Western Australia 301 for 6 (Whiteman 74, Cartwright 66*) beat Queensland 300 (Khawaja 76, Hearne 76, Neser 56, Richardson 3-36, Tye 3-78) by four wickets

Chasing 301, WA were looking shaky after stumbling to 349 for 6 in the 41st over of Sunday’s match But Cartwright’s unbeaten 66 off 49 balls, which featured five fours and three sixes, helped get WA over the line with six deliveries to spare.

WA’s bid for a fourth consecutive one-day title was on thin ice following losses to South Australia and NSW. Given each team plays only seven regular-season matches, a loss to Queensland could have ended WA’s hopes of reaching the March 1 final.

But Cartwright’s knock has kept WA’s hopes of a four-peat alive, with Queensland (two losses, one no-result) facing an uphill battle to reach the decider.

Queensland were in all sorts of trouble at 51 for 4 in the 12th over following the departures of Ben McDermott, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne and Jack Clayton.

Richardson was the pick of WA’s attack, bowling McDermott in the third over with a delivery that swung back in wildly. His dismissal of the dangerous Neser later in the innings ensured Queensland’s score wasn’t bigger.

Cameron Bancroft entered the match desperate for runs after posting twin ducks in the recent Sheffield Shield draw with Queensland. Neser claimed Bancroft’s wicket in both Shield innings, but the WA opener managed to get through the early stages on Sunday before being trapped lbw by Labuschagne for 33.