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After starring in Ireland's historic 6-wicket win over Afghanistan in the only Test match in Abu Dhabi, Irish seamer Mark Adair on Friday said he was 'happy' to clinch a victory for his team in the longest format.
Speaking at the post-match presentation, Adair said he was "buzzing" after fashioning a memorable maiden Test win for his homeland. He added that after a tough Test season last year, this win will be a "stepping stone" for further success in the red-ball format. Noting that Ireland have an "experienced bowling group" after a long time, the 27-year-old said experienced players were at the core of the Irish side. "I'm absolutely buzzing. The way the lads put out a few fires at the end. Happy to win. It's nice to be in here, I'm the innocent bystander in this group of seamers. Last year Test cricket was pretty difficult, we finished every time on the losing side. This is a really stepping stone for us. The way we showed the length and depth of our batting is excellent and the way we finished it off was top-draw. We've got a really good bowling group and that's what matters and probably the most experienced bowling group in a long time. New guys are coming in but the experienced ones are our core," Adair said. Skipper Andrew Balbirnie's 58* and Lorcan Tucker's run-a-ball 27* helped the Irishmen script history as they celebrated their first win in red-ball cricket. There was palpable tension in the Irish dugout after they were reduced to 13/3 chasing a modest target of 111 for their maiden Test win. However, skipper Balbirnie helped settle nerves in the Irish camp, as he mixed caution with controlled aggression to take his team over the line. Leading the Irish chase, Balbirnie found an able partner in young middle-order batsman Lorcan Tucker, who stuck around with the skipper to take the Irish home. (ANI)
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