Brisbane: England are on course to salvage the opening Ashes Test after a dominant batting display to overturn a massive innings deficit into a mounting lead on the fourth day at the Gabba on Sunday.

England surged back after Saturday's fruitless third day in the field to trail by 221 runs and hit the front on the back of a ground record stand between skipper Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook.

At the close, the Ashes holders, cheered on by their chanting Barmy Army fans, were 309 for one with Alastair Cook unconquered on 132 and Jonathan Trott on 54 to hold an overall lead of 88 runs.

Strauss and Cook combined for the highest English partnership for any wicket at the Gabba of 188 runs, eclipsing the previous best of 160 between Graeme Hick and Graham Thorpe in 1994.

It was also the first century opening stand by an English pair in Australia since Graham Gooch and Mike Atherton put on 203 for the first wicket in Adelaide in 1991.

Strauss was the only wicket to fall on the day when he came down the pitch and was deceived by offspinner Marcus North to be stumped by Brad Haddin for 110.

The English skipper scored his 19th Test hundred and fourth against Australia off 224 balls with 15 fours, some of them exquisite drives to the boundary ropes.

Cook chimed in with his 14th Test century and second against Australia to ram home the advantage over the home attack and was closing in on Ian Botham's highest score of 138 at the Gabba for England.

England, from looking in peril of going one down in the series, had dramatically turned things around to have an outside chance of being the only team who could win on Monday's final day.

"We can't look too far ahead at this stage," Strauss said of winning the Test.

"At this stage we have only got an 88-run lead and we need to push on and make sure that we can get into a decent position on the final day.

"By lunch it should be clearer to where we are and where the game's heading."

England's cause was abetted by three dropped catches in a frustrating day for Australian skipper Ricky Ponting.

Wicketless paceman Mitchell Johnson added to his unhappy Test by putting down Strauss just before lunch with a tough but catchable overhead chance at mid-off when the English skipper was on 69.

Cook was dropped on 103 in a tough tumbling chance by Peter Siddle at fine leg off Ben Hilfenhaus and then it was Trott who was given a life on 34 when Michael Clarke couldn't hold on to a diving left-handed chance at point.

The last time England scored two centuries in an Ashes innings was in Adelaide in 2006 when Paul Collingwood hit 206 and Kevin Pietersen 158.

Australia's toothless bowlers toiled away without reward on a placid Gabba pitch and Ponting rotated between six bowlers in a vain search of wickets.

Australia have earned a reputation since the retirement of champion bowlers Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne in 2007 of being unable to finish off teams, the latest coming in the one-wicket loss to India at Mohali last month.

The home side's unproductive day in the field coming off a massive innings advantage yet again underlined how much the once-mighty Australians have come back to the field in world cricket after the end of their golden era.

Australia have lost their last three Tests, to Pakistan and India (twice), something that has not happened for almost 22 years and have slipped below England to fifth in the world rankings.

"We are still in the game, no doubt, but we do have to turn it around very quickly because they are only 88 runs ahead at the moment," Australian opener Shane Watson said.

"There's still definitely quite a bit of hope still for us, but we have to turn it around tomorrow morning."