Strokeplayer Callum Ferguson struck a century as South Australia set Victoria 256 runs to win Saturday’s one-day match in Adelaide.
The Redbacks made 7-255 from 50 overs with Ferguson top-scoring with 110 and Michael Klinger making 87.
But after the experienced SA duo put on 162 runs for the second wicket, the Redbacks suffered a mid-order collapse of 4-15 as the Bushrangers clawed their way back into the contest.
The winner of the match will secure a finals berth, with Victoria, on 19 points, entering the day-nighter on top of the table ahead of the Redbacks, on 18.
Klinger and Ferguson dominated the Bushranger bowlers until debutant legspinner Fawad Ahmed (3-47 from 13 overs) sparked a comeback.
Ahmed, a Pakistani-born asylum seeker, ended the partnership by trapping Klinger lbw for 87 from 113 balls.
The tweaker then collected the wickets of Tom Cooper (five) and Alex Ross (five), while John Hastings (2-64) claimed Dan Christian (two) with a dubious lbw verdict.
The Redbacks went from 1-174 to 5-189, the spate of wickets forcing Ferguson’s scoring pace to slow.
But the gifted batsman reached his century from 119 deliveries, his fourth one-day ton, featuring seven fours and two sixes.