Paul Stirling Biography, Bowling, Batting & Fielding Stats

Born on September 3, 1990, Paul Robert Stirling is a cricketer who hails from Ireland. In addition to his role as the opening batter for the Ireland cricket team, Stirling also bowls off-break with his right arm with some frequency. In Twenty20 internationals, he is among the top ten players in terms of run scoring. It was in May of 2018 that Ireland played Pakistan in their very first-ever test match, and he was one of the eleven cricketers who participated in the encounter. In June in the year 2020, he was given the position of vice-captain of the Ireland squad.

Due to the departure of Andrew Balbirnie, he was later named as the temporary captain of Ireland in the Twenty20 International and One-Day International formats. In October 2023, he was then selected as the permanent captain of the limited-overs format. Stirling made his maiden appearance in first-class cricket in March of 2008 when he participated in the Intercontinental Cup for Ireland. For the first time, Stirling participated in a One-Day International (ODI) match in the same year.

Stirling signed a deal with the club in December 2009, after having previously played for Middlesex’s junior teams and the Second XI earlier in his career. Cricket Ireland gave him a contract one month later, making him one of six players who had full-time contracts with the organization. He was one of the players who received the deal. 2010 and 2011 were the years when he made his debut for Middlesex in the Twenty20 and List A competitions, respectively.

In December 2018, Cricket Ireland announced that they would be awarding a central contract to nineteen players for the 2019 season. Stirling was one of the thirteen players. Stirling became the first batsman for Ireland to achieve 4,000 runs in one-day internationals (ODIs) in July 2019, when Ireland played Zimbabwe in the second one-day international. Cricket Ireland selected nineteen players to get a central contract in January 2020. This was the first year that all contracts were issued on a full-time basis, and he was one of the players who received a central contract.

Paul Stirling Biography

It was in August of 2021 that Stirling participated in his 300th match for Ireland, which was the first match of the series that Ireland was playing against Zimbabwe. After Andrew Balbirnie was unable to play in the second one-day international match against the West Indies due to COVID-19, Stirling took over as captain of Ireland for the first time in the history of one-day internationals (ODIs) in January 2022. Stirling also made history by being the first cricketer for Ireland to achieve 5,000 runs in one-day internationals during the same match.

In December 2009, Stirling joined Eoin Morgan, a former Ireland international, at Middlesex County Cricket Club by signing a contract that was for three years. In addition, Angus Fraser, the director of cricket for the club, noted that “Paul has been involved with the Middlesex youth sides and Second XI, and we are delighted that he has now signed a full-time contract for the club.” Stirling’s primary objective is to serve as a representative for Ireland. His performance for Ireland in 2009, when he batted, demonstrated his potential.

During the following month, Cricket Ireland, which is the governing body for cricket in Ireland, granted Stirling a full-time contract. There were only six players who were given such contracts by Cricket Ireland, and it was only one year after the first professional contracts were given to Ireland’s cricketers. He was one of the players who received such contracts. Before that time, players were considered amateurs who relied on revenue from other occupations and played cricket in their leisure time outside of work.

Because of the deal, Stirling and the other players were able to concentrate on cricket to become better in time for the World Cup in 2011. Stirling gained a spot in Middlesex’s one-day squad for the 2011 season after he participated in the Cricket World Cup. He made his debut for the club in List A on April 24, 2011, against Worcestershire. Even though Middlesex did not go beyond the group stages of the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40, Stirling was able to achieve personal success while competing. With a total of 535 runs scored in 12 matches, he was the highest run-scorer for Middlesex and ranked seventh overall in the championship.

Batting & Fielding Stats

Bowling

It was during an innings of 68 against Yorkshire that Stirling reached 2,000 runs in List A cricket. This innings was one of Stirling’s two half-centuries in the tournament with Yorkshire. When the campaign was coming to a close, Stirling scored his maiden century while wearing Middlesex colors. He did so by hitting 109 runs off of 81 balls, which led to a victory against Derbyshire by 34 runs. Many of Ireland’s senior players were unable to participate in the team’s inaugural match of the 2011–13 Intercontinental Cup due to county commitments, even though a full-strength side competed against England in a one-day international in August of 2012.

In the last innings of the contest, Stirling scored an offensive half-century, which contributed to Ireland’s triumph and helped them seal the victory. In the latter part of the same month, Stirling achieved his second century in the first-class match. After just 79 deliveries, he scored 107 runs, surpassing his previous record score of 100. This performance contributed to Ireland’s victory in the Intercontinental Cup, which was their second victory of the tournament. Stirling received nominations for the International Cricket Council Awards in the categories of “Emerging Player of the Year” and “Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year” in August in the year 2010.

For the “Emerging Player” category, he was the only associate member to get a nomination. The other 15 players were all from nations that competed in the Test matches. Ireland’s nominations in the “Associate and Affiliate” category were Trent Johnston and Kevin O’Brien, in addition to Stirling. This category had the most candidates. “I think it’s fantastic for Paul Stirling to be nominated in two separate categories and to be recognized alongside some of the leading emerging players in the Full Members,” said Richard Holdsworth, a representative of the International Cricket Council (ICC).