Top-rated spinner Graeme Swann bowled England into a winning position in the second Test with two wickets on a turning Adelaide pitch on Monday. England declared their first innings at 620 for five leaving the leg-weary Australians 375 runs to save the Test over the two days' play remaining.
Swann removed the incapacitated Simon Katich and skipper Ricky Ponting to check Australia's steady start before lunch. At tea on the fourth day, Australia were 160 for three and trailing by 215 runs with Michael Clarke on 36 and in-form Mike Hussey on 14 with storms converging on the ground.
Katich's painful resistance ended in the 30th over, when he pushed forward to Swann and got a touch for wicketkeeper Matt Prior. The stoic left-hander battled a painful Achilles injury and hobbled for his 43 off 85 balls to help put on 84 for the opening stand.
Swann got Ponting's prized wicket when the skipper came forward and edged to slip, where Paul Collingwood snapped up a great low two-handed catch. It was a huge setback for the Australians, with Ponting lasting only 21 minutes for his nine when occupation was more important than runs.
Shane Watson again failed to go on after a good start when he nicked Steven Finn to Andrew Strauss at first slip for 57. Watson has scores of 36, 41 not out, 51 and 57 in this series and a conversion rate of two hundreds and 13 half-centuries from his 24 Tests.
England amassed their fifth highest innings in Ashes Tests and their second best in Australia, only surpassed by a 636 scored in Sydney in 1928. Skipper Strauss finally called a halt to the run onslaught with Ian Bell unbeaten on 68 and wicketkeeper Matt Prior not out 27.
England lost only the wicket of Kevin Pietersen for his Test best score of 227 in the 40 minutes of free scoring, in which the tourists added 69 off nine overs. Pietersen smashed spinner Xavier Doherty's first ball of the day through midwicket for four but went for a lusty swing at the next ball which turned sharply out of the rough to Katich at slip.
It was Pietersen's highest Test score off 308 balls with 34 fours and a six and he shared in a 116-run partnership with Bell in 125 minutes. Pietersen surpassed his previous best Test score of 226 against the West Indies in May 2007. Dominant England have amassed 1,137 runs for six wickets in their last two innings in this series.
On Sunday Pietersen became only the fifth Englishman to score a double century in Australia with his first century in 28 Test innings since his 102 against the West Indies at Port-of-Spain in March last year.
England paceman Stuart Broad left the field for treatment during the middle session for strained stomach muscles after his second bowling spell.