Big injury blow for Ireland! Replacement announced after star ruled out from ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026
While Ireland are under pressure in Group B of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, they have suffered a big blow. The star Irish player has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
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While Ireland are under pressure in Group B of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, they have suffered a big blow. The star Irish player has been ruled out for the remainder of the tournament.
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Ireland captain Paul Stirling ruled out, uncapped Sam Topping included
Ireland captain Paul Stirling suffered a knee injury during their second game of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 against Australia on February 11, and he has been ruled out of the tournament. The 20-year-old uncapped Sam Topping has been added to the squad.
The 35-year-old Irish skipper Paul Stirling got that injury while taking a stunning catch of the Australian opener Josh Inglis. While Inglis played a shot to George Dockrell, Stirling grabbed the chance brilliantly to dismiss the Aussie opener for 37 off 17 balls. However, during that attempt, Stirling injured his knee, which hit the turf.
Chasing down the 183-run target, captain Paul Stirling opened the innings as usual, but on the first ball he faced, while he was running, he limped off. Soon he retired hurt and didn't return to bat again, while Ireland were all out for only 115 runs.
Later, he went for a scan, which revealed a knee ligament damage. After the match, Ireland coach Gary Wilson also claimed that Stirling's knee was not looking great.
Wilson said, "He went for a scan this evening, so we'll have to wait for confirmation. He thought he was okay when he went out there to bat. He wasn't going to go out if he didn't think he was right. He was trying to maximise the powerplay, basically. He was trying to take off for a single, but clearly the knee seized up even more."
Ireland in danger for group stage exit
Ireland have lost their first two matches of the tournament, as their chance to qualify for the Super Eight seems tougher. After losing by 20 runs in their tournament opener against the hosts Sri Lanka, Ireland suffered a 67-run defeat against Australia in their next match.
On Saturday (February 14), Ireland will face Oman in their third game of Group B. Their last group stage match is against Zimbabwe, which has been scheduled for February 17.
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Sandipan Ghosh
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