Ireland captain Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the remainder of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026. Stirling suffered a knee injury during the clash against Australia while taking Josh Inglis' catch on February 11.
"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,” Cricket Ireland said in a statement on February 13.
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In Stirling’s absence, 20-year-old Sam Topping has received his maiden call-up. Topping was training in Chennai in the off-season and will join the squad in Sri Lanka for their next match against Oman on February 14 at Sinhalese Sports Club, Colombo. In addition, Ireland have another injury concern as Ben Calitz has been in discomfort after a hand injury in the previous game.
"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."
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Topping's T20 record
Topping has played 12 T20s so far, scoring 374 runs at an average of 34 and strike rate of 134.05. He has four half-centuries to his name in the format.
Who will captain Ireland in Stirling's absence?
Lorcan Tucker will take over as captain in Stirling's absence. He made his T20I captaincy debut against Pakistan in May 2024.
Ireland’s updated T20 World Cup 2026 squad -
Ross Adair, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker (c & wk), Curtis Campher, Benjamin Calitz, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Mark Adair, Barry McCarthy, Matthew Humphreys, Tim Tector, Joshua Little, Benjamin White, Craig Young, Sam Topping.