By Admin 
Ireland captain Paul Stirling has added a new chapter in cricket history. In the match played against UAE in Dubai, Sterling played his 160th T20 International match and became the first male cricketer in the world to play the most number of matches in this format. With this record, he left behind India’s legendary batsman Rohit Sharma, who has 159 T20 International matches to his name.
The backbone of the team continuously since 2009 till now
Paul Stirling made his T20 International debut against Pakistan in 2009. Since then, he has been counted among the most reliable batsmen of the Ireland T20 team. Sterling, who plays on the opening slot, is known for his aggressive batting. Scoring runs quickly in the powerplay overs has been his biggest strength, due to which he has given strong starts to Ireland many times.
Also included among the top players in terms of scoring runs
35 year old Sterling has joined the list of top 5 batsmen who have scored the most runs in T20 International cricket. He has scored 3,874 runs in this format. He has one century and 24 half-centuries in his name. Ahead of him in this list are veteran batsmen like Babar Azam, Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma.
Babar Azam (Pakistan) – 137 matches, 4453 runs
Rohit Sharma (India) – 159 matches, 4231 runs
Virat Kohli (India) – 125 matches, 4188 runs
Paul Stirling (Ireland) – 160 matches, 3874 runs
Jos Buttler (England) – 144 matches, 3869 runs
Showed strength in franchise cricket also
Sterling’s power-hitting ability has taken him to T20 leagues around the world. He has played in leagues like Pakistan Super League, Bangladesh Premier League, ILT20, SA20 and The Hundred. Although he did not bowl much due to a back injury, his influence in batting is still clearly visible.
Ireland’s strong score against UAE
In the record match, Ireland, batting first, scored 178 runs for 6 wickets in 20 overs. The team faltered in the beginning, but the partnership of Lorcan Tucker and Curtis Campher handled the innings. In the end, George Dockrell and Benjamin Calitz added runs quickly to take the team to a respectable score.