Australia are on course for a fourth-day victory after forcing battered England to follow on in the fourth Ashes Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
Having taken a whirlwind 11 playing days to wrap up the lopsided series by the third Test, the Australians once again illustrated the considerable gulf between them and Nasser Hussain's tourists on a sweltering third day's play.
Only all-rounder Craig White, batting with painkillers for a torn side muscle, offered stout resistance with an unbeaten 85 as England were dismissed for 270 in their first innings for a 281-run deficit.
Despite temperatures hovering around 35 degrees, skipper Steve Waugh opted to back up his bowlers and send England into bat again, with weather conditions expected to deteriorate during Sunday's penultimate day.
At stumps England had lost the wickets of Marcus Trescothick and Mark Butcher to be 111 for two with Michael Vaughan scoring a fighting unbeaten 55 in 144 minutes and Hussain not out eight.
England were still 170 runs in arrears of Australia's mammoth first innings declaration of 551 for six.