Paul Stirling

Paul Stirling

Stirling in 2013
Personal information
Full name	Paul Robert Stirling
Born	(1990-09-03) 3 September 1990 (age 33) Belfast, Northern Ireland
Height	175 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm off break
Role	Top-order batter
International information
National side	Ireland (2008–present)
Test debut (cap 9)	11 May 2018 v Pakistan
Last Test	28 February 2024 v Afghanistan
ODI debut (cap 28)	1 July 2008 v New Zealand
Last ODI	12 March 2024 v Afghanistan
ODI shirt no.	1
T20I debut (cap 16)	15 June 2009 v Pakistan
Last T20I	24 May 2024 v Netherlands
T20I shirt no.	1
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2010–2019	Middlesex
2013	Sylhet Royals
2018	Kandahar Knights
2019	Khulna Titans
2020–present	Northern Knights
2020	Northamptonshire
2020	Dambulla Viiking
2021–present	Islamabad United
2021	Middlesex
2021–2022	Southern Brave
2022–2023	Warwickshire
2022	Guyana Amazon Warriors
2023	Paarl Royals
2023	Oval Invincibles
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I T20 Matches 6 161 142 352 Runs scored 319 5,700 3,589 8,480 Batting average 26.58 37.74 27.60 25.46 100s/50s 1/1 14/29 1/23 3/54 Top score 103 177 115* 119 Balls bowled 12 2,441 546 1,760 Wickets 0 43 20 77 Bowling average – 45.16 33.95 28.03 5 wickets in innings – 1 0 0 10 wickets in match – 0 0 0 Best bowling – 6/55 3/21 4/10 Catches/stumpings 4/– 60/– 38/– 98/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 26 May 2024

Paul Robert Stirling (born 3 September 1990) is an Irish cricketer. Stirling is the opening batsman for the Ireland cricket team and an occasional right-arm, off-break bowler. He is one of the top 10 run scorers in T20 internationals.^[1] He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Ireland's first ever Test match, against Pakistan, in May 2018. He was appointed as the vice-captain of the Ireland team in June 2020.^[2] He subsequently served as interim captain of Ireland in the T20I and ODI format following the resignation of Andrew Balbirnie, before being appointed as permanent limited-overs captain in October 2023.^[3]

Stirling debuted in first-class cricket in March 2008, playing for Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup. The same year, Stirling made his debut in One Day Internationals (ODIs). Having represented Middlesex's youth sides and Second XI, Stirling signed a contract with the club in December 2009. A month later he was awarded a contract with Cricket Ireland, making him one of six players with a full-time contract with the board. He made his Twenty20 and List A debuts for Middlesex in 2010 and 2011, respectively.

In December 2018, Stirling was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season.^[4][5] In July 2019, in the second ODI against Zimbabwe, Stirling became the first batsman for Ireland to score 4,000 runs in ODIs.^[6] In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract from Cricket Ireland,^[7] the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis.^[8] In August 2021, Stirling played in his 300th match for Ireland, in the opening fixture of Ireland's series against Zimbabwe.^[9] In January 2022, Stirling captained Ireland for the first time in ODIs, in the second match against the West Indies, after Andrew Balbirnie was ruled out of the match due to COVID-19.^[10] In the same match, Stirling also became the first cricketer for Ireland to score 5,000 runs in ODIs.^[11]