T20 World Cup: Ireland Captain Paul Stirling Injured

Paul Stirling ruled out of T20 World Cup with knee injury

Ireland's T20 World Cup hopes hit Cricket Ireland confirms Paul Stirling's exit from T20 World Cup due to injury; Sam Topping replaces him.

Ireland, who have lost both their games so far in the tournament, will face Oman on Saturday in Colombo...

Ireland's captain Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the rest of the T20 World Cup due to knee ligament damage. He suffered the injury while completing a catch to dismiss Josh Inglis during Ireland's 67-run loss to Australia in Colombo. Stirling attempted to bat but limped off after facing just one ball.

Stirling's replacement is 20-year-old Sam Topping, a left-handed opening batter who was training in Chennai. Topping has been with the Northern Knights training squad and has experience playing in similar conditions to Sri Lanka. Lorcan Tucker will take over as captain in Stirling's absence.

Ireland's cricket team has suffered a setback with captain Paul Stirling ruled out of the T20 World Cup due to a knee ligament injury. Uncapped 20-year-old left-handed batter Sam Topping has been named as Stirling's replacement in the squad. Topping, who has been with the Northern Knights training squad, is currently in Chennai and can provide immediate cover for Ireland.

Ireland will be without captain Paul Stirling, who sustained knee ligament damage while fielding during their match against Australia, for the rest of the T20 World Cup pic.twitter.com/eKiM0FkouA

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) February 13, 2026

Ireland, who have lost both their games so far in the tournament, will face Oman on Saturday in Colombo. The team is looking to regroup quickly and secure their first win of the tournament. Director of High Performance Graeme West expressed optimism about Topping's potential, citing his skill set and experience playing in similar conditions to Sri Lanka.