Queensland have one foot in the Ryobi Cup final after their upset six-wicket win over Victoria at the MCG on Saturday moved the Bulls into second place on the table.
Queensland kept the ladder-leading Bushrangers to 8-242 before half-centuries from Chris Hartley, Luke Pomersbach and Nathan Reardon helped them past the target with 14 balls to spare.
But the Bulls face a nervous wait on Sunday, with South Australia taking on New South Wales in Adelaide for the right play the Bushrangers in the decider.
The top two states play off in the February 27 final.
Hartley and Pomersbach's 116-run partnership steered the Bulls to a strong position at 1-132 in the 32nd over.
But a double breakthrough from burgeoning spinner Fawad Ahmed - the former Pakistani asylum-seeker - swung the match in Victoria's favour.
In just his second List A match, leg-spinner Ahmed brilliantly clean-bowled Pomersbach for 51 and three balls later spectacularly deceived Peter Forrest (six) with a wrong 'un that trapped the right-hander plumb in front.
The match looked set for a close finish when Hartley (74 from 115 balls) mistimed Will Sheridan and was caught at deep midwicket, leaving the Bulls needing 42 from the last seven overs.
However smart batting across the final 10 overs from Reardon (52 not out from 45 balls) and Dominic Michael (30 from 20) kept the asking rate below a run a ball - allowing Queensland to secure a comfortable win.
Left-armer Sheridan had the best figures for Victoria with 2-42 and Ahmed captured 2-65.
Earlier, an exhausted Ryan Harris bowled seven overs across two spells to snare 1-30.
In his first match of the Australian summer after a long battle against hip and shoulder injuries, Harris experienced cramp during his second spell but suffered no aggravated damage.
The 33-year-old, who boasts a Test average of 23.63, bowled two maidens to start the match and snared the wicket of Rob Quiney (one) with a ball that seamed away and was nicked to Forrest at slip.
In tandem with new-ball partner James Hopes, Harris helped restrict Victoria to just 22 from the first 12 overs.
But the innings gathered momentum when Chris Rogers (60) and Michael Hill (88) put on 125 for the second wicket through the middle of the innings.
That allowed David Hussey (22 from 18), Peter Handscomb (38 from 42) and number eight Rose (16 from 14) to swing the bat at the death.
Hill's innings - his highest one-day return for Victoria - piloted the Bushrangers to a competitive score.
The 24-year-old left-hander appeared destined for a maiden century before selflessly losing his wicket - caught in the deep off medium-pacer Matthew Gale - as the hosts pushed for quick runs during the closing overs.
But Bushrangers skipper Cameron White (seven from 16) couldn't emerge from his chronic form slump.
Batting at number five, a bogged-down White clubbed Gale straight to Cameron Gannon at long-on.
Former Victorian Gale collected four scalps at the death to finish with an opportune 5-67 from 11 overs but Hopes was Queensland's best bowler with an economical 2-39 off 13 overs including two maidens.