Shane Warne says sledging from England fielders helped fire him up to make a rapid 71 and put Australia in control of the fifth Test in Sydney.
They look to be closing in on an Ashes whitewash as England crumbled to 114-5, a lead of just 12 runs, at the close.
"A few of them decided to have a bit of a say," said Warne, who is playing in his last Test match.
"That's fair enough. No drama. It just made me concentrate a bit more. Some days it works some days it doesn't."
Paul Collingwood had led the England sledging when umpire Aleem Dar failed to give Warne out caught behind off Monty Panesar early in his innings.
But it backfired as a fired-up Warne put Australia firmly in command, taking a 102-run lead.
Warne admitted he had begun to dream of making a century in his final Test match before being stumped by Chris Read off Panesar.
"In the context of the game to get a 100-odd lead was pretty crucial and I was thinking, 'surely not, I can't do this' (get a century). I thought, 'keep swinging and see how we go'."
Warne expects Australia to finish England off on Friday with only Kevin Pietersen remaining among the recognised batsmen.
"I would be pretty disappointed if we can't win this game tomorrow," he said.
"Once they are four or five down we always feel we can knock over their tail."
The 37-year-old struggled to cope with back trouble during the day's play and believes he has definitely made the right decision to quit international cricket.
"I thought R Mortis (rigor mortis) was coming in to bowl. I was stiff in the back, I couldn't move, so I was happy to get one (a wicket) in the end."
And as he prepared for what could be his final day in Test cricket he added:
"I suppose I will be a little bit sad but I am excited for what the future holds.
"I can spend more time with my children and my family and I can celebrate my career. The game's been kind to me and hopefully I have entertained and put a smile on a few people's faces.
"I'll be more happy than sad, that's for sure, because the body is telling me it is time to go."
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