DUBLIN: Kevin O’Brien became the first Irishman to score a Test hundred as Ireland, following on, gained a lead of 139 over Pakistan on the fourth day of their one-off Test at Malahide on Monday.
Many would have written off Ireland’s chances of taking the game into day five, but they will resume their second innings with the prospect of giving Pakistan an awkward run chase — at the very least. A thick outside edge through point off Mohammad Amir brought O’Brien to a milestone that held significance far beyond the personal.
Amir’s three wickets earlier in the day had put Pakistan into a position from which an innings win seemed possible or even likely. But O’Brien and Stuart Thompson combined for a 114-run rearguard that not only pushed Ireland in front and burnished local pride, but allowed them to sleep on the possibility of another famous upset.
It took a ripping delivery from leg-spinner Shadab Khan to remove Thompson, bowled playing back as the ball lurched from the rough outside off stump, but No 9 Tyrone Kane then dug in stoically for an hour and a half for 8 off 67 balls to frustrate Pakistan.
Having taken four wickets in brisk fashion during the morning, and then a couple more after lunch, Pakistan’s seamers went flat as the day wore on. Thompson was dropped on 6 off the bowling of Rahat Ali, a low edge to Sarfraz Ahmed’s left, but was largely untroubled in recording a maiden Test half-century that was marked by growing confidence.
Rahat was particularly innocuous and Thompson’s thump for four to bring up fifty and the century stand with O’Brien summed up the shift in fortunes. As in the first innings, when he top-scored with 40, O’Brien was an assured presence at the crease. Rather than booming drives and pulls, he played softly and watchfully, gliding several boundaries through third man or off his pads. A tap through mid-on secured him fifty, another first for Ireland in Tests.
A thick edge through vacant second slip in the penultimate over of the day brought a scream of annoyance from Amir, as a weary O’Brien stared blankly down the pitch. O’Brien came close to playing on and being lbw to Abbas in the next over but there was no succour for Pakistan.
In an eventful morning session, Ireland extended their opening stand to 69 before Joyce was run out by a direct hit from Faheem Ashraf at mid-on. In a match that has seen plenty of dodgy running, Joyce was perhaps unlucky to be the only man run out (so far); he ended up fractionally short after calling a tight single, with Ashraf’s throw aiming at one stump doing just enough to dislodge the bails.
That gave Pakistan an opening, which they quickly exploited. Andy Balbirnie made an unwanted sort of history when he was hit on the pads and given lbw against Abbas for the second time in the match, becoming the first Ireland batsman to register a Test pair. Keen to avoid a similar fate, Niall O’Brien’s first run came via a risky single that left him on his knees.
The elder O’Brien made it into double-figures before being detonated from the crease by Amir, who flattened the stumps with a delivery that reversed in to the left-hander. William Porterfield, who laboured for 120 balls over his 32, was given a torrid time during Amir’s initial seven-over spell and eventually succumbed to a wicked outswinger that Sarfraz held on to.
Ireland at that stage were 95 for 4, still 85 runs away from putting Pakistan in for a second time. Paul Stirling was lbw shortly after lunch, Abbas locating his pad fractionally before bat came into play, and when Wilson was caught slip off Amir it was 157 for 6. Then Kevin O’Brien’s scriptwriter intervened again.
Ireland won toss
Pakistan 1st Innings 310-9 dec (Faheem Ashraf 83, Asad Shafiq 62; T Murtagh 4-45,
S Thompson 3-62)
Ireland 1st Innings 130 (Mohammad Abbas 4-44, Shadab Khan 3-31)
Ireland 2nd Innings (following-on)
E Joyce run out 43
W Porterfield c Sarfraz b Amir 32
A Balbirnie lbw b Abbas 0
N O’Brien b Amir 18
P Stirling lbw b Abbas 11
K J O’Brien not out 118
G C Wilson c Haris b Amir 12
S R Thompson b Shadab 53
T E Kane not out 8
Extras (b 1, lb 18, nb 1, w 4) 24
Total (7 wickets, 122 Overs) 319
Yet to bat: W B Rankin, T J Murtagh
Fall: 1-69, 2-69, 3-94, 4-95, 5-127, 6-157, 7-271
Bowling: Amir 25.2-8-57-3; Abbas 25-9-54-2; Rahat 23-3-75-0 (2w); Faheem 18-3-51-0 (1w, 1nb); Shadab 30.4-7-63-1
Umpires: Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong (England). TV umpire: Mark Hawthorne (Ireland). Match referee: Chris Broad (England)