Paul Stirling Officially Ruled Out Of T20 World Cup; Sam Topping Called-Up

Ireland named Sam Topping as Paul Stirling’s replacement after the captain was ruled out of the T20 World Cup 2026 with knee ligament damage.

Ireland captain Paul Stirling sustained knee ligament damage while fielding during Ireland’s match against Australia on Wednesday, February 11. He also aggravated the injury while attempting a quick single in the same game. Following medical assessment and scans, he was ruled out of the remainder of the tournament.

Sam Topping, who is uncapped, has joined Ireland’s 15-player squad with immediate effect. The 20-year-old left-handed opening batter featured last year for Ireland A in a four-day match against Afghanistan A in Abu Dhabi.

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Ireland’s Director of High Performance, Graeme West, called the development a major setback. “Paul Stirling underwent an assessment and a scan after the Australian match, which has subsequently revealed ligament damage—as such, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup. Paul will shortly return home for rest and rehabilitation, ahead of the home summer,” West said.

“To replace Paul, we have called up Sam Topping, who is able to provide immediate cover, as he is a short flight away in Chennai. Sam has been with the Northern Knights training squad and has been playing and training in similar conditions to Sri Lanka. The skill set he offers provides cover across a number of areas within the squad, which is important as Ben Calitz is also carrying a knock to his hand after the last match.”