Shadab, Ashraf steady Pakistan after early wobble

After persistent rain washed out the Day 1, the Day 2 started on time. Ireland, after winning the toss, elected to field first. The Irish bowlers, in their first outing in Test cricket, were disciplined with the new Duke ball. Once the Pakistani openers were removed by the new-ball bowlers, Asad Shafiq and an inexperienced Haris Sohail ensured that their team didn’t suffer further setbacks till lunch. Tim Murtagh, Boyd Rankin and Stuart Thompson took two wickets each as Pakistan stuttered. But Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf scored a half-century each en route to sharing a 109* run stand to take Pakistan to safety. 

Brief scores: Pakistan (1st innings) 268/6 in 76 overs (Haris Sohail 31, Asad Shafiq 62, Shadab Khan 52 batting, Faheem Ashraf 61 batting, Tim Murtagh 2/33, Boyd Rankin 2/58, Stuart Thompson 2/51)