Ireland's firsts on their Test debut
Ireland's first Test match ended in defeat against Pakistan at Dublin. The Irish won the toss and skipper William Porterfield opted to field first.
Pakistan declared their innings at 310/9 thanks to fifties from Faheem Ashraf, Shadab Khan, and Asad Shafiq. Tim Murtagh was the best among the Irish bowlers, picking up four wickets for just 45 runs.
In reply, Ireland could only score 130 which is the third lowest score by any team in their first ever Test innings, behind South Africa's 84 in 1889 and New Zealand's 112 in 1930. Mohammad Abbas took 4/44 for Pakistan while Shadab Khan took 3/31.
Pakistan enforced the follow-on but Ireland put up a much better show in the second innings thanks to Kevin O'Brien's 118 and Stuart Thompson's 53. The Irish ended their second innings at 339, giving Pakistan a target of 160 to win. Mohammad Abbas picked up his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket, bowling a spell of 5/66.
The Irish were off to a good start as they got three early wickets to put Pakistan at 14/3. However, a partnership of 126 between opener Imam ul-Haq and Babar Azam put Pakistan back in the driver's seat.
Pakistan eventually chased down the target with 5 wickets to spare. Despite Mohammad Abbas bowling his best match figures of 9/110, Kevin O'Brien was adjudged the Man of the Match for his century.
With Ireland having played their first Test match, let's take a look at some of Ireland's "first times" in Test cricket:
Tim Murtagh bowled the first ever ball in Ireland's Test Cricket history. Murtagh is also the first Irish bowler to take four wickets in an innings. Murtagh also became the first Irish bowler to take more than five wickets in a single Test match. He ended the match with figures of 6/100.
Boyd Rankin took Ireland's first ever Test wicket by dismissing the formidable Azhar Ali. As a matter of fact, Rankin was the only Irish player who was not making his Test debut, having played for England in the Ashes four years ago. Rankin also bowled the first ever maiden for Ireland in Test cricket.
Ed Joyce faced Ireland's first ball in Test cricket. He scored Ireland's first runs in Test cricket and was also the first Irish batsmen to get dismissed in Tests.
Kevin O'Brien scored Ireland's first ever boundary in Test cricket after inside-edging a Mohammad Abbas delivery which missed the stumps and reached the boundary. He was Ireland's top-scorer in their first innings after scoring 40. In the second innings, O'Brien scored Ireland's first ever fifty in Test cricket before becoming the first Irish centurion in Test cricket. Kevin O'Brien is also the 105th batsman to score a hundred on his Test debut.
Ed Joyce and William Porterfield added the first-ever 50-run partnership for Ireland in Test cricket. The opening pair added 69 runs in the second innings.
Kevin O'Brien and Stuart Thompson stitched the first ever 100-run partnership for Ireland in Test cricket. The pair added 114 for the 7th wicket in the second innings.