Cook sails past another Test ton as England turn Ashes screw

To another sell-out crowd at the Adelaide Oval, it was a remarkable feat to get to the bar and back in reasonable shape on a sweltering second day of this second Test.

But for the England opener, that was small beer indeed.

By stumps, he had spent almost 17 hours at the crease and scored a record 371 unbeaten runs since he took guard in the second innings of the first Test at the Gabba last week.

Cook therefore surpassed Wally Hammond's previous English best against Australia for runs without dismissal, in the process helping to carry his team to 317 for two - already 72 in front.

It is hard to fathom how they will get a better chance to go 1-0 up in this series, weather permitting.

Cook (136no) shared a stand of 173 with Jonathan Trott - the second wicket pair put on an unbroken 329 at the Gabba to dig England out of a self-constructed hole there - and then 141 and counting with Kevin Pietersen (85no).

After Andrew Strauss had shouldered arms and lost his off bail to Doug Bollinger in the first over of the morning, England needed another virtuoso from their other suddenly infallible opener.

He did not disappoint, on his way to and beyond a 171-ball century which contained 15 fours - many via his favoured cut shot.

Cook still looked fresher than he had any right to when he addressed the press.

He did feel the heat, he confirmed ... but not too much.

"I'm quite lucky - I don't really sweat that much," he said.

"I only wore one pair of gloves all day, while Kev was changing them every other over.

"I'm built in a way that I don't get too hot, and don't really sweat - so it was all right."

Cook and England have had all the right preparation over the past year to thrive in the most draining of conditions - including a January stop-off in Cape Town as well as Dhaka in March.

Cook made twin half-centuries at the former, and an unbeaten second-innings hundred at the latter.

As he spoke about his latest tour de force, it seemed part of him positively relished the stifling heat.

"It was excellent conditions to bat in - 37 degrees on a very good wicket - so it was important we made the most of what our bowlers did yesterday, which was a fantastic effort," he said.

"At tea, I was quite tired. It's up there with the hottest days I've ever played cricket in.

"We've toured some hot places. We're accustomed to it in one way.

"As Goochie said, you've got to cash in when you're in this kind of form - don't give it away.

"There was no chance of doing that. But yes, it was physically quite hard after what happened last week as well."

Cook's unbeaten 235 in Brisbane - he mustered only 67 in the first innings - and his current effort are all a world away from his miserable form last summer, when he could barely buy a run against Pakistan's seamers under incessant cloud cover at Trent Bridge and Edgbaston.

He responded then, though, with a much-needed hundred at The Oval - an innings which instilled in him a confidence he can make runs when it matters most.

"I don't think I'm doing anything differently," he said.

"You put in all the hard yards, and then you get little rewards - like I've had this week.

"It's important to enjoy them when you get them, but remember there is a lot of hard work to come.

"If you ever need a reminder of how quickly cricket changes, you only have to look at me last summer."

He does not quibble even now with those who questioned his credentials as a Test opener.

"I deserved it. I think I scored a hundred runs in seven knocks. You guys wouldnt have been doing your job if you hadn't criticised me.

"How I dealt with it - by responding at The Oval - has given me a lot of confidence that when I really needed it most I could deliver.

"Here, where the side need it most, I've managed to deliver so far."

After Trott had lent the chanceless Cook another significant hand - albeit with some luck along the way - Pietersen, with a point to prove after waiting an eternity to bat here and at the Gabba, was the ideal new partner to put the boot into Australia.

"He said he'd had his pads on for about 11 hours, before he finally got a bat," said Cook.

"The way he batted there looked like he really wants to make the most of it."

It fell to Australia wicketkeeper Brad Haddin to try to look on the bright side for the hosts.

"Obviously, it's been a tough day, but we've got to make sure we fight," he said.

"Test cricket's not meant to be easy. But if we keep presenting ourselves, and show we're hungry and really want to be in this contest, this game can turn."