Irish Hopes Intact As Rain Derails Test Debut

When you've waited as long as Ireland have to play your first Test match, another day's delay may not seem that significant

Dublin, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 11th May, 2018 ) :When you've waited as long as Ireland have to play your first Test match, another day's delay may not seem that significant. Yet there was no denying the disappointment at a wet and windy Malahide ground in Dublin as rain meant play was abandoned without a ball bowled on Friday's opening day of Ireland's inaugural Test, against Pakistan.

By the time the umpires ended proceedings for the day at 3:00pm local time (1400 GMT), there were just a few hardy souls at a ground where temporary stands had increased the capacity to 6,300, with 5,100 seats pre-sold for the day.

With cruel irony, no sooner had English umpires Richard Illingworth and Nigel Llong abandoned play then the sun broke through the grey skies, with Ireland the first country to see their opening day in men's Test cricket history -- which dates back to an 1877 Australia-England clash at Melbourne -- washed out completely.

Cricket Ireland chief executive Warren Deutrom said Friday's abandonment would see the national governing body lose 75,000 Euros, having announced before the fixture that the cost of staging the match would be "around one million euros".

- 'Massive pride' - But with 4,000 seats already sold for Saturday, Deutrom was hopeful that forecasts of better weather were accurate. "There was a huge sense of excitement and anticipation about today, and a massive sense of pride," he said.