Ireland took three early wickets against Pakistan at Malahide on Tuesday to give themselves hope of a sensational victory after following on in their debut match as a men’s Test nation. Pakistan, set a seemingly modest 160 for victory on the fifth and final day, slumped to 14 for three inside five overs.
Just four balls into their chase, Pakistan saw experienced opener Azhar Ali undone by a Tim Murtagh delivery he could only edge to Paul Stirling at first slip. Haris Sohail (seven) fell next, well taken in the gully by Ed Joyce off towering fast bowler Boyd Rankin as Ireland’s two former England internationals combined.
Pakistan reached lunch on 52-3 with opener Imam-ul-Haq batting on 33. Post lunch, Imam-up-Haq and Babar Azam continued to build on their promising stand. The two ultimately added 126 runs for the fourth wicket before Azam was run-out after a horrible mix-up.
Skipper Sarfraz Ahmed was dismissed for eight runs but Imam-up-Haq remained unbeaten on 74 as Pakistan won by five wickets to spare in the end.
