Paul Stirling, an Ireland batter, will go to Sri Lanka with the Ireland Test team and will be available for the second Test. After the white-ball series was over, the top-order batter went back to Ireland. He won’t be able to play in the one-off Test against Bangladesh, which will start on April 4 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka.
The original plan for Ireland’s trip to Sri Lanka was for them to play one Test and two ODIs. But the hosts wanted more games with the red ball, so the two ODIs were switched out for a Test. Between April 16 and April 28, both tests will be held in Galle.
Andrew White, who is in charge of choosing the national men’s team for Cricket Ireland, says that Stirling was supposed to go to Sri Lanka with the team for the ODI series. He also said that now that the schedule has been changed to Test matches and the Bangladesh T20I series in Ireland has been put off, he will focus more on red-ball cricket and will join the Test squad for the second Test. Stirling has said in the past that he decided to skip Ireland’s Test commitments this year so that he could have some time to rest because 2023 is going to be “packed to the gills.”
White said in a statement, “Paul Stirling was supposed to join the team in Sri Lanka for the ODI series that was originally planned. However, those games have now been changed to Test matches, and the Bangladesh T20I series that was supposed to take place in Ireland has been canceled, so he will now focus more on red-ball cricket and will join the Test squad for the second Test.”
Paul Stirling is one of the most active cricket players in Ireland. He plays in short-format franchise leagues all over the world.
He has played in all three of Ireland’s Tests so far, all of which have taken place in 2018 or 2019. Ireland’s starting lineup will have a lot more experience with him there.
Ireland‘s team for the Sri Lanka tour
Andrew Balbirnie (Captain), Mark Adair, Curtis Campher, Murray Commins, George Dockrell, Fionn Hand, Graham Hume, Matthew Humphreys, Tom Mayes, Andrew McBrine, James McCollum, Paul Stirling*, PJ Moor, Harry Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White.