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Openers Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook both hit centuries as England fought back superbly on day four of the first Ashes Test at the Gabba.

England had resumed 202 runs behind on 19-0 with Australia sensing victory.

But Strauss (110) put on 188 with Cook (132 not out) in an English record stand at Brisbane, and Cook then added 121 with Jonathan Trott (54 not out).

The tourists went to stumps on 309-1 and lead the Aussies by 88 runs, with the draw looking the likely outcome.

Not even in Ricky Ponting's deepest nightmares would he have envisaged his side only managing one wicket in the entire day - but that was precisely what transpired, with Australia hampered by the flat wicket and their own modest bowling attack.

But they made things harder by spilling catches. Strauss was badly dropped by Mitchell Johnson on 69, Cook gave a much harder opportunity to Peter Siddle at fine leg on 103 and Trott also gave a technical chance to Michael Clarke at point on 34.

Self-preservation, and a potentially grim battle for survival appeared to be the order of the day for England at the start of Sunday's play at the Gabba.

They had been put in their place by a monstrous stand of 307 between Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin, and the situation appeared bleak.

Optimists pointed to the fact that the ball Strauss and Cook was facing at the start of the day was 15 overs old and only going to get softer; pessimists looked to the thick cloud cover overhead that promised some lateral movement for the bowlers.

In the end there was no swing or seam, and little encouragement for the spinners either - with the only danger for the batsmen being the cracks in the pitch which, if Australia's bowlers could locate them, might cause the odd ball to misbehave.

Cook looked in a little danger early on, edging Siddle wide of third slip, and then playing an ambitious slog sweep at Xavier Doherty when the debutant spinner came on which was top-edged high into the air before landing between fielders.

Both men were positive, confident enough to hit a series of cut shots and off-drives as Australia looked to locate their outside edges.

With sparse home support, the usual rowdy contingent of England fans were able to make themselves heard as Strauss and Cook dominated proceedings.

They scored quickly, Strauss raising the 100 with a driven four off the first ball of Siddle's second spell some 40 minutes before lunch.

The next two balls were more problematic for the England captain, an inside edge evading leg stump by millimetres and earning him a fortuitous 10th boundary before a nasty bouncer spat up and hit him on the glove.

Refusing to switch to a more cautious approach, Strauss was soon down the track to Doherty hitting a catch towards mid-off, but Johnson spilled an easy catch and at lunch England were encouragingly positioned on 135-0, with Strauss on 79, Cook on 51.

Strauss's 15th boundary, a late cut off Doherty gave him his 19th Test hundred, to join Sir Len Hutton at equal sixth place in the all-time list of England century-makers.

It also ended a run of 13 Tests without a three-figure score, the last coming in the 2009 Ashes win at Lord's, although he fell soon afterwards to the part-time spin of Marcus North, stumped as he tried to hit an off-break over the bowler's head.

Trott proved an excellent second companion for Cook, however, hitting a lovely cover-drive for four off Johnson to take England into the lead, and the pair of the them were able to raise a 50-run stand off just 70 balls just before tea.

Cook began the the final session needing just two runs to secure his 12th Test century and second on Australian soil, and he got there with yet another cut off Siddle.

Even when the new ball was taken moments later, there was not enough spark or belief from the Australians, and consequently Cook and Trott continued to find life comfortable.

The second 100-run stand of the day was raised when Johnson was mercilessly pulled by Cook for another boundary and when bad light brought a slightly early finish, the Aussies looked relieved to head to the dressing room.

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Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott set a series of records as England hit an extraordinary 517-1 on the final day of the first Ashes Test before declaring.

The match finished in an expected draw, Australia replying with 107-1 having been set 297 to win from 41 overs.

Cook's 235 not out was the sixth best Ashes score by an Englishman and he also surpassed Sir Don Bradman for the highest score at the Gabba.

Cook and Trott (135no) put on 329, the ninth highest England stand in history.

Australia ended a tough last couple of days on a positive note with Ricky Ponting hitting 50 not out and Shane Watson unbeaten on 41, but England will hope to take more confidence with them to the second Test at Adelaide.

Cook and Trott's partnership was the most productive by an England pairing on Australian soil, and the best by any duo in Brisbane, beating the 307 produced by Mike Hussey and Brad Haddin earlier in the same match.

Having managed only one wicket throughout Sunday's play, when Andrew Strauss (110) had been stumped off part-time spinner Marcus North, Australia toiled through a further 51 overs on the last day without any further reward.

There were two more dropped catches to add to the three shelled the previous day, and an unseemly spat between Aussie captain Ponting and the umpires when Cook was adjudged not out after Ponting had claimed a possibly legitimate catch.

The experienced Australian had some reason to be satisfied by the end of the day, however, as he produced a clinically aggressive counter-punch, scoring at better than a run a ball before the captains shook hands on a draw 15 overs early.

With the draw the likeliest result before a ball had been bowled on Monday, the intangible aspect of England's dominance over the last two days is what the effect might be on Australia.

The hosts, with a proud record at the Gabba, had established what appeared a winning position when Hussey and Haddin gave them a 221-run lead late on day three.

But by time the first ball was sent down on the final day they already looked badly out of sorts, and the early loss of Simon Katich to Stuart Broad just before tea only served to emphasise the scale of England's about-turn in fortunes since the start of the final session on day three.

Tea on Saturday proved to be the watershed moment in the match. Despite having taken a hammering, England took the last five Australian wickets in the final session that day for 31 runs, before Strauss and Cook survived the second new ball.

That set the stall for a stunning batting performance which produced the first instance since 1924 that the top three in an England innings had scored centuries.

Cook was on 132 and Trott 54 when the final day began, and the latter had added 21 to his score when Michael Clarke put down a simple slip chance off Watson.

Cook soon went on to his best score in Tests with a lovely cut off Watson, and a single to short fine-leg, facilitated by a misfield from the luckless Mitchell Johnson, gave him his maiden first-class double century.

Trott reached his second Ashes century in as many Ashes appearances on the stroke of lunch, after which Ponting indicated to the umpires he had cleanly caught Cook at short mid-wicket off Xavier Doherty with the Essex man on 223.

The TV replay was inconclusive and Ponting looked aggrieved, voicing his feelings to the umpires and the two English batsmen who were causing his side so much anguish.

There were only a handful of Australian fans watching, though the Barmy Army were in full force lapping up every misfortune that befell the hosts.

Ponting spilled a tough chance offered by Cook on 223, again off Watson, before - following a series of memorable lofted drives by both batsmen - Strauss called his men in, thus sparing the Australians any further punishment.

Hopes of a sensational, though hugely improbable England win, were raised when Katich tiredly nicked a catch to Strauss in the slips.

After tea, Paul Collingwood dropped Watson off Graeme Swann, a chance he should have easily snaffled at slip. And and on a wicket that appeared to get flatter and flatter despite the widening cracks, Watson and Ponting proceeded to cash in, with Kevin Pietersen given his first bowl of the series.

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James Anderson took 4-51 in a superb England bowling effort as Australia were dismissed for 245 on day one of the second Ashes Test in Adelaide.

The visitors got off to the perfect start as Simon Katich was run out and Ricky Ponting went first ball.

Anderson also accounted for Michael Clarke before Shane Watson (51) and Michael Hussey (93) led the fightback.

Brad Haddin hit 56 but Graeme Swann took two wickets as England cleaned up the tail and finished on 1-0 at stumps.

Although the two sides were all square after the draw in Brisbane, the momentum was with England after their record-breaking second-innings score of 517-1 declared.

The tourists named an unchanged side, while Australia dropped Mitchell Johnson and Ben Hilfenhaus and drafted Doug Bollinger and Ryan Harris into their pace attack.

The hosts came under fire from the Australian media and former Test stars in the wake of their performance as England piled up the runs in the opening Test and they provided further fuel for the critical fire as wickets tumbled in an incredible start to the match.

Conditions seemed to be in Australia's favour with clear blue skies and a flat, hard pitch to bat on after Ponting won the toss, but their hopes of a big first-innings score were in tatters inside three overs as they made their worst start to a Test innings in 60 years.

The first wicket was a gift for England as Shane Watson attempted to scamper a single but partner Simon Katich was slow to respond and was run out by Jonathan Trott's direct hit from square leg.

The so-called diamond duck was followed by one of the golden variety for skipper Ponting, who played forward to Anderson's next delivery, which was on a perfect line and took the edge before being caught by a diving Graeme Swann at second slip.

Ponting was grim-faced as he returned to the dressing room with his side 0-2 and his mood must have worsened when Anderson struck again in similar fashion in his next over as a desperately out-of-form Michael Clarke edged a flat-footed drive to Swann, who accepted a far more straightforward chance.

Clarke's dismissal left Australia on 2-3, and it could have been 12-4 shortly afterwards if the Lancashire paceman had held a difficult return chance offered by Hussey.

The left-hander then edged just short of Swann and Watson almost played on three times, but batting gradually became easier as the Kookaburra ball began to lose its shine and hardness.

Hussey, a centurion in Brisbane, was content to play the supporting role as Watson took a liking to Steven Finn, hitting him for a series of fours through the covers to bring up his 12th Test half century shortly before lunch.

But Watson became Anderson's third victim in the first over after the interval, carving an airborne drive to Kevin Pietersen to provide more evidence that he is a batsman adept at getting starts but not converting them into big scores.

Hussey, though, is a different beast and perfectly willing to drop anchor for lengthy spells in a bid to turn the game in his team's favour.

With Swann on for a marathon 23-over spell, the Western Australian teamed with Marcus North to add 60 from 26 overs, North's contribution a tortuous 26 from 93 balls before he shaped to cut a ball from Finn and gloved a catch to keeper Matt Prior.

In his 195 in the first Test, Hussey had taken a heavy toll of Swann's bowling, but with the spinner displaying greater control, he had to settle for accumulating as Adelaide provided a more even battle between bat and ball.

He only hit only eight boundaries, but collected them all round the wicket and when his fifth wicket partnership with Haddin passed 50, some England fans must have feared a repeat of their 307-run stand in the opening Test.

Swann continued to do all that can be expected of a spinner on a first-day pitch down under, as he slowly built pressure and then in the space of two deliveries he swung the match firmly back in England's favour.

Hussey was within sight of a 13th Test century when he prodded at a ball that found slight turn and edged straight to Prior and next up, Harris missed a sharply turning off-break and was given out after a referral despite his obvious belief he had got an inside edge.

With the tail exposed, Haddin decided to hit out, but he soon lost the support of Xavier Doherty because of more bad running which allowed England to relay the ball between two fielders to Prior, who removed the bails to run him out for six.

His departure only served to increase Haddin's aggression, as he struck two fours through the off-side before outfoxing Anderson by stepping across his stumps to hoist him over the leg-side for six.

But Anderson gained further reward when Peter Siddle clipped a catch straight to Alastair Cook at midwicket and with only number 11 Bollinger left, Haddin eventually top-edged an attempted pull off Stuart Broad which flew to Finn, who took the catch safely.

England's openers had to come out to face one over before the close and despite Harris exceeding 90mph with a couple of deliveries - a sharp increase on the low to mid-80s fare sent down by Australia's seamers in Brisbane - Cook and skipper Andrew Strauss survived to the close.

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Alastair Cook hit an unbeaten 136 as England built a 72-run lead on day two of the second Test against Australia.

After his 235 not out in the first Test, Cook took his series aggregate to 438 with a chanceless knock as England reached 317-2 at the close.

The tourists made a bad start to the day when Andrew Strauss was bowled by Doug Bollinger playing no stroke.

But Jonathan Trott (78) and Kevin Pietersen (85 not out) helped Cook put them in a commanding position.

Once again, Australia's bowling attack was found wanting, with the seamers struggling to maintain a disciplined line and length and spinner Xavier Doherty unable to justify the faith shown in him by the selectors.

England will hope to bat long into day three to build a commanding lead but will be mindful that the match is following a similar course to the opening Test in which Australia held a 221-run advantage on first innings but were unable to force a victory.

With the new ball only three overs old, the home side need early wickets on the third morning. On the evidence of the series so far, however, it will need something special to dislodge Cook, who has batted for over 1,000 minutes since his last dismissal.

What marked the 25-year-old's innings out as something truly special at the Adelaide Oval was the way he avoided giving the bowlers even a glimmer of hope.

After Strauss went for one, Trott should have been out before reaching double figures and Pietersen - perhaps forgivably after sitting padded up for a combined total of almost 10 hours in the two matches - took time to settle.

But Cook played to his strengths, flicking confidently through mid-wicket when the balls was on the stumps, despatching anything short and wide past point and anything over-pitched through the covers, while remaining watchful at all times in defence.

It was a testament to his maturity that he was not discomfited by the shock departure of Strauss - the England skipper guilty of an appalling error of judgment as he chose not to play a straight ball from Bollinger which clipped the top of the stumps.

Trott had two early lives, a missed run out attempt followed by Michael Hussey's drop at gully when he had made only 10, an ironic mistake given his remarks after the first day's play about the need for Australia to take any chances that came their way.

Had Trott gone early, Pietersen would have been exposed to the new ball, with an out-of-form Paul Collingwood waiting next. Instead, Ricky Ponting's side were to have a lot of time to ponder the what ifs.

Cook and Trott shared an unbroken stand of 329 in Brisbane and, by the time the latter clipped Ryan Harris to a diving Michael Clarke at mid-wicket, they had added another 173 runs, having spent a total of 574 minutes together at the crease over the two games.

Trott's exit did not bring Australia any respite, however, as Pietersen came out bristling with attacking intent and after an early false stroke off Doherty - the man chosen to exploit his supposed weakness against left-armers - he scored freely.

His half century, including a lofted drive over mid on and glorious drives through the covers, came off 77 balls and while he went through the gears, Cook continued his serene progress to his third hundred in four Tests, passing 400 runs for the series on the way.

Among Australia's seamers, Harris at least bowled with some fire, but Bollinger, Peter Siddle and Shane Watson extracted nothing from an excellent batting wicket.

Part-time off-spinner Marcus North found some significant turn before the new ball was taken, good news for England's Graeme Swann, who could be the main weapon in their bid for victory if they can establish a sizeable lead.

Ponting must have wished he had a bowler of Swann's guile or James Anderson's penetration, which perhaps explained his decision to delay the new ball until six overs after it became available, despite Cook and Pietersen playing for stumps.

When, finally, it was taken Pietersen's riposte was typical as he collected boundaries off Harris and Bollinger to take England's total past 300 and although Cook faced a confident appeal from Harris in the final over, the ball was clearly going to pass over the stumps and he survived.

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Kevin Pietersen struck an imperious unbeaten 213 as England built a massive 306-run lead on day three of the second Test against Australia in Adelaide.

Pietersen hit a six and 31 fours as England made 551-4 before rain arrived at tea and prevented any further play.

Alastair Cook went for 148 during the morning, but Paul Collingwood (42) and Ian Bell (41 not out) kept Pietersen company in stands of 101 and 99.

It was the first time England had passed 500 in successive Ashes innings.

Pietersen's double century was only the seventh by an England batsman in Australia and a magnificent return to form by the 30-year-old former captain, who was left out of the one-day team at the end of the English domestic season.

He was back to his dominant best as he completed his first Test hundred since March 2009 in the sixth over of the day, having resumed on 85 not out.

Only barrel-chested Ryan Harris posed a serious threat to Pietersen, surprising him with a well-directed rising delivery which flew past his nose and then tempting him into a hook shot which resulted in a top edge that fortunately landed in space on the leg-side.

Harris captured the one wicket to fall before lunch when Cook, having batted for 1,058 minutes since his dismissal in the first innings of the opening Test in Brisbane, got an inside edge to one that nipped back and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin took an excellent catch low to his right having initially been wrong-footed.

Despite his departure, the runs continued to flow, prompting Australia captain Ricky Ponting to try a 7-2 off-side field, but Pietersen merely stepped across and whipped Doug Bollinger from off-stump to the mid-wicket boundary.

And when Ponting put men out on the leg-side boundary during a spell by Peter Siddle, Pietersen accepted the challenge by disdainfully putting away two premeditated pull shots for four in the swaggering style of a baseball champion.

Siddle, his first Test hat-trick now a distant memory, did produce one delivery which swerved like a boomerang as it passed the stumps and went for four byes, but generally there was little assistance for the labouring Australian seamers.

Ponting then turned to his left-arm spinner Xavier Doherty, but he could only find turn when pitching closer to the edge of the cut strip than the stumps and was hit for two fours in his opening over.

Doherty was unable to provide the control his captain was looking for and was launched down the ground for six by Pietersen, a shot measured at 103 metres, as he again failed to live up to the hopes of the selectors, who preferred him to Nathan Hauritz at the start of the series.

The expanding patches of rough created by left-arm seamer Bollinger were more suited to off-spinner Marcus North, who was given 18 overs and turned some deliveries sharply, a fact that will not have escaped the notice of England spinner Graeme Swann and which makes Australia's task in trying to save the game even harder.

But Pietersen swept two fours off North in the final over before lunch, piercing two fielders barely 20 yards apart on the fence as England took their lead to 204 at the interval.

Australia made a breakthrough in the third over of the afternoon session when Collingwood was pinned on the crease and adjudged plumb lbw to Shane Watson for a well constructed 42.

Bell settled quickly, however, and the only discomfort for Pietersen was an apparent hamstring niggle sustained as he pushed for the single to take him to 200.

The home side appeared to have run out of ideas as Bell maintained the momentum with some delightful drives, cuts and pulls and he could well have become England's fifth centurion of the tour had the clouds not closed in and rain ended proceedings prematurely.

England's total when the umpires called a halt was, ironically, the same score on which they declared in the corresponding Test four years ago - which they eventually lost by six wickets.

An indifferent forecast for the remainder of the match may make Andrew Strauss's calculations about when to call in his batsmen more difficult, but the tourists will still be confident of taking a 1-0 lead with three matches to play.

Meanwhile, Australia captain Ricky Ponting confirmed that opener Simon Katich would be fit to bat in their second innings despite suffering a heel injury while close fielding on the third day.

He was forced to leave the field for a lengthy period to receive ice treatment.