IPL: 5 things that happened in the cricketing world while you were busy with IPL

The eleventh edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) turned out to be an exciting one and kept everyone glued throughout its entire duration. The matches went right down to the wire quite and expectantly, the TRP’s soared way above expectations. The Grand Finale generated over 10 million viewers on online streaming platforms like Hotstar, which was a testament to the event’s popularity.

Being a massive extravaganza, the event was bound to hog the limelight. Meanwhile, the other happenings in the cricketing world took a backseat at least in India and got overshadowed by the hullaballoo of the T20 League. In our article, we take a look at those cricketing occurring, which might not be as glamorous as that of the IPL, but deserved to bag the headlines.

#1 Ireland’s Test debut  

Ireland forayed into Test cricket and played their maiden contest versus Pakistan in Dublin earlier this month. They were a tad erratic that is understandable, bearing in mind their lack of experience. During Pakistan’s run-chase in the fourth innings, the debutants got the visitors on the mat by churning some early wickets. However, they couldn’t stop Sarfraz Ahmed’s men from romping home by five wickets.

Albeit the newbies couldn’t roll over Pakistan, they created some records worth cherishing forever. Kevin O’Brien became Ireland’s first Test centurion when he scored 118 runs from 217 balls with 12 boundaries. The Irish found themselves in dire straits in their second innings having lost four wickets in quick succession. He, not only, bailed them out but also helped Ireland post a tricky target for the opponents.