Vaughan fined his full match fee

The England captain, Michael Vaughan, capped a frustrating day in the field as the ICC fined him his entire match fee for comments made at the end of the second day of the fourth Test at Johannesburg.

The umpires called play to an early close yesterday, citing poor light, as England's batsmen - Vaughan and Steve Harmison - were cruising in the final session. Although England were happy to carry on, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith protested to the umpires, and the players were forced to leave the field, with Vaughan expressing his dissatisfaction.

"As players, all we ask for is consistency," Vaughan told reporters at the close of the second day. "It's probably the best light we've had all day and we're sitting down in the dressing-room."

After this incident, Vaughan was found guilty of making inappropriate comments about the match officials by Clive Lloyd, the ICC match referee, in a hearing after play concluded on Saturday.

"As the captain, Michael Vaughan should be aware of his duties and the rules under which he is playing," said Lloyd after the hearing. "It is a serious offence to make such comments about the match officials."

But it could have been worse for Vaughan: he could have been banned for the next Test as well as losing his match fee for this one.