Ireland will announce their entry into test cricket on May 11 against Pakistan at Dublin. Meanwhile, the Irish board has announced the 14-man squad for their inaugural test. A very experienced squad will be led by William Porterfield and several seniors have been named in the squad.
It will be really interesting to see how Graham Ford, the head coach will make his squad adaptable to the longer format of the game. A few months back, ICC granted full member status to Afghanistan and Ireland. The entire nation is ecstatic and will be looking forward to seeing their players in whites.
Boyd Rankin is the only experienced player in the squad who played the only test in the Aussies” Ashes assault in 2013-14. The match will be played at Malahide cricket club ground at Dublin.
Thrilled to be involved in one of the most historic moments in Irish sport. Hope we can make it a truly memorable one for all involved. #BackingGreen 🍀
— Andy Balbirnie (@balbo90) May 4, 2018
PCB already announced their squad for the European tour that also includes the test series against England.
Ireland, who stunned Pakistan in the 2007 World cup will be looking to replace the stint to make their arrival in style.
Ireland squad: William Porterfield (captain), Andrew Balbirnie, Ed Joyce, Tyrone Kane, Andy McBrine, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Niall O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Nathan Smith, Paul Stirling, James Shannon, Stuart Thompson, Gary Wilson
Pakistan squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (captain), Azhar Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Sami Aslam, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Saad Ali, Asad Shafiq, Usman Salahuddin, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Rahat Ali, Faheem Ashraf.