Mark Waugh answered his critics today in the New South Wales Blues' decisive seven-wicket victory over Queensland in the Mercantile Mutual Cup at Bankstown Oval.

Returning from a short break due to back trouble and under fire for his form for Australia, the 35 year-old Waugh scored 108 not out on the ground where he cut his teeth in grade cricket as New South Wales overhauled the Queensland total of 247 with fourteen balls to spare.

With Waugh at the finish was Michael Bevan, who scored the winning runs with a four to bring up his own half-century.

In front of a sellout crowd of around 4300, Queensland captain Stuart Law won the toss and elected to bat first in fine but overcast conditions.

Openers Matthew Hayden and Jimmy Maher made a promising start to the innings, before left-arm paceman Nathan Bracken made the first breakthrough of the day. Replacing Brett Lee at the southern end, Bracken's first ball of the day was bowled wide of the off stump to Hayden, who chased it and got an edge to wicketkeeper Brad Haddin, who took the ball in front of first slip. Hayden made 14 of an opening partnership of 30.

Maher and the incoming batsman Martin Love took advantage of the small Bankstown Oval to despatch any loose deliveries to the fence, and at the end of the first fifteen overs Queensland were 1/73. The next over saw Maher loft Bracken for the first six of the day (which was dropped by a spectator).

In the nineteenth over, Maher was in sight of his half-century when he mistimed a slower dipping delivery from MacGill, giving Glenn McGrath an easy catch at mid-off. Maher faced 61 deliveries for his 48 and struck seven fours and a six.

Andrew Symonds surprisingly came to the crease ahead of Stuart Law. The change of order made little difference. MacGill's first delivery to Symonds was a top-spinner which kept straight and low and deceived the Queensland all-rounder. Symonds was gone lbw for a golden duck and the Bulls were 3/88.

Stuart Law survived the hat-trick ball, but in the next over from Shane Lee he was given out caught behind to a ball which he appeared to have edged to wicketkeeper Haddin. Video replays indicated that the ball apparently missed the edge of the bat and brushed Law's back pad. Law appeared to be asking umpire Hair as he left the field whether he was out caught or lbw - in either case, the ball seemed headed on a trajectory which would have cleared the stumps. Law made 4 and Queensland were 4/98.

Clinton Perren replaced Law at the crease and struggled against MacGill and Shane Lee. After facing fifteen scoreless deliveries, a frustrated Perren chased a wideish MacGill delivery and slashed it straight to Bracken at point. The Bulls had lost their last four wickets for the addition of 28 runs.

Lee Carseldine joined Love, who brought up his fifty in the thirtieth over by lofting Brett Lee over the midwicket fence, just wide of one of the Mercantile Mutual signs. Love's fifty came from 64 deliveries, including six fours and a six.

Martin Love and Lee Carseldine built a steady recovery between the thirtieth and fortieth overs. Love hit Shane Lee for two consecutive sixes to mid-wicket, but four balls later the Queensland batsman chipped to short mid-on where Mark Higgs took a smart catch close to the ground. Love scored 82 from 101 deliveries. Queensland were 6/188 after forty, and back on track for a score around 250.

Brett Lee was brought back into the attack at the start of the 44th over and struck immediately. He pitched a ball very short to Carseldine, who was advancing down the pitch. Carseldine played a cramped hook shot off his gloves straight into the air, with the bowler taking the return catch almost face-to-face with the batsman. Carseldine had scored a valuable 33.

With Queensland reaching 7/214 after 45 overs, Lee struck twice in his next over. He bowled a bouncer to Scott Prestwidge - who used to play grade cricket at Bankstown Oval - who attempted a misjudged pull shot, lofted to the waiting hands of Michael Slater at mid-on.

Three balls later, Wade Seccombe (15) played an uppish cover drive straight to Steve Waugh. Queensland were 9/215.

Creevey and Bichel, both with useful track records with the bat, steered the Bulls through the final overs before each claiming a six off Brett Lee's tenth, and NSW's 50th, over. Creevey hooked a short ball which just cleared the Mr Whippy van at backward square leg, before Bichel lifted a short ball over mid-wicket.

That final over, in which 21 runs were scored, was the only blemish in a fine exhibition of pace bowling by Lee, who finished with the figures of 3/54. MacGill took 3/44 from his ten, while Shane Lee (2/42 from seven) and Nathan Bracken (1/39 from nine) were the other wicket-takers.

Glenn McGrath's lack of penetration must be a cause of concern, however. Today he took 0/43 from ten overs. Discounting a game of grade cricket yesterday, his last three appearances for Australia and New South Wales have been worth figures of 29-1-152-0.

Chasing 248 for victory, Mark Waugh, back in the side after being rested last week through injury, opening the batting with Michael Slater, got the Blues off to a strong start against a Queensland attack lacking Kasprowicz, Dale and Muller. Fifty runs were scored in the first twelve overs, but the thirteenth over of the day saw Andy Bichel strike twice.

Slater (29 from 45 balls) failed to get his timing right to a short ball from Bichel and holed out to Clinton Perren at long off. Four balls later, Brad Haddin, the man of the match against the Bushrangers last Sunday, attempted a cover drive, getting a thick edge which was taken by a diving Matthew Hayden at gully.

Steve Waugh came to the crease with the score 2/52, and together with his brother proceeded to dominate an attack lacking a spin bowler. Promising paceman Ashley Noffke was perhaps the tidiest of the Queensland bowlers in the opening stages. Brendon Creevey began his spell off a short run, and when this proved ineffective reverted to his normal run-up. Andrew Symonds' three over spell yielded 29 runs, including a six by Steve Waugh dropped by the lad outside the mid-wicket fence. Mark's fifty came from 71 deliveries, including six fours.

Steve's innings came to an end one run short of his own half-century, when he edged a ball from former Bankstown team-mate Scott Prestwidge into the gloves of Wade Seccombe. The Blues captain took exactly 49 balls to score his 49 runs, hitting eight fours and a six.

Bevan joined Mark Waugh at the crease, and with all the experience of 366 one-day internationals between them, the rest of the innings was a formality. Never rushed, and never troubled by a Queensland team which lacked the variety of a specialist spinner, they put together an unbeaten fourth-innings partnership of 105 runs in 19 overs to complete the victory.

Waugh's second one-day hundred for the Blues was completed at the end of the 45th over when he took a single off Andrew Symonds. Waugh's 100 took 127 deliveries and included eleven boundaries. It completed a remarkable double for the Waugh twins - Mark scoring a century in Bankstown Oval's first Mercantile Mutual Cup game after Steve made a hundred in the ground's first Sheffield Shield game four years ago.

Bevan's fifty - his fourteenth for the Blues without ever breaking the ton - came from 60 deliveries including four fours, the last of which was pulled over mid-wicket off the bowling of Noffke to end the game.

Mark Waugh unsurprisingly won the man of the match award. The Blues now advance to nine points after two games at the top of the Mercantile Mutual Cup ladder. They play the Victorian Bushrangers at Punt Road, Richmond, next Sunday, and will be keen to take further advantage of their international stars while still available. The Bulls next Mercantile Mutual Cup game is a day-nighter at the WACA against the Western Warriors on November 15.

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