DUBLIN – Pakistan were 268 for six after losing the toss when bad light and then rain forced an early close to the second day of Ireland’s inaugural Test at Malahide on Saturday.
Faheem Ashraf marked his Test debut with 61 not out and teenager Shadab Khan, in only his second match at this level, also hit a maiden Test fifty to be unbeaten on 52.
Right-arm opener Azhar Ali departed on four runs while Imam-ul-Haq, who scored half-century in practice match, returned to pavilion after scoring just seven runs.
50 comes up for @76Shadabkhan, his first fifty in Test cricket.
Live updates: https://t.co/KYXmCeyxMx #IREvPAK pic.twitter.com/QU5CV4FBWd— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) May 12, 2018
Middle-order Asad Shafiq made 62, Haris Sohail, 31, Babar Azam,14 and Sarfraz Ahmad scored 20.
Stumps Day 2 – Pakistan 268/6 (76 ov).
Scorecard: https://t.co/eMBVfXKKYp #IREvPAK pic.twitter.com/K21Ni3wH50— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) May 12, 2018
Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Najam Sethi presented the Test caps to Pakistan’s Imam-ul-Haq and Faheem Ashraf, who made their Test debut in this match.
Test Cap presentation ceremony of @iFaheemAshraf and @ImamUlHaq12 ahead of #IREvPAK Test pic.twitter.com/qDGiVpgmLn
— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) May 12, 2018
Pakistan playing XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain, wicketkeeper), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Abbas
Ireland playing XI: William Porterfield (captain), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O’Brien (wicketkeeper), Andy Balbirnie, Gary Wilson, Kevin O’Brien, Stuart Thompson, Tyrone Kane, Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh.
The match started at 3:00pm Pakistan Standard Time (PST). PTV Sports and Geo Sports are telecasting live fixture.
Teams line up for the historic #IREvPAK test
Live updates: https://t.co/KYXmCeyxMx pic.twitter.com/yYPOYJtKvr— PCB Official (@TheRealPCB) May 12, 2018
The hosts will look to do what no side has done in 141 years by winning their inaugural men’s Test when they face 7th ranked Pakistan.
Ireland’s dream of playing Test matches has taken as long as three hundred years to come true, as there are records of cricket being played in Ireland as early as 1731, with Dublin’s Phoenix Cricket Club founded in 1830, which is still going on.
Ireland first made the rest of the cricket world take notice when they beat the touring West Indies in an ODI, in 1969.
In World Cup, 2007 Ireland defeated Pakistan in a group match when they went on to win another World Cup match against England in 2011.
Both the Ireland and Afghanistan teams were elevated to Test status by ICC, last year.
Pakistan face England in a two-Test series beginning at Lord’s on May 24. Ireland, meanwhile, head to the Netherlands for a tri-series also involving Scotland and will host India in two T20s on June 27 and June 29.
