Ireland captain Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the rest of the T20 World Cup with a knee injury.
Stirling went down on his knee after taking a catch against Australia in Colombo on Wednesday and, while batting in his usual opening position in the chase, limped off his first single and retired.
Scans after Ireland’s 67-run defeat revealed ligament damage.
Stirling has been replaced in the squad by fellow opener Sam Topping, who is nearby in Chennai, India, for an off-season training camp, while goalkeeper Lorcan Tucker will captain the rest of the tournament.
Stirling runs as he runs with batting partner Ross Adair between the wickets during the Cricket World Cup T20 match between Australia and Ireland in Colombo.
“Paul will soon return home for rest and rehabilitation ahead of the domestic summer,” said Cricket Ireland’s director of high performance Graeme West.
“To replace Paul, we have called in Sam Topping, who is able to provide immediate protection.”
“The skill set he offers provides coverage in a number of areas in the team, which is important as Ben Kallitz also carries a blow to his arm after the last match.”
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