Ireland captain and senior batter Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Details released on Friday confirmed that Stirling, who has represented Ireland in 163 matches and scored 3,895 runs, left the field after facing a single delivery against Australia.
The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 approved Sam Topping as his replacement in the Ireland squad.
Topping was named after Stirling sustained knee ligament damage while fielding during Ireland’s match against Australia on 11 February.
Under tournament regulations, any replacement requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the incoming player is formally added to the squad.
The committee comprises Wasim Khan (Chair, ICC General Manager – Cricket), Gaurav Saxena (ICC General Manager – Events and Corporate Communications, IBC representative), Hemang Amin (Tournament Director, host representative) and Shaun Pollock (Independent nominee).
