Ireland vs Pakistan: Opening day washout costs hosts 75,000 euros

No play on Day 1 of the Ireland-Pakistan cricket test meant that the cost of ticket refunds ran up to €75,000

Ireland’s long-awaited delay of positioning itself in the same bracket as rest of the Test nations was marred by rains on Friday as their debut in the longest format of the game against Pakistan was halted without the captains even walking out for a toss.

People shelter from the rain as groundsmen work on the wet pitch at Malahide cricket club, in Dublin as the start of play is delayed on the first day of the Test match between Ireland and Pakistan, on May 11, 2018. (AFP)

Ireland and Afghanistan were accorded Test status by the International Cricket Council last year after they had applied to the ICC to upgrade their status from Associates. It had gained ODI status back in 2005. However, no play on Day 1 meant that the Irish board started off with losses, which ran up to the tune of €75,000 for the refund of the 5100 tickets that were sold for the historic occasion.

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Cricket Ireland chief executive Waren Deutrom labelled the five-day format as a “loss leader” for the board. “Yes, of course it’s disappointing. But what I don’t want to do is go around with a long face, projecting misery. Because it isn’t that. We’re still hugely proud and there are still four days to go,” Deutrom was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

There’s good news in store for both Deutrom and the fans though with weather predictions suggest that the downpour might stall for a while over the weekend, and even dish out sunny sessions.