Johannesburg - Daryll Cullinan does not believe in the brash modern trend of wearing diamond ear studs to signify it being a personal trademark, putting together a century of memorable strokeplay is more his style.

He did that with remarkable alacrity at the Wanderers yesterday and entered his name not just in the record books but also helped South Africa establish, with Herschelle Gibbs, firm control of the this first Test of the series against England.

With no chance of bad light cutting short the second day, the large noisy afternoon crowd was treated to some of Lance Klusener's swashbuckling, World Cup style, batting tactics and South Africa at 386 for six led England by 264 runs.

Yet it was that Cullinan sparkle which provided us with the day's major moments of entertainment. And after doubts about his form from two innings against Zimbabwe and the match against the tourists at SuperSport Park last weekend, his form yesterday was as glittering as any of the chips left lying around off the Cullinan diamond when it was cut up.

His ninth Test century was not just a matter of style or perfection, either: it saw him equal those of Dudley Nourse and Gary Kirsten who also have nine and at some stage in this series either Cullinan or Kirsten should become the record-holder.

Not that joining the ranks of those two trailblazers was on his mind when he joined Gibbs, it was, at the start establishing form of domination, a matter helping South Africa grind down the opposition the way the Australians have turned it into an uncomfortable habit for the hapless opposition.

While Gibbs batted in his own comfort zone and looked accomplished with it as well, Cullinan showed off his style from the first boundary, a handsome drive off Andrew Caddick which had that glittering stamp of approval from the Bradman School of Batting technique. None of the fancy, airy-fairy stuff which had the selectors wondering about their man enough to "rest him" for the slogs in Kenya.

Here was the sort of vintage Cullinan whose maturity in style and the need to work the run rate up a notch or two found a willing partner in Gibbs during their partnership of 96 which did so much to push the South African innings into the ascendancy as the England bowlers toiled on a pitch which had lost its bite.

One thing about Gibbs, he always looks comfortable with his stance: it gives him the ability to time the ball and there were times yesterday when he had as much on his mind about South Africa belting out an impressive lead as scoring his own century. It would have been his third until chipped the left-arm seamer Alan Mullally into his stumps, departing for 81 after facing 222 balls.

Yet when you compare Gibbs taking 164 balls over his 50 and Cullinan taking only 103 balls it is easy to see why South Africa needed an anchor role to allow the two batsmen rotate their strike rate and build the total.

The left-handed Klusener reached his third Test half-century with a vicious square-cut off Mullally the ball after he had been grassed by Michael Vaughn with the boundary his eighth off 60 balls, which not only took the game out of England's reach but emphasised yet again the strength of the South African lower-order.

What a position to be in: Klusener, Shaun Pollock and Mark Boucher at seven, eight and nine in the order, it demonstrates the depth South Africa have in their side.

There were times when England were waiting for the second new ball that the support trio of Andy Flintoff, Gavin Hamilton and Michael Vaughan were going through the motions and doing a holding job. And if England had hoped for quick wickets with the new ball they were in for a disappointment: at 196 for three it seemed a good choice open to Nasser Hussain.

Cullinan cracked the first delivery from Caddick through the covers for four to bring up the 200 and send further ominous signals to England that their bowling plot had become threadbare.