Ireland v Pakistan: Rain washes out first day of Test match

DUBLIN: Rain washed out the first day of the Test match between Ireland and Pakistan here on Friday.

The match is now a four-day Test and the follow-on on any of the team will be imposed on 150 runs rather than 200.

Ireland was expected to enter the cricket ground in what would have deemed a historic moment in their cricketing history. As test debutants, the Irish have a lot to prove as they are yet to take on the Pakistan cricket team — known for its unpredictability. 

The Pakistani cricket team will not be taking the Irish lightly, because Ireland will look to do what no side has done in 141 years: win their inaugural test match in Malahide, Dublin starting today.

Ireland will become the first team to debut in the longest format of the game since Bangladesh in 2000, after being awarded full member status last June along with Afghanistan.

Imam-ul-Haq debuts for Pakistan

Opener Imam-ul-Haq will make his Test debut for Pakistan in the historic red-ball fixture.

Imam, who is also the nephew of chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, said he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous. “But you can’t perform if you don’t handle pressure well, whether it’s your first match or the last.”

The opener scored a century in his ODI debut against Sri Lanka in October 2017, said he would also like to make his debut Test a memorable with his performance.

Pakistan's test squad 

Pakistan's 16 member test squad will be lead by Sarfraz Ahmed.

With five uncapped players in their squad, the team includes Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Sami Aslam, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Saad Ali, Asad Shafiq, Usman Salahuddin, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali and Faheem Ashraf.

Ireland's test squad 

Ireland 14-member squad will be led by William Porterfield.

According to the ICC website, the team includes Ed Joyce, Paul Stirling, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Gary Wilson, Stuart Thompson, Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin, Andre Balbirnie, Andy McBrine, Tyrone Kane, Nathan Smith and James Shannon.

Notable Irish players who missed out on making the team include batsman Jack Tector, all-rounder Simi Singh and pacer Barry McCarthy.

Pakistan's current ranking

Pakistan is currently ranked seventh in Tests and will gain one point with a win against Ireland to reach 87 points. However, a draw will see them slip to 84 and a loss to 81 points. The table is led by India at 125 points with South Africa placed second at 112. Australia (106) and New Zealand (102) are placed third and fourth

Probable playing XI

Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali, Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq, Babar Azam, Sarfraz Ahmed (captain, wicket-keeper), Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Amir, Rahat Ali, Mohammad Abbas

Ireland: William Porterfield (captain), Paul Stirling, Ed Joyce, Niall O'Brien (wicket-keeper), Andy Balbirnie, Gary Wilson, Kevin O'Brien, Stuart Thompson, Andy McBrine, Boyd Rankin, Tim Murtagh

The match will start at 3PM PST.