Irish star Paul Stirling played a heroic role with the bat in their crucial last game of the First Round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. During that match, Stirling completed 3000 T20I runs as an opener as he became the only third opener to reach this milestone.
In their last game of the Group B of the First Round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Ireland faced the only two-time T20 World Cup champions West Indies. While it was the must-win game for both the teams to qualify for the Super 12 stage of this competition, Ireland just thrashed the Caribbean side in style.
In that T20I match at Hobart, West Indies only managed to score 146/5 in 20 overs after choosing to bat first. In reply, Ireland chased the target in 17.3 overs after losing only one wicket. Opener Paul Stirling scored 66 not out off 48 balls (6 fours and 2 sixes) in that crucial game.
Paul Stirling: 3008 T20I runs as an opener
During that match, the right-handed batter Stirling, who already completed 3000 runs in his T20I career before that game, reached the 3000 T20I runs milestone as an opener. At the end of that game against West Indies, while Stirling scored 3085 T20I runs in 116 innings (117 matches), he scored 3008 runs out of those as an opener in 112 innings (113 innings).
Only the Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma and New Zealand cricketer Martin Guptill previously managed to reach the milestone of 3000 T20I runs as an opener.
Openers with 3000 T20I runs
Player (Team) | Matches (Innings) | Runs scored |
Rohit Sharma (India) | 108 (107) | 3256 |
Martin Guptill (New Zealand) | 103 (102) | 3170 |
Paul Stirling (Ireland) | 113 (112) | 3008 |
*Stats updated till 21st October 2022
Ireland are in Group 1 of the Super 12 stage
With that incredible victory, Ireland secured their place in the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. At the end of the First Round, the Irish team finished as the runners-up of Group B, only behind Zimbabwe due to a lower net run rate.
So, Ireland have advanced to the Group 1 of the Super 12 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. In this Group 1, the other five teams are the hosts and defending champions Australia, New Zealand, England, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka (the Group A champions of the First Round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022).
