A devastating spell from former Test paceman Ryan Harris delivered Queensland the miracle they needed on Monday to get back into the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania at Bellerive.
Harris exploded to take 4-10 and have the Tigers reeling at 5-33 at lunch on day four.
Tasmania, who took a 194-run lead into the second innings when they dismissed the lacklustre Bulls’ batting line-up for 225, hold an overall lead of 227.
They lost 4-1 in 13 balls and were 5-15 after a twist few could have seen coming, leaving Alex Doolan (13no) and Tim Paine (9no) attempting to pick up the pieces at the break.
With five sessions remaining in the five-day decider, it is suddenly game on at Bellerive after three days of Tasmanian dominance on a largely docile pitch.
It was Harris who said after day two that Bulls players should buy a lottery ticket if they were able to get out of jail against the dominant home side.
And the 33-year-old could be headed to the newsagent, and on an Ashes tour later this year, after he turned the Tigers’ top order into a procession to the changerooms.
First innings century-maker Jordan Silk (1) was the first to go when he chopped Harris on at 1-5.
Bulls’ skipper James Hopes (1-15) chipped in to have Mark Cosgrove (4) playing on at 2-5.
Then Harris snared the big one, having Ricky Ponting (1) given out lbw when the former Test captain offered no stroke to a ball that angled back at him.
The knock could be Ponting’s last in Australia, although he has made no announcement about his future with Tasmania.
Tigers’ captain George Bailey (0) was bowled second ball by Harris at 4-6 before the paceman rattled Jonathan Wells’ (1) stumps when he let an angling ball go.
Earlier, Tigers’ medium pacer Evan Gulbis snared 4-62 as Queensland were bowled out within an hour of resuming at 7-185.
Nathan Hauritz (16) spooned a straight-forward caught-and-bowled back to Gulbis at 8-207.
James Faulkner (3-40) then had Harris (0) out lbw before bowling Hopes (36).