Michael Vaughan says England are aiming at a total well in excess of 400 to put Australia under pressure in the second Test at Adelaide.

The Yorkshire opener hit 177 out of 295 for four as England began an Ashes fightback after they were overwhelmed by 384 runs in the first Test at Brisbane.

"If we can try and get 450 on the board we can try and put the Aussies under some pressure," Vaughan said. "It is a good pitch, quite slow. It has a few cracks on it, so it may get a bit uneven over the next two or three days."

Vaughan warned that England can expect no easy pickings for his Yorkshire team-mate, off-spinner Richard Dawson, when Australia come to bat.

"It is quite inviting for the sweep off the spinners with short square boundaries, so it will be tough for young Dawson to bowl on it," he said.

Vaughan described his own innings, the highest in Tests by an English batsman in Australia since Mike Denness hit 188 in Melbourne on the 1974-75 tour, as the pinnacle of his career.

"It hasn't really sunk in yet but it's something you dream about from a young age - of coming to Australia and doing well," said Vaughan. "The most important thing is that England are in a good position on what at the moment is a good Adelaide wicket.

"It's probably the best of all my hundreds simply because you are playing against Australia. It's a good wicket but they are always asking questions and they have got a fantastic attack. The hundreds in the summer were great but to score a hundred against Australia in Australia has to be the pinnacle."

Vaughan was also adamant that despite his dismissal in the last over of the day, England would have settled for 295 for four before the start.

"It's been a good day for us," he said. "We would have been happy for that at the start of the day. It's a good wicket which is taking a little spin and I think over the next few days it should get more uneven and harder for the batsman to score on."

Vaughan had a let-off on 19 when Queensland seamer Andy Bichel appeared to have him caught at cover by Justin Langer, but the third umpire Steve Davis ruled that TV replays were inconclusive and gave Vaughan the benefit of the doubt.

"I was in my rights to stand my ground, because I was not sure if he had caught it," said Vaughan. "Obviously they were disappointed because they thought he had."

© CricInfo Ltd.

This report does not necessarily represent the views of the Australian Cricket Board.