England may require substantial hands from the Nottinghamshire trio of James Taylor, Samit Patel and Stuart Broad - as well as captain and lynchpin Alastair Cook - as they continue in pursuit of the 284 required for victory over Pakistan.
Cook, one of England’s lynchpins throughout the series, lost two partners as England closed on 46-2 but came through the Pakistan spin threat as his side set off in pursuit of 284.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan made 355 in their second innings, as pace duo Stuart Broad and James Anderson once again were the standout bowlers.
The hosts began the day on 146-3 with Mohammad Hafeez unbeaten on 97, the Pakistan opener surviving a strong LBW appeal off Adil Rashid from the first ball of the day.
Nightwatchman Rahat Ali was unable to get off the mark before Anderson bowled him early in the morning.
Hafeez was unmoved though, breezing past his century before guiding his side, alongside captain Misbah-ul-Haq, to the lunch break without any further loss.
Quick wickets were vital to stem the Pakistan charge, and Broad duly obliged by becoming the first bowler in 2015 to take 50 Test wickets when Misbah was trapped LBW for 38.
Hafeez went to 150 before a rush of blood led to his dismissal, trying to launch Moeen Ali into the stands but only finding the hands of Ian Bell at long-on.
A quickfire stand of 56 between Asad Shafiq and Sarfraz Ahmed put the hosts firmly in the driving seat before two quick wickets once again saw momentum change hands.
Samit Patel produced an excellent delivery to account for Ahmed (36) before Rashid dismissed his fellow leg-spinner Yasir Shah, caught by Stuart Broad at point.
Coming out after Tea, Pakistan were 319-8, a lead of 247, and they added a further 36 before England managed to bring the innings to a close.
Broad, who took 3-44 to finish the match with figures of 5-57 from 36 overs, nipped one back in to Shafiq to bowl him for 46 before Wahab Riaz was run out, England left requiring 284 to draw the series.
Cook and Ali came to the crease with 22 overs remaining in the day, the latter scoring quickly either side of a nasty blow to the head off Riaz.
It was spin that made the breakthrough, however, in the form of Shoaib Malik, who is retiring at the conclusion of this Test, trapping Ali LBW for 22 despite the England opener reviewing the decision.
The final half an hour proved to be a nervy period for the tourists, Malik taking his second wicket when he bowled Bell for 0, before Cook and Joe Root both narrowly survived LBW shouts, Pakistan using up both their reviews.
The pair will return on the final day with England needing a further 238 runs for a victory that will level the series at 1-1.
Fast bowler Anderson, who took two for 52 in the second innings to finish with match figures of six for 69, believes England still have a chance of forcing an against the odds victory.
"There's a chance, definitely. We are going to have to bat very well. It will be difficult on a fifth-day pitch,” he said.
"We don't want to leave UAE with nothing. We have played well this series and don't want to leave with nothing. We saw the way Pakistan batted in their second innings and they were positive.
"It's not ideal missing opportunities but it happens. I thought we stuck at our task very well. If you had given us around 250 to chase we would have taken that before the game. It's a bit over that and a couple of players are going to have to bat really well.
"I'd love it if I didn't need to get my pads on tomorrow."
The 2015 season has seen dramatic last-gasp four day victories, thrilling limited-overs contests and an historic Investec Ashes Test, all in the unique surroundings of Trent Bridge.
Next season, we’d wager, will be no less enthralling and frankly we’d hate for you to miss out.