The right-handed Trinida-dian hammered 27 from 23 balls with one four and a six as South Australia were bowled out for a paltry 131 off 18 overs after winning the toss and opting to bat first at the Adelaide Oval.
Fast bowler Shaun Tait then claimed both openers with the first two balls of the innings to send Tasmania crumbling to a disappointing 108 for nine from their allotted 20 overs.
Pollard’s heroics were required after South Australia wasted a healthy start that saw Graham Manou (33) and Daniel Harris (16) post 46 from 25 balls.
When both departed, South Australia still raced to 81 for two but they lost Tom Cooper (12) and Shahid Afridi (1) in the space of five balls to slump to 84 for four in the 11th over.
Pollard, who has been in good form in the tournament, then added a careful 43 from 36 balls for the fifth wicket with Mark Cosgrove who scored a painstaking 25 from 29 balls with one six.
When Pollard tried to up the tempo, he was caught in the deep attempting to heave Pakistani seamer Naved-ul-Hasan down the ground and his dismissal then sparked a sensational collapse where South Australia lost their last six wickets for four runs in the space of 10 balls.
Pollard was the first of four wickets to fall in as many balls as ul-Hasan claimed a dramatic hat-trick, with the fourth victim Cosgrove going via the run out route.
The drama rolled over into Tasmania’s innings as Tait (3-27) knocked over openers Tim Paine and Michael Dighton without scoring as the visitors suffered a nightmare start to what should have been an uncomplicated run chase.
Left-arm spinner Aaron O’Brien (3-15) and medium pacer Daniel Christian (2-13) then wrecked the middle and lower order to ensure Tasmania did not recover, and fire South Australia into the final.
