The opener made the most of perfect batting conditions - and Warner Park's small boundaries - to carry his team to 174 for two from 25 overs, after they had been put in.

Hayden (101), whose century took just 66 balls and contained 14 fours and four sixes, set the pace in a firstwicket stand of 106 in less than 15 overs with Adam Gilchrist.

The two left-handers delighted on an even surface, under sunny skies, and there were 56 runs on the board after just five overs.

Consolidation followed, but the run rate remained manic.

The first breakthrough was therefore sorely and urgently needed by South Africa - and it came in unlikely fashion, Gilchrist guiding a cut shot into the hands of Herschelle Gibbs at point off Charl Langeveldt.

Hayden, meanwhile, still had not played a single false shot - and did not until on 77 he under-edged an attempted pull at Langeveldt for four past his stumps and wicketkeeper Mark Boucher, standing up.

Among his barrage of brutal hits, and clever placement when required, were successive sixes off the new-ball bowling off the blameless Shaun Pollock - a surefire indication that these teams were inhabiting a batsmen's paradise, and bowlers' nightmare.

Ricky Ponting nonetheless needed seven balls to get off the mark, before announcing - with a six over long-on off Andrew Hall - that he was ready to join in with Hayden.

Just as he had done so, though, the opener departed the scene - to an even tamer aerial cut than Gilchrist's, from a slow longhop in Jacques Kallis' first over.

Elsewhere, Andrew Flintoff returned for England's must-win World Cup contest with Kenya at Beausejour but it was Lancashire colleague James Anderson who made the early impression.

Having been dropped for the win over Canada last Sunday for his off-field misdemeanours, the 29-year-old Flintoff came back into the fray as England sought the two points which would seal qualification for the Super Eight stage.

He was into the attack as early as the sixth over, after 2003 semi-finalists Kenya won the toss, at which point Anderson had already struck once. And England's revamped bowling unit reduced the Kenyans, who set off at a sedate pace in a weather-shortened match, to 77 for four after 20 overs.

Anderson beat the bat regularly in his opening burst but it was a delivery which nipped back the other way that forced the breakthrough.

Ravi Shah, Kenya's top scorer with 71 against New Zealand earlier this week, prodded unsuccessfully and had his off-stump knocked out. Shah's opening partner Maurice Ouma then fell to a soft dismissal, in the 11th over, when he looped a catch to mid on forcing the ball off the back foot. Kenya captain Steve Tikolo displayed some attacking intent, smacking a delivery from the recalled Sajid Mahmood for four over mid off in the 18th over.

When Tony Suji attempted a similar stroke two balls later, however, he failed to clear Michael Vaughan, stationed at short cover.

Paul Collingwood then made it two wickets in as many overs when Tanmay Mishra chopped into his stumps for a duck.