By Mark Adair’s five-wicket haul spearheaded Ireland’s impressive bowling performance on the first day of the one-off Test against Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. The pitch at Tolerance Oval, contrary to typical UAE tracks, offered significant movement for the pacers, leading to a total of 14 wickets falling on the day. Ireland’s bowlers, led by Adair, managed to restrict Afghanistan to 155. However, Ireland also faced early setbacks, losing four wickets before stumps, with Zia-ur-Rehman’s late strikes providing some respite for Afghanistan.
Afghanistan, opting to bat first, struggled against Ireland’s pace attack, with only Ibrahim Zadran (53 off 83) showing some resistance. Adair’s relentless bowling dismantled Afghanistan’s top order, leaving them struggling at 90/6. Karim Janat’s unbeaten 41* helped Afghanistan cross the 150-run mark.
In response, Afghanistan’s Naveen Zadran struck early to dismiss Andrew Balbirnie and Peter Moor. However, Curtis Campher’s aggressive batting and Harry Tector’s solid innings put Ireland in a strong position. Their partnership of 60 for the third wicket steadied the innings before Zia-ur-Rehman struck twice late in the day to keep Afghanistan in the game.
Despite Afghanistan’s fightback, Ireland ended the day with a slight edge. The match is finely poised heading into day two, with Ireland trailing by 55 runs with six wickets in hand.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 155 (Ibrahim Zadran 53; Mark Adair 5-39) lead Ireland 100/4 (Curtis Campher 49, Harry Tector 32*; Naveen Zadran 2-32) by 55 runs.
