Paul Stirling ruled out of T20 World Cup, replacement named

Cricket Ireland has confirmed a major change to their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup squad after captain Paul Stirling sustained a knee injury during the team’s recent match against Australia. 

The experienced Antrim-born left-handed opener suffered ligament damage while fielding and has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.

Stirling was fielding at cover in the seventh over of Australia’s innings when he dived high to his right to take a spectacular catch to dismiss Josh Inglis.

Unfortunately, he landed awkwardly on the point of his knee on the hard surface and shortly afterwards left the field. Vice-captain Lorcan Tucker assumed on-field leadership duties.

Despite the injury, Stirling returned to open the batting alongside Ross Adair.

On the very first ball, he managed to dig out a full-length delivery for a single, but his knee buckled after taking a few steps. 

He struggled to complete the run and was forced to retire hurt, unable to return later in the innings. Ireland were bowled out for 115 while chasing 183.

Cricket Ireland issued a statement confirming the severity of the injury and announcing the replacement.

“Paul Stirling underwent an assessment and a scan after the Australian match which has subsequently revealed ligament damage – as such, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup. Paul will shortly return home for rest and rehabilitation, ahead of the home summer.

“To replace Paul, we have called up Sam Topping, who is able to provide immediate cover as he is a short flight away in Chennai. Sam has been with the Northern Knights training squad and has been playing and training in similar conditions to Sri Lanka. The skill set he offers provides cover across a number of areas within the squad, which is important as Ben Calitz is also carrying a knock to his hand after the last match.”

The 20-year-old Topping, also from Antrim, is currently attending an off-season training camp in Chennai with the Northern Knights. 

An accomplished left-handed opener and wicketkeeper, he scored 217 runs at an average of 31.00 in the last domestic T20 season in Ireland, with a strike rate of 140. 

His highest score of 83 came off 48 balls, and he recorded two half-centuries in seven innings. He is yet to make his international debut.

Although Ireland have lost their opening matches against Sri Lanka and Australia at Khettarama, they still retain a statistical chance of progressing to the Super Eights. 

Their next fixtures include a match against Oman at the SSC on Saturday, followed by a clash with Zimbabwe at Pallekele on Tuesday.

Updated Ireland squad for T20 World Cup 2026: Sam Topping, Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker (c), Ben White and Craig Young.