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Manchester: England close the third day of the third Ashes Test on 294-7 - needing 34 to avoid the follow-on in third Investec Test against Australia at Old Trafford on Saturday.
Kevin Pietersen's 113 was the highlight of the day for the hosts but Australia would go into the final 2 days confident of forcing a result.
With rain forecast for Sunday and Monday, Australia's chances of forcing the victory they need to keep their Ashes hopes alive may hinge on whether they can take England's last three wickets cheaply on Sunday morning and ask them to bat again.
After Jonathan Trott and Cook were dismissed in the morning session, a partnership of 115 between Pietersen and Bell steered England to a relatively comfortable 225-4.
But after Bell was bowled by Ryan Harris after tea, Mitchell Starc removed Jonny Bairstow and Pietersen to get Australia right back in the hunt.
Matt Prior and Stuart Broad survived a nerve-wracking final half hour to take England into the fourth day without further damage.
Pietersen's 23rd Test hundred took him past Graham Gooch to become England's highest scorer in all forms of cricket on 13,224 runs.
Kevin Pietersen and Ian Bell (60) gave England a lifeline by batting through the second session to reach tea on 211 for four.
On 62, Pietersen came down the pitch and was struck on the pads but Shane Watson's appeal for lbw was turned down.
Australia captain Michael Clarke decided against a review but the team informed him from the balcony with a raised finger that televisions replays showed Pietersen would have been out.
Clarke's shoulders immediately slumped, such was his disappointment at failing to snare England's most explosive batsman.
Pietersen, with a poor record at the Manchester ground and this series, got off to his usual nervous start but gradually settled with two straight pulled boundaries off Mitchell Starc.
Trott, who came in at four after nightwatchman Tim Bresnan followed opener Joe Root back to the pavilion late on day two, continued his patchy series by awkwardly edging fast bowler Ryan Harris to Clarke in the slips early in the day.
Cook, who destroyed Australia with his big scores in the last tour Down Under, looked well set but went when he nicked left-arm quick Starc down the leg side and wicketkeeper Brad Haddin took a smart diving catch.
Forecast showers for later on Saturday may help England's cause but the first two sessions were played under wispy cloud.
Brief scores
Australia 527/7d (Clarke 187, Smith 89, Rogers 84, Starc 66*, Haddin 65*, Swann 5-159)
England 294/7 (Pietersen 113, Cook 62, Bell 60, Starc 3-75)
Status England trail by 233 runs
