Ireland make history with first-ever Test win after 6 years

Ireland men's Test team got a big monkey off its back on Friday (March 1) by claiming their first-ever Test win since debuting in the format in 2018. They defeated Afghanistan by six wickets at the Tolerance Oval in Abu Dhabi to become the 12th and the last 12 men's Test-playing to record a win to their name.

It took Ireland eight Tests to achieve it - the sixth-least number. Zimbabwe, South Africa, Sri Lanka, India, and Bangladesh all took more Tests for their first win - a testimony to Ireland's under-appreciated quality and the lopsided cricket calendars.

They also became only the third team after England and Pakistan to have their first win at an away venue.

Veteran pacer Mark Adair set up the charge with his brilliant five-wicket haul in the first innings which restricted the Afghans to 155 in the first innings on the seaming track. Most senior Irish batters got starts but couldn't convert in the second innings. However, the team secured a 108-run lead despite Zia-ur-Rehman's fifer.

More seam prowess restricted Afghanistan to 218 again in the third innings, meaning Andrew Balbirnie's team required 111 runs to put their name in the history books. The host pacers put up a fight by getting the visitors down to 39-4.

The captain stepped up at just the right moment. His brilliant unbeaten 58 (96) was the first 50+ score by an Irish cricketer in the fourth innings of a Test. With support from Lorcan Tucker, he saw off the Test without any more hiccups.

"I can't quite believe it" - Ireland captain Andrew Balbirnie

Balbirnie's reaction after the win was full of emotions and passion for Test cricket and its importance back home.

"I can't quite believe it," he said after the match. "I think we started off well having lost the toss. To take 20 wickets in a Test is pretty special. This is the first time we have done it. It did swing a bit more than we expected. In the chase, we knew we were only one partnership away. There's always a bit of nerves when you're chasing your first win.

"There is a lot of talk about the relevance of Test cricket around the world. But if you ask this group, this is a big moment for us. This is right up there in our achievements. Hopefully, it will inspire more kids back home who want to take up Test cricket. There's a lot of cricket going on in the world. We know we won't get 10-15 Tests a year. But whatever we get we'd try to make the most of it now that we've got the monkey off our backs."

Interestingly, Afghanistan won their first Test against Ireland in 2019 and now stand on the opposite end.