Summary Ireland will play their inaugural Test against Pakistan in Malahide, near Dublin, on Friday.
LONDON (AFP) - Pakistan warmed up for the first Test match of their tour in Ireland by seeing off Northamptonshire with a simple chase of 133 to win by nine wickets on the fourth day at Wantage Road.
Victory for the tourists on Monday was set up by Asad Shafiq s unbeaten 186 in the first innings, whilst Shadab Khan took 10 for 157 in the match to prepare Pakistan nicely for Ireland s debut in test cricket.
Mohammed Abbas made the vital breakthrough on Monday morning to dismiss Rob Newston for 118 and Shadab took the final two Northants wickets to set up a comfortable target.
And despite losing Azhar Ali to a comical run out for just 10, half centuries from Imam Ul-Haq, nephew of Inzamam Ul-Haq, and Haris Sohail saw Pakistan over the line.
After providing the opposition when Ireland play their inaugural Test in a match starting in Malahide, near Dublin, on Friday, Pakistan will return across the Irish Sea for a two-Test series against England.
Whether conditions in Ireland in any way resemble this slow wicket under unbroken sunshine on Friday is another matter and Pakistan showed vulnerability for the brief time the ball did swing at the start of their first innings and had Shafiq been caught on 13, Northants may have run them closer.
But Pakistan travel over the Irish Sea with success and some selection decisions made clearer. Shadab is surely now worthy of inclusion even if the wicket turns out as emerald green as the Pakistan caps. The way he bamboozled Northants on the first afternoon was an indication of what a good legspinner can do and Ireland s batsman have little pedigree playing legspin either.
It is also a huge threat to tailenders and Shadab duly took the final two wickets of the Northants second innings, Brett Hutton and Gareth Wade lbw, to complete a maiden 10-wicket match haul.
Far less of a threat was Mohammad Amir. After taking 1 for 45 against Kent, he was somewhat wayward here and lacked the zip that has produced 95 wickets in 30 Tests - he went wicketless in 27 overs. Perhaps he was saving himself for William Porterfield and Co.
Pakistan 428 (Shafiq 186*, Haris 79, Babar 57; Crook 4-89) and 134 for 1 (Imam 59*, Haris 55*) beat Northamptonshire 259 (Rossington 90; Shadab 6-77) and 301 (Newton 118, Cobb 52, Abbas 4-62; Shadab 4-80) by nine wickets.
