Ireland follow on after 130 all out against Pakistan

DUBLIN: Ireland were 64-0 at stumps after being dismissed for 130 in their inaugural Test innings and made to follow on by Pakistan on the third day at Malahide on Sunday.

Ireland finished 31 runs shy of the follow-on avoidance target of 161 after Pakistan had made 310 for nine declared in a match where Friday´s scheduled first day was washed out completely.

It was the first time Pakistan had enforced the follow-on in a Test in 16 years — they made New Zealand bat twice in a row on the way to an innings and 324-run win at Lahore in 2002.

Mohammad Abbas did the initial damage with the ball as Ireland collapsed to five for three before lunch, with the paceman finishing with figures of four wickets for 44 in 11 overs, while leg-spinner Shadab Khan took three for 31 in 13.2 overs.

Kevin O´Brien top scored for Ireland with 40 and Gary Wilson, batting with an injured arm, made a gutsy 33 not out.

Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed´s well-timed declaration left Ireland with a tricky 30 minutes to bat before lunch and that was long enough for the hosts to lose a trio of top-order batsmen in 6.1 overs.

Veteran opener Ed Joyce was lbw to Mohammad Abbas for four before fellow opener Andrew Balbirnie, who might have been run out for a duck, was lbw to the paceman for nought.

Former England one-day international Joyce, arguably Ireland´s greatest batsman and at 39 the oldest Test debutant since Australia´s Bryce McGain made his bow aged 36 in 2009, appeared to be a victim of the fact the Decision Review System was not being used in this match because Cricket Ireland had decided they could not afford the cost for a one-off game.

But while replays suggested the ball that did for left-hander Joyce may have pitched outside the line, there was little doubt about the delivery that dismissed Balbirnie, who had previously had to scramble back to avoid being run out by Asad Shafiq´s direct hit from short leg.

Then, with what became the last ball before lunch, Ireland captain William Porterfield fell for one when left-arm quick Mohammad Amir uprooted his off-stump.

Abbas then had NJ O’Brien lbwed on duck, and Faheem Ashraf removed Stirling for 17.

Shadab Khan then removed Thompson and Kane in the same over to leave Ireland struggling to survive a follow-on.

Earlier, Test debutant Faheem Ashraf top-scored for Pakistan with 83 and together with Shadab Khan (55) put on 117 for the seventh wicket.

Middlesex paceman Tim Murtagh led Ireland´s attack with four wickets for 55 runs from 25 overs.

Before play started on another gloriously sunny morning at Malahide following Friday´s first-day total washout, both teams were presented to the President of Ireland, Michael D Higgins.

Pakistan resumed on their overnight 268 for six, with Shadab 52 not out and left-hander Faheem unbeaten on 61.

Ireland were just four overs away from being able to take the new ball when play resumed Sunday and it duly did the trick when, two balls into its deployment, Murtagh had Shadab lbw.

The 19-year-old Shadab was another batsman this match to rue the absence of DRS and he walked off after facing 105 balls, including seven fours.

Faheem responded to the arrival of the new ball, by stylishly driving Murtagh for four, having scored the fastest fifty by a Pakistan Test debutant, off 52 balls, on Saturday.

Faheem, dropped on 36 on Saturday, was missed again in the slips on 62 and 72.

But in sight of the notable feat of a hundred on Test debut, Faheem was caught behind off a lifting delivery from Stuart Thompson, having faced 115 balls, including nine fours and a six.

Earlier Asad Shafiq made 62 as Pakistan recovered from losing two wickets in successive balls to be 13 for two.

Boyd Rankin, the 15th man and the first since Kepler Wessels (Australia and South Africa) 25 years ago to play Test cricket for two nations after making a lone appearance for England, had the honour of taking Ireland´s first Test wicket.

Playing XI

Pakistan: 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: 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