Paul Stirling has made a strong defense of Test cricket and called for more opportunities to play the longer game as Ireland prepare to take on Bangladesh in Dhaka on Wednesday in the second and final match of their mini-series.

While some players reaching the veteran stage choose to concentrate on the big pay days available from the mushrooming T20 franchises, 35-year-old Stirling has an appetite for more Tests.

He top scored for Ireland in the first Test in Sylhet last week but has a meagre return of only 490 runs from his nine Tests — trailing Andy McBrine, Lorcan Tucker and skipper Andrew Balbirnie — and wants to address that.

If, as was widely reported this week, Ireland — along with Zimbabwe and Afghanistan — are shortly to be included in an expanded ICC Test Championship, Stirling will get his wish.

“Reading between the lines it looks as though some important decisions are going to be made about the future of Test cricket over the next six to 12 months,” he said.

"There’s talk about expanding the Test Championship to include all 12 teams — in whatever way they do that — which would be great news for Irish cricket because you’d be guaranteed a number of series.

“But if that doesn’t get passed, you’d still like to see more than one or two matches a year because especially for youngsters picking up a bat for the first time you want them to be able to see Ireland playing Tests.”

It’s not just the youngsters, though, Stirling and Balbirnie view the five-day matches as second only to World Cups.

“As far as the squad are concerned, every one of us loves playing Tests and they help you with every other format, I think that’s something people tend to forget,” Stirling said.

“When we have a period preparing for Test cricket we’re also getting back to the foundations and basics of the game itself.

“As a bowler you’re bowling long spells and you’re only going to get more accurate by concentrating on hitting the top of off rather than slower ball bouncers and wide yorkers, and batting for a long time you get into a rhythm.

“Let’s not frown on those things — those basics, hold you in good stead. You hold your shape longer, you time the ball better and that’s really important and those things feed into the short game too.”

After the second Test, Stirling will lead the Boys in Green in three T20 internationals against Bangladesh and is happy the tour has been scheduled with the longer games first.

“I’ve always found it easier going from Tests into the shorter formats. Massively. If you score any runs in a T20 it’s either because you’ve survived the powerplay as an opener and need to press on, or you’re in at the death.

“Either way, you can lose your shape because instead of just timing the ball you’re looking to beat it over the boundary.

“If you go from T20s to ODIs to Tests you’re a constant grind of trying to get technically better. You shouldn’t really be thinking about technique on tour, all that work should have been done before you leave home.”