Western Australia’s star-studded bowling attack have skittled NSW for just 169 in the one-day cup final to put their side within touching distance of a third straight title.
WA skipper Sam Whiteman sent the hosts in to bat at Sydney’s Cricket Central on Sunday and the decision paid off after an evenly contested first 30 overs.
Oliver Davies (51) and Moises Henriques (32) put on 74 for the fourth wicket to build a platform for NSW.
But captain Henriques fell when Ashton Agar claimed a sharp return catch off his own bowling, triggering a collapse.
NSW lost their last seven wickets for just 34 runs as they were bowled out in 42 overs.
WA need 170 – at a required run rate of 3.4 an over – to win their third straight title and a sixth in the last decade.
Joel Paris (4-21), AJ Tye (2-39) and Agar (2-35) all claimed multiple wickets, while Cooper Connolly (1-41, 10 overs) and Jason Behrendorff (0-30, seven overs) also bowled well.
Agar claimed a key early scalp when he trapped danger man Daniel Hughes lbw for 25.
Davies hit the only six of the innings when he hoisted Connolly over deep midwicket and left a pair of WA fielders searching for the ball in thick scrub surrounding the venue.
He looked capable of going on to make a big score but was out when he skied a mistimed pull shot off Paris to fine leg.
In his first one-day cup match of the season, Paris then dined out on the NSW tail.
WA are looking to continue their dominance in domestic cricket, having won both the one-day cup and Sheffield Shield in each of the past two seasons.
They are aiming to become just the second state to snare a hat-trick of one-day titles, and the first in more than two decades.
NSW are the only state to have won three straight and have done so twice, from 1992-94 and 2001-03.