Ashes 2010: The best pictures from day three of the second Test

The Australians are loitering around the edge of the field, in the shade of the tunnel out from the changing room. Malingerers Photograph: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images

90th over: England 321-2 (Cook 136, Pietersen 89) Doug Bollinger will take the first over of the day, with a ball that is three overs old. England lead by 72. Bollinger opens with a rank loosener. His second two are straighter and Pietersen pats them both away ... By the end of the over he has adjusted his sights and found his range, and he carts a drive through extra cover for four Photograph: Tom Shaw/Getty Images

REFERRAL! Pietersen 91 LBW Harris (93rd over: England 329-2) Australia think they have Pietersen here, but no one else does. Least of all the umpire. Ryan Harris darted the ball back in towards the stumps from outside off and hit Pietersen's front pad, but it was at least three inches outside the line of off-stump. That's a waste of a review by Ricky Ponting. The not out decision is upheld and Pietersen bats on Photograph: Rob Griffith/AP

94th over: England 343-2 (Cook 146, Pietersen 100) And there's Pietersen's hundred, raised with a dab to the leg side off a short ball from Harris. Earlier in the over he had thumped a glorious four through mid-wicket to move to 99. He's delighted, and punches the air, hugs Alastair Cook and then takes off his helmet to acknowledge the ovation he is getting from his team-mates in the dressing room. Now he's reached that landmark this could get really entertaining Photograph: David Mariuz/AP

WICKET! Cook 148 c Haddin b Harris (96th over: England 351-3) Cook comes on strike and ... we'll I'll be. They've got him. Cook falls at last, caught behind by Brad Haddin off the inside edge. It was a strange dismissal - Australia hardly seeemed to appeal, and after what seemed a very long time umpire Marais Erasmus finally put his finger up. The decision was the right one though, there was the slightest of nicks as the ball slid through the gate. Photograph: MICK TSIKAS/Reuters

97th over: England 351-3 (Pietersen 112, Collingwood 0) That really was an excellent catch by Haddin to remove Cook Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

100th over: England 366-3 (Pietersen 121, Collingwood 0) Peter Siddle has come into the attack now. He'll be bowling short at Pietersen, inspired by his vicious spell yesterday and the strife Harris had the batsman with those bouncers a few moments ago. Ponting puts three men back on the boundary. Much good it does him. KP crashes and then bashes two fours to square leg, picking out the gap between the fielders on both occasions. That was one of the most demoralising pieces of cricket I can recall seeing (demoralising if you're an Australian that is, if you're English you can substitute in the word 'hilarious') Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

107th over: England 409-3 (Pietersen 136, Collingwood 24) Going, going, gone. Pietersen steps down the pitch and lofts an enormous six over long-off. What a glorious shot. "I actually feel aroused," says Dean Butler. He may regret being so frank in the morning. Never mind, that's six hours away yet. "It's been so long I'd forgotten the sublime pleasure of watching KP play. I could watch this all night" Photograph: BEN MACMAHON/EPA

110th over: England 416-3 (Pietersen 140, Collingwood 26) Bollinger replaces Siddle. On Sky, Nasser Hussain points out that Ponting has set a 7-2 off-side field. And also that two of Bollinger's first three deliveries have disappeared down to fine leg for two runs apiece. Oops. Ponting screws up his face and stares at the turf Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

103rd over: England 387-3 (Pietersen 126, Collingwood 11) Xavier Doherty is given the ball for the first time. This might just be his final chance he gets for the forseeable future to try and blow the flickering embers of fledgling Test career back into life. KP allows him to get away with a short, wide loosener, but when he serves up a half-volley on leg stump Pietersen's patience is exhausted. he drops to one knee and sweeps the ball away for four. Later in the over Paul Collingwood tucks in too, forcing four away to the leg side Photograph: Hamish Blair/Getty Images

115th over: England 449-3 (Pietersen 158, Collingwood 40) Last over of the session, and Pietersen raises his 150 with a murderous slog sweep off North. His last fifty runs have come off just 52 deliveries. So much for playing for lunch. He whacks another the next delivery away with another slog sweep, and out at mid-wicket the ball beats a despairing dive from Doug Bollinger. Four more then, and Pietersen finishes the session on 158. He's been quite brilliant so far today, back to his imperious best Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

WICKET! Collingwood 42 LBW b Watson (118th over: England 452-4) Collingwood plays back to the man with the golden arm/chief pie thrower, Watson, and is plumb leg before. Collingwood was so deep in the crease there, practically cosying up to his stumps, and that ends a quicksmart partnership of 101 between him and his old batting buddy Pietersen Photograph: Rob Griffith/AP

125th over: England 477-4 (Pietersen 172, Bell 12) North gets one to turn quite extravagantly out of the foot marks, the ball sliding down Pietersen's legside. A single rotates the strike and Bell skips forward and then back to slash the ball backward of square for a boundary. He's looking very active at the crease so far, Bell, obviously keen to get on and neutralise that threat of precipitation Photograph: Jason O'Brien/Action Images

139th over: England 530-4 (Pietersen 200, Bell 33) There it is – Pietersen's double hundred. He lets out a cry as his dashes a quick single into the covers, partly out of excitement but also partly because he seems to be nursing a slight leg problem. That hasn't held him up, though. This has been quite an innings, full of controlled aggression, barely a chance given that I can recall. "Yes! A squished-puppy hundred," yelps Adrian Bowen, the squished puppy in this case being Punter Photograph: Scott Barbour/Getty Images

140th over: England 534-4 (Pietersen 200, Bell 37) That's a corking stroke from Bell, rocking back and guiding a pull off Bollinger straight to the fence. With his zinc-face on, Doug looks a little like Red Mist from Kick-Ass. To my consternation there's a touch of rain coming down in Adelaide – but not enough to bring the teams off Photograph: Mick Tsikas/Reuters

The bad news is that the rain has arrived and the covers are on. That could be it for the day. Normally it is one of the first rules of cricket that the fans always call for the declaration way before the players themselves are contemplating it. It's easy to be bold when you've nothing at stake. If the weather was good I wouldn't expect to see Australia batting till tomorrow. Now the heavens have opened though, Strauss' thinking on that may change Photograph: Morne de Klerk/Getty Images