Justin Langer and Ricky Ponting have added insult to injury by batting through to the close of day three of the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.
In front of a record-breaking Gabba crowd, Australia reached 181-1 at stumps to establish an unbeatable 626-run lead, with Langer undefeated on 88 and Ponting 51 not out.
The Australian captain had earlier elected not to enforce the follow-on after England's meek reply of 157 all out in the first innings with his side's 445-run margin the largest in Ashes history.
Langer's renaissance after the horror memories of his 100th Test in South Africa - when he retired hurt after being struck on the helmet by a Makhaya Ntini bouncer - has continued with back-to-back half centuries.
Ponting, meanwhile, joined the WA opener in easily concocting a century stand in just over an hour-and-a-half of the evening session as English heads started to go down in the field.
As on day one, Langer and Matthew Hayden set off apace with the 50 coming up inside the first 10 overs after Matthew Hoggard and James Anderson were again preferred with the new ball over Steve Harmison.
Indeed, the pace was such that Hayden was prepared to take on Anderson's arm at fine leg attempting an unnecessary single with Australia coasting into a massive lead.
Anderson fielded to Geraint Jones and after a significant review by the third umpire Peter Parker, Hayden was found to be fractionally short of his ground to be run out for 37 off 41 balls.
However, the Queenslander's dismissal hardly altered the state of play with the imperious Ponting resuming where he left off in the first innings.
He passed 9000 Test runs when he went to 12, only the seventh batsman to reach the milestone and gaining ground on the two former captains above him in Steve Waugh (10,927) and Allan Border (11,174).
Langer was also in an indestructible mood, sweeping Giles to bring up the 100 before driving square to reach his second half-century of the series after his first innings 82.
He then passed that score in the last half-hour of play as the hosts' lead swept past 600 with the prospect of more torment for the tourists when the second-wicket pair resumes on day four.
Earlier, spearhead Glenn McGrath claimed his 29th Test five-wicket haul as England capitulated in a display reminiscent of the way the 36-year-old started the previous Ashes series in England last year.
McGrath snared 5-53 in the first innings at Lords in 2005 and he repeated the feat with an excellent 6-50 after almost 11 months on the Test sidelines.
Australia even had the luxury of dropping two catches, not that it mattered with England still 445 runs behind with over seven sessions to play.
In-form batsman Ian Bell, fresh off three consecutive centuries against Pakistan in the English summer and a fluid 132 against South Australia in the tour match, lasted almost four hours for a determined 50.
He was joined by recalled left-arm spinner Ashley Giles, preferred to Monty Panesar in part for his greater batting ability, who hung around for a rallying 24 before holing out to Hayden giving McGrath his sixth scalp.
After three days of close-on full houses, the aggregate crowd (117,322) has already surpassed the previous record of 93,143 from the six-day Gabba Test in the 1932/33 Bodyline series.
