[9][10] Cricket Ireland confirmed the date of the Test match at their board meeting in October 2017,[11] with The Village, Malahide, announced as the venue the following month.

[23] Pakistan's last Test match fixtures were against Sri Lanka, in the United Arab Emirates, in September and October 2017.

[27] Ahead of the Test match, Ireland's captain, William Porterfield, said that he was hoping local conditions would help his side,[28] adding that subcontinental teams take some time to adjust.

[29] Pakistan's captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, said that the team was really looking forward to playing against Ireland[30] and was confident his young side would perform well in difficult conditions.

[36][37] Later that month, following a five-day training camp at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore,[38] the PCB named a sixteen-man squad for the tour to the United Kingdom and Ireland, including five uncapped players at Test level.

[39][40] In the same month, Cricket Ireland named twenty-six players who took part in two warm-up fixtures ahead of the final selection for the Test match.

[44] Of the fourteen players named in Ireland's squad, Boyd Rankin had previously played in one Test for England, in the 2013–14 Ashes series.

[48] Prior to travelling to Ireland, Pakistan played two first-class cricket matches in England, against Kent and Northamptonshire.

[60] Boyd Rankin took Ireland's first wicket in Tests, dismissing Pakistan's Azhar Ali, who was caught by William Porterfield at second slip.

[63] Reflecting on the day, Ireland's wicket-keeper, Gary Wilson, said that Pakistan "got away from us a little at the end" but added that it was a very proud moment for everyone to be presented with their first Test cap.

[73][74] After the close of play, Joyce said that "it was a tough wicket, but it has flattened out a little bit", adding that "the first session tomorrow is going to be really important".

[76][77] In the second session, Mohammad Amir took his 100th Test wicket, becoming the second left-arm fast bowler for Pakistan to reach the milestone.

[86] Pakistan's opening batsman, Azhar Ali, said that "the partnership between Thompson and Kevin took the game away from us" and gave credit to the Ireland players and how they batted.

[95] After the match, Pakistan's captain, Sarfaraz Ahmed, said that victory was very important and that the team was very confident in scoring the runs.

[97] Ireland's captain, William Porterfield, said that despite losing he was extremely proud of how the team played, saying "it was a hell of an effort".

[98] On Ireland's future in Test cricket, he added that he is "very confident in the next generation" and that there will be "hundreds of kids aspiring to be Kevin O'Brien".

[101] Deutrom also commented on forthcoming fixtures for Ireland across the next four to five years in the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and improvements to facilities to prepare for these matches.