Cricket: Waugh misses 28th ton by a Hair

MELBOURNE - Australian captain Steve Waugh was called before a disciplinary hearing last night after he stood his ground despite being given out during the second test against South Africa at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Waugh lingered at the crease after umpire Darrell Hair had given him out run out for 90, in sight of his 28th hundred, as Australia moved towards 487 for nine in reply to South Africa's first innings of 277.

Waugh made a diving attempt to make his ground at the striker's end after Damien Martyn pushed a ball to point with the score on 429 after a fifth-wicket partnership of 81 in 92 minutes.

Television replays suggested wicketkeeper Mark Boucher could have broken the stumps before the throw from Herschelle Gibbs reached him.

Hair did not go to the third umpire, instead raising his finger. Waugh appeared to exchange words with Hair before departing. The outcome of the hearing will be announced today.

It was the eighth time Waugh has been dismissed in the 90s in a test, and the tenth occasion - including two not outs - his innings has ended in the 90s, a world record.

Apart from that, it was a day to savour for Australia as Matthew Hayden became Australia's greatest run scorer in a calendar year. Australia rammed home their advantage on a long and demoralising day in the field for the Proteas, with the test and series all but out of sight.

On the way to his 138, his sixth test hundred, Hayden broke Bob Simpson's 37-year record of 1381 runs for an Australian batsman in a calendar year. He swelled his annual tally to 1388 runs at an average of 66.09.

Playing his best innings of the summer after scoring just 78 in four innings against New Zealand, Waugh had lives on 24 and 39, dropped both times by a diving Boeta Dippenaar at short leg off Allan Donald.

Resuming at 126 without loss, Hayden and Justin Langer strolled to their third double-century partnership in six weeks to put Australia in command from the outset. Hayden and Langer had put on 202 before Langer was caught hooking at square leg for 85.

Since pairing for the first time in the fifth Ashes test against England last August, they have scored 899 runs together and are averaging 112 each time they open the innings, statistically far and away the best Australian opening pair in test history.

The South Africans went to lunch buoyed by the minor success of Ricky Ponting's wicket for 22, and Hayden followed in the first over after lunch. There was a flurry of wickets late in the day, but by then it was too little, too late.

- AGENCIES