England has a 1-0 lead in the five-match series and needs just one more victory to retain the Ashes after regaining the old urn on home soil last year. And Strauss's squad is high on confidence after Australia slumped to its worst Ashes defeat in 45 years.
England was in control from the first over in Adelaide when a run out and superb new-ball bowling from James Anderson reduced Australia to 2-3. Australia struggled to 245 all out, before a second series century from Alastair Cook and a double hundred from Kevin Pietersen gave England a 375-run first-innings lead.
Resuming the final day on 238-4, Australia's last six wickets fell for just 66 runs with Graeme Swann ending with second-innings figures of 5-94.
"You think of the way we started the game, to bowl Australia out for 245 was an outstanding effort on a flat wicket," Strauss said. "Then we didn't take our foot off the pedal. The way the batters went about it -Cookie and Kevin in particular were outstanding.
"We never gave them a look in the game, and we're very pleased about what we've done, especially on the back of the last couple of days at Brisbane. We've got some great momentum in the series and we've got to keep it going." Four years ago England, after declaring at 551-7 in its first innings, lost nine wickets on the final day as Australia secured an unlikely victory in Adelaide, the second win in a 5-0 series sweep. The memory of that made Tuesday's win even sweeter for the six members of the England side who played in both matches.
"We need to enjoy this and savor it, because it was a special victory for us, in some ways it exorcised some of the demons from four years ago," Strauss said. "But it's back to square one again ... it's important that we don't let Australia back in the series now." After a draw to open this series in Brisbane and the loss in Adelaide, Ricky Ponting's Australian squad looks vulnerable to slumping to its first Ashes series loss on home soil since 1986-87.
"No doubt it's a bad loss for us, there's no hiding that fact - an innings and 71 runs having won the toss on a good Adelaide wicket. It probably says it all," Ponting said.
"I think they out-batted us, out-bowled us and out-fielded us in the entire game.
"A week off now will do the boys the world of good just to get away and have a think about what they need to do as individual players and as a team to work our way back into the series." In terms of runs, it was Australia's heaviest Test defeat since the innings and 81-run loss at Sydney in 1965.
After Michael Clarke was out on the last ball Monday evening to part-time spinner Kevin Pietersen, Australia's hopes rested on Mike Hussey working with the middle order and tail-enders and the forecast rain to intervene.
But Finn made the crucial breakthrough when Hussey mistimed a pull to Anderson at mid-on to depart for 52.
Three wickets in four balls effectively ended Australia's chances of a draw. Anderson had Brad Haddin caught behind for 12 and trapped Ryan Harris lbw with consecutive deliveries.
Harris' exit gave him two first-ball dismissals, known as a "king pair." He is only the second Australian batsman after Adam Gilchrist in 2001 who has had that dubious milestone in Test cricket.
Two balls later, Swann had Marcus North trapped lbw for 22. England's appeal was initially turned down but the video umpire ruled that the ball had struck the Australian batsman in front of the stumps and would have gone on to dislodge the bails.
Swann then bowled Xavier Doherty and Peter Siddle to finish with a five-wicket haul and complete England's 100th Test victory over Australia, sparking celebrations on and off the field.
"We're seeing guys that are getting used to winning and celebrating each other's success, and that's a great thing," Strauss said. "A lot of our batters are in good form. All the bowlers are bowling well, but we need to make sure we don't take our foot off the pedal, because we know Australia will come back at us hard, and if there's any way back into the series, they will take it." The forecast heavy rain finally arrived about three hours too late for the Australians.
Ponting refused to concede he was leading the inferior side.
"Only a week ago people were saying that things were evenly matched and that Australia are favorites," Ponting said. "I don't think they have improved that much in that period of time and I don't think we have gone that far backward.
"The scoreboard probably looks that way but the skills in our team are definitely there.
"I don't think England have got particularly that much more firepower in their bowling attack than what we have.
They've just been able to execute better." The only setback for England was the abdominal injury for Stuart Broad which will rule the paceman out for the series.
Australia's woes continued with veteran opener Simon Katich injuring his Achilles and likely to miss the remainder of the series.
Pietersen was voted player of the match after scoring a career-best 227 in England's 620-5 declared.
"It's pretty incredible, (England) having been so bad four years ago to be 1-0 up in the Ashes," Pietersen said.
"If we keep doing the right things, we'll win the Ashes."
