Paul Stirling steps down as Ireland's T20I captain

With immediate effect, Paul Stirling has resigned as captain of Ireland's men's T20I team. The decision was announced on Thursday (March 19), more than a month after Ireland's campaign at the T20 World Cup ended. A right knee injury Stirling sustained during Ireland's crushing loss to Australia in Colombo ended his own campaign. Lorcan Tucker took over as captain after he was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament. "To lead Ireland in this format has been a tremendous honor and something I have been extremely proud of." Captaining your country is a privilege that carries great responsibility, and I'm very grateful for the trust and support I have received during my time in the role," the 35-year old Stirling said in a statement. Stirling reiterated that he will stay on as ODI captain, however, with an eye on securing Ireland's berth in next year's World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia. "I will remain fully committed to the Ireland team and will continue in my role as ODI captain even though I will be stepping away from the T20 captaincy. "This decision will allow me to fully focus on being the best version of myself and making the strongest possible contribution on the field," Stirling stated. "I still have a huge amount of ambition as a player." Ireland played 48 Twenty20 Internationals under Stirling's direction, winning 20 and losing 26 with two no-decisions. He took over as Ireland's white-ball captain on an interim basis when Andy Balbirnie stepped down in 2023, post which he was appointed in the role full-time later in the year. He led Ireland during the T20 World Cups in 2024 and 2026, when the team lost in the group stage. Only four batters in the entire world have scored more than Stirling's 3895 runs, making him the most capped player in men's T20I history with 163 games.