Alastair Cook and Ravinder Bopara, both aged 20, confirmed just why a big future is being predicted for them as they took apart Australia's attack at Chelmsford today.

Cook celebrated his Young Cricketer of the Year trophy the previous evening by make a brilliant 214 while Bopara amassed 135.

Thanks largely to them Essex reached the close on a massive 512 for four, a magnificent effort even allowing for the fact that the pitch was tailormade for batsmen and they were confronted with bowlers whose line and length often left much to be desired.

Still, that was not the fault of the two youngsters. Their job was to make the most of the conditions and opportunities that came their way and they did that with a glorious array of strokes that sent fielders on retrieving missions to all parts of the ground.

Cook, upright and elegant, repeatedly dissected the onside field with drives and pulls against spin and seam alike, his appetite whetted when he raced into double figures by taking three boundaries in Brett Lee's second over.

He was to complete his 50 from 49 balls, moved into three figures from his 107th, by which time he had hit 16 fours, and completed 200 from 232 deliveries.

By the time he was well caught high at extra cover by Jason Gillespie to provide Michael Kasprowicz with his second success, Cook had struck 33 fours and a six. His only disappointment must have been that this is a two-day duel and does not count as a first class fixture.

Like Cook, Bopara wasted no chance to drive with authority while cuts, delicate and sometimes powerful, also punctuated his innings.

His 135 was made from 220 balls. Twice he took the aerial route to collect sixes while he also helped himself to 17 fours before he played on via an inside edge to provide Shaun Tait with a welcome success.

Cook and Bopara were together for 60 overs during which 270 were added, the pair joining forces after Will Jefferson had played his part in an opening partnership of 140 in 24 overs.

The tall right-hander contributed 64, including the first six of the match. This arrived at the expense of leg spinner Stuart MacGill before Kasprowicz breached his defence.

MacGill, who former Aussie skipper Steve Waugh would like to see included in the final Test at The Oval, did nothing to press his claims.

He was to serve up a diet of long hops which invited to be hit and in various spells conceded 128 in 24 overs without reward. A total of 92 of those runs arrived in boundaries.

That performance hardly points to MacGill being included against England next Thursday but he was not alone in finding the going tough on a featherbed of a pitch.

Tait's 15 overs cost 72, Gillespie's miserable tour continued while going unrewarded in 22 overs costing 80, and even Lee, although he generated a fair amount of pace, finished wicketless while conceding 69 in 13 overs.

During the final hour James Foster and James Middlebrook condemned Australia to more torture by adding a further 62 in 14 overs.

It must be added that none of the bowlers were helped by some shoddy ground fielding on a day the tourists conceded 500 in a day for the first time on this tour. It will certainly one they will wish to forget.