goes out the window. Trent Boult bowled Joe Root a really good one. It would have been great to have had Joe starting the day today. It's one of those things that happen.

"We were not as decisive with our foot movement in the first innings and the challenge is not to make that mistake twice. We have worn them down a bit and it's up to us to continue to do that today."

Image source, AFP

You'll have had to have been living under a rock for the last few days not to know already but just in case I'll quickly sum up the latest from South Africa.

Steve Smith stood down from his position as Australia captain following the ball-tampering scandal.

He has been banned for one Test while Cameron Bancroft, the player who did the tampering, has escaped without a ban. Australia crumbled on day four to lose the third Test against South Africa.

If you want to read more on the story then head over to this extensive piece.

It includes all of the details plus reaction from the Australian prime minister, former captain Michael Clarke, former Aussie players Adam Gilchrist and Jason Gillespie as well as TMS' Michael Vaughan and Jonathan Agnew plus more.

In another piece we've also taken a look at whether Australia are 'out of control' and the other questions following the scandal. Read that here.

But there might be just one omen for England today.

It is five years to the day since Matt Prior saved a draw for England with a brilliant hundred against New Zealand on this ground.

Much like today, England had to bat out the final day and Prior scored 110 not out to see his side to victory. You may remember it came down to the final wicket with some classic Monty Panesar moments.

Who can be England's Matt Prior today?

Image source, Getty Images

The worrying thing for England is we have been here before.

Twice in just the last few Test matches - against Australia at Adelaide and South Africa at Trent Bridge - England have faced the prospect of needing to bat out the final day but have failed miserably.

I get the sense there's not too much optimism among England fans at their prospects today.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

England batsman Dawid Malan, speaking to Sky Sports before play: "A lot of New Zealand players have not played much four or five day cricket for a while. Their batsmen seemed to find enough movement and we were not as decisive.

"And that happens when you have not played a lot of cricket. Maybe we could have get out here a bit earlier if possible.

"So today we are going to have bat time but not just block it, and score runs then we can. The idea I think is to make them bat again and the first hour will be crucial."

Jonathan Agnew
BBC cricket correspondent on Test Match Special

I can confirm Joe Root hasn't had an x-ray, scan, or anything like that which would hint it's not too serious. You wonder how unsettled he was by it. He was in agony at the time. I am a bit surprised it hasn't been x-rayed. It was just a brutal ball which struck him and down he went. Without him and Alastair Cook you wonder about England's chance. Next ball he was gone. He stormed off.

BBC Test Match Special

TMS is on air with all the build up to this final day from Auckland.

Tune in at the top of this page.

Image source, Getty Images

So if you missed it, on the very final ball of day four England suffered the huge blow of losing their captain and best batsman Joe Root.

Root was bounced out by the quite brilliant Trent Boult just a ball after suffering a nasty blow on the glove from another bouncer.

That wicket left England 132-3, still 237 runs behind New Zealand's first innings total.

There will be a minimum of 98 overs today. The rain won't save England. They'll have to do it the hard way.

Read our day four report here.

Hello there. What a few days this has been.

There has been plenty of distractions but England's task is clear. They must bat most of if not all of this final day or New Zealand will condemn them to a fifth defeat in six Tests this winter.

Play gets under way at 01:30 BST so strap yourselves in. This could* be a long one.

*England may well crumple in a heap but let's start positive.

Five days is an incredibly long time in sport.

I turned up for work on Wednesday night expecting a relatively routine day-night Test between two well-matched teams.

Since then we've had England being bowled out for 58, two days of rain, the explosion of the Australian ball-tampering scandal, Steve Smith standing down as Aussie captain mid-Test and Joe Root fall with the very last ball of day four.

Ahead of us now is day five with England desperately trying to avoid another Test defeat this winter.

They've said it themselves... England need a hero.