Ireland’s T20 World Cup campaign has taken a major hit. Captain Paul Stirling will miss the rest of the tournament due to a knee ligament injury. The team has drafted in 20-year-old Sam Topping as his replacement before their next match against Oman in Colombo on Saturday.

Stirling suffered the injury while fielding against Australia on February 11. He damaged his knee ligaments after diving to complete a catch that dismissed Josh Inglis in the seventh over. Although he later came out to open the batting in Ireland’s chase of 182 for 6, he faced just one ball before limping off. Ireland eventually lost the game by 67 runs.

Soon after the match, head coach Gary Wilson admitted the injury looked serious. He said Stirling had gone for a scan and the team was waiting for confirmation. Gary Wilson explained that Stirling believed he was fit enough to bat. However, his knee tightened up when he tried to push for a quick single during the power play.

With Stirling now ruled out, Ireland have added Topping to the squad for their final two group matches. They face Oman in Colombo and then Zimbabwe on February 17 in Pallekele.

Topping is a left-handed top-order batter who has yet to make his international debut. In 12 T20 matches, he has scored 374 runs. He has struck four fifties, averages 34.00, and has a strike rate of 134.05.

Ireland will now look to regroup quickly. The loss of their captain is a setback, but the focus shifts to staying alive in the tournament.