Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup with a knee injury sustained in the heavy loss against Australia on Wednesday. Waringstown's Sam Topping has been called up as his replacement.

The Ireland captain landed on the point of his knee after taking a spectacular catch to dismiss Josh Inglis. Stirling opened the Irish innings, but was forced to retire after just one ball.

“Paul Stirling underwent an assessment and a scan which has subsequently revealed ligament damage – as such, he has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup," said Graeme West, Director of High Performance. "Paul will shortly return home for rest and rehabilitation, ahead of the home summer.

“To replace Paul, we have called up Sam Topping, who is able to provide immediate cover as he is a short flight away in Chennai. Sam has been with the Northern Knights training squad and has been playing and training in similar conditions to Sri Lanka. The skill set he offers provides cover across a number of areas within the squad, which is important as Ben Calitz is also carrying a knock to his hand after the last match.”

20-year-old Topping played for the North-West Warriors in the 2025 interpro series, scoring 217 runs at an average of 31 and a strike rate of 140.

The uncapped Topping is unlikely to feature in the line-up with Pembroke and Leinster Lightning's Tim Tector the obvious choice to open the batting with Ross Adair in Saturday's clash with Oman.