[9][10] Cricket Ireland confirmed the date of the Test match at their board meeting in October 2017,[11] with The Village, Malahide, announced as the venue the following month.[27] Ahead of the Test match, Ireland's captain, William Porterfield, said that he was hoping local conditions would help his side,[28] adding that subcontinental teams take some time to adjust.[29] Pakistan's captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, said that the team was really looking forward to playing against Ireland[30] and was confident his young side would perform well in difficult conditions.[36][37] Later that month, following a five-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore,[38] the PCB named a sixteen-man squad for the tour to the United Kingdom and Ireland, including five uncapped players at Test level.[39][40] In the same month, Cricket Ireland named twenty-six players who took part in two warm-up fixtures ahead of the final selection for the Test match.[44] Of the fourteen players named in Ireland's squad, Boyd Rankin had previously played in one Test for England, in the 2013–14 Ashes series.[48] Prior to travelling to Ireland, Pakistan played two first-class cricket matches in England, against Kent and Northamptonshire.[60] Boyd Rankin took Ireland's first wicket in Tests, dismissing Pakistan's Azhar Ali, who was caught by William Porterfield at second slip.[63] Reflecting on the day, Ireland's wicket-keeper, Gary Wilson, said that Pakistan "got away from us a little at the end" but added that it was a very proud moment for everyone to be presented with their first Test cap.[76][77] In the second session, Mohammad Amir took his 100th Test wicket, becoming the second left-arm fast bowler for Pakistan to reach the milestone.[86] Pakistan's opening batsman, Azhar Ali, said that "the partnership between Thompson and Kevin took the game away from us" and gave credit to the Ireland players and how they batted.[98] On Ireland's future in Test cricket, he added that he is "very confident in the next generation" and that there will be "hundreds of kids aspiring to be Kevin O'Brien".[101] Deutrom also commented on forthcoming fixtures for Ireland across the next four to five years in the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and improvements to facilities to prepare for these matches.
Kevin O'Brien
(pictured in 2012) scored the first century for Ireland in Tests and was named the man of the match.