Joe Root's unbeaten 178 left Australia needing to make cricket history if they were to prevent England going 2-0 up with three to play in the Ashes.
England were 333 for five in their second innings, a colossal lead of 566 runs, at stumps on the third day of the second Test at Lord's today.
Root's century, the second of his eight-match Test career, was exactly the kind of large or 'daddy hundred' so beloved of England batting coach and former Test opener Graham Gooch.
Ashes-holders England lost just two wickets in a near-ideal day for the hosts and, with so much time left in the match, the lack of a declaration from captain Alastair Cook was no surprise.
Long before today's close, Australia, bowled out for just 128 yesterday, needed to surpass the world record fourth innings winning total of 418 for seven made by the West Indies against them at St John's in 2002/03 if they were to cause a stunning upset.
This was the 22-year-old Root's first Test hundred as an opener after the Yorkshireman made 104 against New Zealand on his Headingley home ground in May.
That century, in a match in which then Test opener Nick Compton struggled, persuaded England to promote Root to the top of the order, where he bats for Yorkshire.
The selectors' confidence in Root was justified by an innings spanning 110 overs and nearly eight hours at the crease that was a lesson in Test-match batting to Australia's fallible top order.
Importantly, Root was not fazed by watching England collapse to 30 for three yesterday as Peter Siddle's treble strike gave Australia a glimmer of hope.
