Marsh ton puts WA in command

Shaun Marsh notched a timely century and Cameron Bancroft fell only one run short of his second in as many matches as Western Australia built a commanding lead over Queensland on day two of the Sheffield Shield match at the WACA Ground.

Marsh's hundred will add intrigue to the national selectors' debate about the composition of the top six to face India in the first Test at the Gabba in December. Eighteen boundaries pinged off his bat and he now emerges as a solid competitor to Shane Watson and Alex Doolan for the No. 3 berth.

Bancroft, meanwhile, was crestfallen to edge the Bulls captain James Hopes behind for 99, ending a union of 108 with Marsh following another of 107 with Michael Klinger.

Hopes was a nagging threat throughout, but the rest of the Queensland attack was unable to maintain quite the same level of pressure, allowing Marsh to capitalise on the earlier good work of Bancroft and Klinger by raising the Warriors' scoring rate under lights.