Birthday special: Paul Stirling – Stalwart of Ireland cricket
Ireland’s Paul Stirling is one of the cricketers who has flown under the radar on the international stage. The globetrotting opening batter has been one of the best batters in the shortest format of the game with his explosive batting at the top of the order. The opening batter has been one of the stalwarts of the Irish white-ball team and has performed exceptionally for the national team, who achieved the status of Test playing nation in 2018. On Paul Stirling’s 33rd birthday, here is a look at some of his impressive achievements as a cricketer on the international circuit.
Ireland’s leading run-scorer in white-ball cricket
Paul Stirling made his international debut in 2008 during the ODI Tri-series match against New Zealand. 14 years later, the right-hand batter is the leading run scorer in the 50-over format with 5598 runs to his name, the only Irish player to have breached the 5000-run mark. He was also the first Irish batter to score 4000 runs in the format before former Ireland skipper William Porterfield joined him on that list. Apart from 50-over cricket, the explosive batter has made a name for himself in the shortest format of the game, amassing 3408 runs in T20Is and is the leading run-scorer for Ireland and the fourth highest overall in T20Is.
Highest Individual score for Ireland in ODIs
On 7th September 2010, Paul Stirling went into the record books after smashing a scintillating 177 runs off just 134 deliveries. Ireland won the match comprehensively on the back of Stirling’s innings, which is still the highest score by an Irish cricketer in ODI cricket. He is also the fastest to 1000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 runs for Ireland in 50-over cricket.
Acknowledgement in international cricket
Stirling was nominated for the ICC’s “Emerging Player of the Year” award in August 2010, along with the “Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year” award. He was the only cricketer from an associate nation who was nominated for the prestigious “Emerging Player of the Year” award that year. Following a sensational 2021 for the Ireland national team, Stirling was included in the ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year for 2021.
