Hayden, missed on nought by Jacques Kallis at slip in the second over of the day, was in sumptuous form throughout his 290-minute innings and almost unrecognisable from the nervous, jittery left-hander who toured South Africa in 1994 and 1998.

With the South African attack short on expertise in the absence of Shaun Pollock and lacking any obvious plan, Hayden dominated the innings up to the point of his dismissal. His driving, always a feature of his game, became more disdainful as the afternoon wore on and two off drives off Andre Nel were breathtaking in both their power and execution.

It was ironic, then, that Hayden should fall to a poor delivery as he tried to hook a short ball from Nel and was caught by Mark Boucher down the leg side. He had helped himself to 18 boundaries and two sixes, lifted contemptuously off Nicky Boje over midwicket.

Steve Waugh was content to play second fiddle to Hayden as long as the left-hander was at the wicket and he had moved quietly along to 22 at the drinks break with Damien Martyn on 8.

Hayden, who was dropped at second slip by Jacques Kallis before he had scored, made South Africa pay dearly for the mistake as he took his fourth century in as many Tests off the hapless South Africans.

There was one moment of success for the home team during the afternoon session, when Makhaya Ntini picked up the wicket of Mark Waugh, but the Australians continued to dominate, scoring at comfortably better than four an over as their first innings total mounted.

Hayden and the younger Waugh put on 111 for the third wicket in just 115 minutes as the South Africans toiled towards the tea break, but Ntini finally gained some reward for his efforts when he had Waugh caught by Mark Boucher down the leg side for 53.

For a moment there was no response from umpire Rudi Koertzen as Waugh started towards the dressing room and the batsman started guiltily back towards his crease. Koerzten, though, had been waiting for the batsman to give himself out and raised his finger to settle the debate once and for all.

Steve Waugh was welcomed to the crease by a round of booing from the Wanderers crowd and an awkwardly lifting first ball from Ntini that struck him on his unprotected left elbow. While the Australian captain declined to rub his arm, he was clearly in some discomfort and it was a while before he was ready to face his next ball.

Hayden, meanwhile, powered onwards, finally reaching three figures with a single off Nicky Boje. His hundred had taken him 229 minutes and included 14 fours and two sixes, both struck off Boje.

At tea he had moved on to 105 with Waugh on 4.

Waugh produced a clear indication of Australia’s intentions immediately after the break when he chopped the first ball of the session from Allan Donald past point for four to get Australia rolling again before Hayden, 41 not out at lunch, reached his 50 two overs later, on-driving South Africa’s senior fast bowler for his eighth boundary as his half-century came up off 85 deliveries.

Already reeling from the injuries to captain Shaun Pollock and Justin Ontong, South Africa suffered another setback when Waugh pulled powerfully at Andre Nel and the ball struck Gary Kirsten at short leg a sickening blow on the head.

Kirsten went down as if poleaxed and after treatment left the field holding an ice pack to his right eye. News from the dressing room is that he has suffered a cut under the eye, but that no fracture is suspected. He will stay off the field until the swelling subsides.

Kirsten’s departure brought 12th man Graeme Smith onto the field for his first taste of Test match cricket, but his arrival did not help to change South Africa’s luck as Hayden and Waugh strode remorselessly on.

Allan Donald had broken through for South Africa in the first hour when he trapped Justin Langer lbw, but Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting mounted a threatening second wicket partnership that yielded 67 before the home side enjoyed a slice of good fortune.

Ponting had rapidly caught up with his left-handed partner as the tourists rattled along at around five runs to the over. Jacques Kallis was hit for 20 off three overs, and when left-arm spinner Nicky Boje was brought into the attack, Hayden welcomed him by hoisting him over midwicket for the first six of the match.

But with the score on 113 Andre Nel, playing in place of Shaun Pollock, got one past the outside edge of Ponting’s bat. The South Africans appealed and after long deliberation umpire Steve Bucknor gave Ponting out caught at the wicket for 39.

Ponting lingered for some time at the crease and television replays suggested that there was a good distance between bat and ball as Ponting played his stroke. Bucknor may have been influenced in his decision by the sound of Ponting’s bat brushing his pad.

Whatever the merits of the decision, however, Australia had lost their second wicket and Mark Waugh was greeted by Nel with a couple of short deliveries that the batsman played awkwardly.

In the last over before lunch Waugh sliced Nel high over gully for a four to open his account, but the batsman was fortunate to survive later in the over when a leading edge lobbed tantalisingly over the head of debutante Ashwell Prince at mid-on.

At the interval Hayden was on 41 with Waugh on 5.

Perhaps a little surprisingly, Steve Waugh chose to bat first on a warm, overcast morning after winning the toss. What looked to be a perfect batting probably swayed his decision, and openers Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer moved quickly in to top gear against some ragged new ball bowling from Allan Donald and Makhaya Ntini.

Ntini, entrusted with the new ball in the absence of captain Shaun Pollock, started with a wide, but with his third delivery he found the edge of Hayden’s bat only to see Jacques Kallis, at second slip, spill a shoulder-high catch.

Both left-handers were quick to punish anything short or wide and the missed chance conjured up visions of another enormous opening stand for Australia.

But with total on 46, Donald trapped lbw Langer on his crease for 28 to claim the first wicket of the series.

The South Africans were without Pollock, who withdrew from the side on Thursday along with Justin Ontong with Andre Nel and Ashwell Prince coming into the side while Mark Boucher assumed the captaincy. As expected, Australia fielded the team that played against South Africa ‘A’ earlier in the week.