Ireland’s batting performance was not as impressive as their bowling in the first innings and that helped Pakistan enforce a follow-on in a Test after 16 long years.

None of the Irish batsmen has been able to hit a landmark score and only four of them entered a double-digit score in the 1^st innings. In fact, they avoided setting a new record for the lowest total by a team in their debut men's Test innings. That record currently belongs to the Proteas who were all out for 84 runs in their debut Test innings, in 1889.

Resuming the game with a score of 268/6, Pakistan didn’t take long to give Ireland a breakthrough on day-3. Tim Murtagh had removed Shadab Khan who managed to add only 3 runs to his previous score of 52. Murtagh later completed a 4-wicket haul by dismissing Mohammad Amir while Stuart Thompson also took his tally of wickets to three by getting Faheem Ashraf out on 83.

Pakistan declared their innings at 309 runs with one wicket to spare. In reply, Ireland spluttered to 130 runs and the way they started their batting innings was actually indicating a way punier total for the home side in Dublin.

The visitors ripped apart Ireland’s batting line up as Mohammad Abbas decked the top-order by snaring three of the first four batters. Another strike from Mohammad Amir made Ireland 7/4, but Kevin O Brien’s crucial knock of 40 runs somewhat salvaged the pride of his team in their inaugural Test.

Following his departure, formed a 34-run stand – the biggest in Ireland’s innings – to lift the total past 100 runs. Shadab Khan wiped out the tail by taking three of the last four wickets with Abbas scalping the remaining one, but Rankin remained unbeaten on 33 runs.

Amir bagged a total of two wickets for Pakistan and Faheem Ashraf picked up one before Ireland were forced to bat again. Their second innings, however, hasn’t been that miserable so far as they have finished the day 64 runs without losing a wicket.

Ed Joyce and William Porterfield will resume the fourth day’s play with their scores of 39 and 23 runs, respectively. The Irish team will need to score 116 more runs to surpass the 1^st-innings total of Pakistan.

On the other hand, Pakistan – who have been put in the driving seat by their bowlers – will look to repeat the same bowling performance from the 1^st innings to dismantle Ireland once again in the opening-day-washed-out match.