5 things that show that Ireland belong to Test cricket

#3. Getting early breakthroughs in both innings

Murtagh gave the Irish a couple of early wickets

Getting early wickets is very important in cricket regardless of the format. For a team like Ireland who were up against a stronger side in every aspect of the game, getting early wickets was crucial for them and they did get some.

In the first innings, Ireland dismissed both of Pakistan's openers thanks to Tim Murtagh and Boyd Rankin. Pakistan were 13/2 at that time.

In the second innings, Ireland had just 161 runs to defend. In the very first over, Murtagh dismissed Azhar Ali. Then in the fourth over, Rankin got rid of Haris Sohail before Murtagh shattered Asad Shafiq's off-stump in the following over. Pakistan were 14/3.

Provided the Ireland bowlers cash on their good starts in further Tests, then they could be a force to be reckoned with.