A battling counter-attack by George Dockrell and Mark Adair fell short as Ireland suffered a shock 12-run loss to Canada in their T20 World Cup clash in New York.
The pair threatened to snatch victory for Ireland in a hard-hitting 62-run partnership for the seventh wicket, but Jeremy Gordon held his nerve impressively in the final over.
The upset – the second major surprise in the tournament after the United States’ victory over Pakistan on Thursday – left the Irish winless after their opening two Group A matches.
The foundations for Canada’s first victory in a T20 World Cup were laid by Nicholas Kirton’s 49 from 35 deliveries and 37 from Shreyas Movva.
Canada had slipped to 53 for four when the pair came together in the ninth over, but they repaired the damage before accelerating in a stand of 75.
Kirton hit three fours and two sixes before falling one short of his half-century when he struggled to deal with a Barry McCarthy bouncer and was caught by Andy Balbirnie in the penultimate over.
Movva was run out in the final push for runs, but the Canadian total of 137 for seven not only allayed fears over the quality of the pitch at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium but proved highly competitive.
Canada, with seamer Gordon impressing, applied pressure from the start of the chase and took wickets at regular intervals.
The Irish looked in deep trouble at 59 for six in the 13th over, with the run out of Lorcan Tucker and loss of Curtis Campher to a brilliant catch by Aaron Johnson among their frustrations.
Adair (34 not out) and Dockrell (30) started to find the boundaries to bring the target down, but Canada had enough to hold on.
The game was up when Gordon (two for 16) held a steepling caught and bowled to remove Adair in a final over that began with 17 runs required but cost only four. Ireland ended on 125 for seven.
