Australia has lost the wicket of Justin Langer while reaching 28-1 by stumps in reply to England's imposing 551-6 declared on day two of the second Ashes Test at Adelaide Oval.
Langer (four) was caught at gully by Kevin Pietersen off a lifter from Andrew Flintoff - the last ball of the second over of the innings - and Matthew Hayden (12 not out) and Ricky Ponting (11 not out) survived the remaining seven overs.
Paul Collingwood and Pietersen celebrated a record-breaking run spree to underpin England's massive total before Flintoff called a halt to two of the most testing days Australia's bowlers and fielders had endured for a long time.
Collingwood ground on to a magnificent 206, Pietersen fashioned a majestic 158 and they shared an epic stand of 310 to topple England's previous highest fourth-wicket partnership against Australia - 288 by Nasser Hussain and Graham Thorpe at Edgbaston in 1997.
The only other higher England partnership for any wicket in Australia was 323 by openers Jack Hobbs and Wilfred Rhodes in Melbourne in 1911-12.
And it was the fifth-highest England partnership for any wicket against Australia - 72 short of equaling the record 382 by Len Hutton and Maurice Leyland for the second wicket at the Oval in 1938.
Collingwood, who snicked a tired off-drive off Stuart Clark to wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist in the last over before tea, faced 392 balls in eight-and-a-half hours, hit 16 boundaries and became only the eighth England batsman to score a Test double century against Australia and the third to perform the feat in Australia - after R.E. 'Tip' Foster (once) and Wally Hammond (three times).
England resumed at 266-3 in fine, cool conditions, with Collingwood on 98 and Pietersen on 60, and with the second new ball only five overs old.
The pair mixed cautious defence with controlled aggression to take 81 off 27 overs in the first session and 121 off 28.5 overs between lunch and tea, with the Australian bowlers toiling in a strong south-westerly wind and on a sluggish pitch that played fractionally quicker than it had the previous day.
Collingwood reached his third century in 17 Tests by clipping Brett Lee through wide mid-on for three, and he waved his bat jubilantly to all parts of the ground to acknowledge the deservedly generous ovation from the crowd of 30,321.
But Collingwood's celebration was almost modest compared with that of Pietersen when he pushed Clark wide of mid-on for a single to raise his hundred - his sixth in 20 Tests.
The big South African-born player sprinted nearly halfway to the long-off boundary, raised his arms triumphantly, waved his bat and ran back to the pitch to bear-hug Collingwood, then waved again to the appreciative crowd while singling out the Barmy Army section on the grassed mound near the scoreboard.
Collingwood's century (seven fours) came off 203 balls in 283 minutes. Pietersen needed just 149 balls in 199 minutes for his century, which was laced with a six and 10 fours - three of them coming in the space of four balls in one Glenn McGrath over.
Collingwood was on 54 when Pietersen joined him at 158-3 in the third over after tea on day one, and he was 117 when Pietersen got to 100.
The English celebrations erupted all over again nearing tea on day two when Collingwood danced down the pitch and lofted left-arm spinner Michael Clarke wide of mid-on for four to raise his double century. His previous highest Test score was 186 against Pakistan at Lord's earlier this year.
Pietersen, who won another intriguing battle with Shane Warne, was run out soon after tea, trying to steal a single to short mid-on off Clark and being thrown out from side-on by a rolling Ponting.
Pietersen wandered off knowing he had 'only' equaled his highest Test score of 158, which had had made twice previously - against Australia at the Oval last year and against Sri Lanka at Lord's this year.
Warne took his first wicket with the second ball of his 47th over when he had Geraint Jones (one) caught at point by Damien Martyn. At that stage, Warne had 1-145.
Flintoff and Ashley Giles belted 60 off 84 balls before Flintoff declared.
