Ireland's long and arduous campaign to reach the Super 10 phase of the World T20 Championship came apart at the seams in the final 80 minutes amid a storm of sixes and fours from the bats of their fellow associates The Netherlands in Sylhet on Friday.

For the past decade it has been the boys in green that have regularly made the headlines on the world stage however in the cold light of day even the most ardent Irish supporter will have to admit this was a stunning performance from the Dutch.

Zimbabwe's win over the UAE earlier in the day meant that both teams knew what they had to do to qualify into the latter stages- a win of any kind enough for Phil Simmons' men while for those in orange, they had to better Ireland's score in little more than 14 overs if they were to make it.

Peter Borren won the toss and put Ireland in and he got his early breakthrough when Paul Stirling lasted just 9 balls for his 7 runs. William Porterfield looked in great touch however and he and Ed Joyce took it to 69 before the Ireland skipper played a really rash shot when seemingly well in control and was bowled for 47 (5 fours, 2 sixes).

With the score on 88 Joyce was run out going for a sharp single bringing Andrew Poynter and Kevin O'Brien together and these two spent the next 9 overs launching Ireland into what looked like a winning position. Poynter survived an edge or two early on before going on to make his highest ever T20 score of 57 (4 fours and four sixes) while his partner was at his belligerent best hitting 2 fours and 4 sixes in a 16-ball 42 not out. Their 100-run partnership made off just 45 deliveries allowed the Irish boys to close on a very healthy 189 for 4, Poynter falling from the final ball of the innings.

All of that meant that the Dutch had to come up with 190 runs in just 14.2 overs and boy did they go for it from the off. Skipper Borren opened the innings with Stephan Myburgh and the pair launched into Stirling and Andy McBrine straight away. They plundered 24 runs from McBrine's first over and 48 from the first 3 setting the tone for their reply, but even then few suspected what they were about to witness. Myburgh just took aim at everything that came his way and it took until the final delivery of the Power Play to part them- Kevin O'Brien having Borren caught by George Dockrell for 31 (4 fours and 2 sixes). Dockrell then did for the dangerous Myburgh, but not before he had clubbed 4 fours and 7 sixes in his 63 but when O'Brien claimed the wicket of Logan van Beek in his next over, Ireland were back in the hunt at 100-3.

Wesley Barresi and the tournament's most talked about player Tom Cooper had other ideas however and this pair picked up where Myburgh had left off. Cooper was given a real let-off when he was dropped by Ed Joyce having made just 1 but he made the most of his fortune in forcing Ireland pay a heavy price for their error. His innings lasted just 13 balls after that, six of which disappeared into the stands as he put The Netherlands on the brink with a superb 45.

Barresi (40 not out- 3 fours and 3 sixes) and Ben Cooper (9) finished the job against a by now shattered Irish side and in doing so in under 14 overs they propelled themselves into the Super 10 against all the odds.

Ireland can consider themselves extremely unlucky to have played so well for eight and a half matches to put themselves on the verge of another real success story but today belonged to the Dutch. Records fell all over the place in the chase- quickest ever International T20 hundred by a team, most sixes in an innings et al, but the only thing that will matter to skipper Borren is that it is his side that rose to the occasion today, and how.