Irish Cricketer Paul Stirling Joins Southern Brave in 'The Hundred'

Irish cricketer Paul Stirling is all prepped up to take part in the Hundred after he was given the No Objection Certificate by Cricket Ireland. He will mark his debut stint in the 100-ball format with the Southern Brave squad. The news had Stirling elated, who expressed that he’s keen on making an impact for the side.

“The Southern Brave team has been outstanding so far under James Vince. I hope I can contribute to the ongoing success of the team in this inaugural season of the competition.”

Earlier In May, Stirling was associated with Middlesex for five matches in the T20 Vitality Blast. If things go according to plan, he could make an appearance for Southern Brave as early as August 5. According to the schedule, Brave is set to take on Manchester Originals at Old Trafford in an away game.

Paul Stirling and Cricket Ireland director are happy with the Hundred stint

The concept of England and Wales Cricket Board’s brainchild ‘The Hundred’ is yet to be fully grasped by everyone involved. There are a lot of rules and regulations that have been altered from the classic game. However, it has English fans hooked as they’ve been thronging the stadiums during the matches and Stirling mentioned the same.

“As a new concept, it’s been great to see fans turning out to support The Hundred and it’ll be great to play in front of big crowds once more. I’ve watched the first few rounds of the tournament with great interest and am delighted to have been given this chance to be involved,” Stirling expressed.

Since the 2021 T20 World Cup is just a couple of months away, any sort of practice will benefit the players. Talking about the same, Cricket Ireland’s High-Performance Director, Richard Holdsworth felt Stirling will gain a lot from the stint.

“With the T20 World Cup approaching, the opportunity for one of our leading players to have an experience like this can only be beneficial,” he said.

Southern Brave currently sits in 7^th place, having a 2-2 win-loss record with a negative net run-rate. They started off on a poor note, losing their first two matches but bounced back strong to register two wins on the trot.