Sparkling centuries by Paul Stirling and Harry Tector were not enough to steer Ireland to a famous first win over New Zealand after they suffered an agonising one-run defeat in Dublin.
Martin Guptill’s own hundred helped the Black Caps amass 360 for six from their 50 overs to put them on the verge of a whitewash from the three-match one-day international series.
Stirling and Tector had other ideas but when the latter departed with more than 50 runs required, the chase looked dead and buried.
Ireland’s lower order continued to swing hard and brought the equation down to 10 off the last over, but Blair Tickner held his nerve to deny the hosts at Malahide despite scoring their highest ever ODI total.
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