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