A record partnership between Curtis Campher and George Dockrell saved Ireland from an early departure from the T20 World Cup in Hobart.

Chasing 177, Ireland were in real trouble at 61 for 4 in the 10th over when the pair came together, and in the course of the next 45 minutes produced one of the greatest turnarounds in their T20I history.

The pair combined breathless running with powerful and intelligent blows, finding boundaries when they needed them.

Campher was the more aggressive, with Dockrell's cool head giving him the strike, and also plundering the bowling when required.

Campher targeted the short boundaries to great effect as an increasingly stunned Scotland became bedraggled under pressure.

The two shared an unbroken partnership of 119 in 9.3 overs with Campher hitting three consecutive fours to seal the six-wicket win with an over to spare. His unbeaten 72 took just 32 balls (7 fours, 2 sixes), with Dockrell's 39 not out coming from 27 deliveries (4 fours, 2 sixes).

There's no doubt knives were being sharpened after the first three-quarters of the contest followed an all too familiar pattern.

Michael Jones' brilliant 86 propelled Scotland to 176 for 5, with Ireland's attack being a real curate's egg.

Campher - who cut an emotional figure at the end due to having received some bad family news - was a man inspired, taking two wickets for just nine runs in the two overs he bowled.

However, Barry McCarthy came in for some serious punishment from the off, and surely should have been hooked from the attack instead of bowling his full quota.

Too often skipper Balbirnie seems to skipper by numbers or a pre-arranged plan, seldom reacting to on-field events, and it's fair to say Campher's heroics saved him from intense scrutiny.

The importance of an excellent final over from Mark Adair can't be underestimated too - if Scotland had reached 190, then you feel that would have been a bridge too far.

So, onto Friday and it's a straight shoot-out between Ireland v West Indies, and Scotland v Zimbabwe. The victors in both progress to the Super 12 phase.

However, if the forecast rain materializes, then it's Zimbabwe and Scotland who will progress thanks to their superior NRR's.