Ireland vs Pakistan | Only Test | Dublin | May 11-15, 2018 | Pre-Match Thread

[GrandMaster]

This will be a historic test match. I can't wait. My 11 would be:

1) Azhar Ali - obvious pick
2) Imam-ul-Haq - I was one of the only people who thought he was a good selection and he has proved me right so far
3) Haris Sohail - batted well in warm ups
4) Asad Shafiq - century against Northants has secured his place
5) Babar Azam - found some form against Northants
6) Sarfaraz Ahmed (WK)
7) Faheem Ashraf - will play a role with bat and ball
8) Shadab Khan - was good against Northants
9) Hasan Ali - picks himself
10) Mohammad Abbas - will be good in these conditions
11) Rahat Ali - was good in warm ups

Mohammad Amir shouldn't play. He's really struggled and can't keep on getting picked because of his form before fixing.

If current form is the criteria then even Sarfaraz doesn't deserve a place in the team.

 

[shane]

I just had a quick look at the Irish Times's online sports page (its arguably the best kown newspaper in the country). Not only is the upcoming Test match not the main headline but it is not mentioned on the page at all. It basically does not exist. That's pretty disappointing from a national newspaper. At least RTE, the national broadcaster, has the decency to mention the Test match as a footnote at the end of its sports page.

If Irish people are going to take any interest in cricket then you need a media which at least understands the sport.

 

[Donal Cozzie]

I just had a quick look at the Irish Times's online sports page (its arguably the best kown newspaper in the country). Not only is the upcoming Test match not the main headline but it is not mentioned on the page at all. It basically does not exist. That's pretty disappointing from a national newspaper. At least RTE, the national broadcaster, has the decency to mention the Test match as a footnote at the end of its sports page.

If Irish people are going to take any interest in cricket then you need a media which at least understands the sport.

mate, the Irish Times paper ran articles, the Sunday Independent our biggest paper ran four pages of cricket in the sports section, unheard of, RTE gave news reports on it as you mentioned, the42.ie have ran four separate articles this week.

The media have supported this fairly well, even showing highlights. Tickets are selling well, first 3 days expected to be near sell outs. What more do you expect? 25k bumper crowds?

 

[shane]

mate, the Irish Times paper ran articles, the Sunday Independent our biggest paper ran four pages of cricket in the sports section, unheard of, RTE gave news reports on it as you mentioned, the42.ie have ran four separate articles this week.

The media have supported this fairly well, even showing highlights. Tickets are selling well, first 3 days expected to be near sell outs. What more do you expect? 25k bumper crowds?

Could you provide links to those things? I have not been following it in the media. But the night before the match, flicking through the main papers, I would have expected to see at least some mention of it.

 

[Big Mac]

I've been banging the drum for associate nations for ages and I'm ridiculously psyched for this, I can't even imagine how [MENTION=136108]Donal Cozzie[/MENTION] is going to feel when they walk onto the field tomorrow.

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

imagine if this is a washout

 

[Snowflake]

imagine if this is a washout

I'm surprised why people here aren't talking about the terrible forecast for the next 3/4 days. Day 1 is looking miserable for test cricket:

 

[MenInG]

Only Day 1 seems to be a total loss but Day 2 onwards looking good depending on which foreacast you look at

Question is, will the match need more than 2-3 days for a conclusion?

 

[MenInG]

KARACHI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq is optimistic about Pakistan’s chances against Ireland in the hosts’ first-ever Test match in Dublin and believes the performance put in by the team against Kent and Northamptonshire in the build-up to the game will give the Men in Green confidence against the Irish.

Sarfraz Ahmed’s men defeated Northamptonshire by nine wickets following brilliant individual displays from Asad Shafiq and Shadab Khan where the former made 186 runs not out and the latter claimed ten wickets in the match.

And Razzaq believes this win will give the visitors a lot of confidence going into the historic match.

PCB to invite Ireland to tour Pakistan

“The batting line-up was perfect in the last [practice] match and after watching the performance of the top-order batsman, I am really confident the team will perform well,” Razzaq told The Express Tribune.

Razzaq praised youngster Imamul Haq and was all too impressed by Shafiq’s performance.

“Azhar Ali, the most experienced one in the team, will certainly be opening but for the other end we have Imam, who has proved himself in the practice matches; and then there is experienced Shafiq while Babar Azam can also open. So the opening looks sorted out,” he said.

He added that it will be difficult to select who to send for the opening but it is good that they have got the options.

“Opening has always been a specialist job, but the recent performance has opened up options. Still the best possible openers are Azhar and Asad,” he said.

Talking about the bowling he said that Shadab will be affective in the match against Ireland.

“It will be first Test for the Irish players while it will only be the second Test for Shadab. Both don’t have much experience and the door will be open for Shadab to do what he does best,” he said. “It is good that Shadab went as England players are used to Yasir Shah’s bowling and the way Shadab has been phenomenal and Pakistan can take advantage of that too.”

He also lauded the efforts of other bowlers like Muhammad Abbas. “The pitch for the match against Ireland is green, which is the worst you can have for the batsmen, while the fast-bowlers just love to bowl on it,” he said.

He went on to add: “Muhammad Amir, Abbas and Rahat Ali have a good pitch to play on; they can swing the ball and trouble the batsmen. It will be a low-scoring match so the Pakistani batsmen also have to be ready for it as Ireland have good bowlers too.”

Razzaq further said that the management should give the players confidence by letting them play in all matches. “The same team should be given chance to play in the match against Ireland and also in the two matches against England. This will help the player be comfortable and eventually put in a better performance,” he concluded.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/1706857/7-pakistan-will-perform-well-ireland-says-abdul-razzaq/

 

[ahmedwaqas92]

OMG I am so Hyped for This

 

[hadi123]

If current form is the criteria then even Sarfaraz doesn't deserve a place in the team.

Do we have any back up wicket keepers in the squad? Sarfaraz has to play.