Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the remainder of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup after scans confirmed ligament damage to his right knee, dealing a heavy blow to Ireland’s campaign.
The skipper suffered the injury while completing a catch during Ireland’s defeat to Australia and aggravated it again while running between the wickets, forcing medical staff to sideline the experienced opener for the rest of the tournament.
Tournament officials approved 20-year-old left-hander Sam Topping as a replacement, with the uncapped batter joining the squad immediately after recent appearances for Ireland A and training in subcontinental conditions close to Chennai.
Ireland’s management described the loss of Stirling’s leadership and firepower as a setback but backed Topping’s versatility to strengthen a squad already managing fitness concerns ahead of their next clash with Oman in Colombo.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe also adjusted their roster, bringing in Ben Curran to replace the injured Brendan Taylor as teams scramble to stay competitive in a tournament already testing squad depth and resilience.
Ireland squad: Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Sam Topping, Ben White, Craig Young
Zimbabwe squad: Sikandar Raza (C), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Ben Curran, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava
