Ireland Captain Paul Sterling Ruled Out of ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Group B teams are battling serious injury setbacks in the tournament. Ireland and Zimbabwe have suffered major leadership blows. Australia are also dealing with key absentees. Ireland captain Paul Stirling has been ruled out of the tournament.
He sustained knee ligament damage during a recent match in Colombo. The injury occurred while attempting a sharp catch. He aggravated it further while batting later. Medical scans confirmed ligament damage. Ireland’s management confirmed he will miss the remaining matches. This is a massive setback for Ireland’s batting unit. Stirling has been their most experienced campaigner. He also provided aggressive starts in power plays.
Twenty-year-old Sam Topping has been named as his replacement. Topping is uncapped at the international level. He now gets a golden opportunity on the big stage. Vice-captain Lorcan Tucker will lead Ireland. Tucker will captain the side against Oman and Zimbabwe. Ireland must win both games to stay alive.
Zimbabwe Wicketkeeper Brendan Taylor also ruled out
Zimbabwe has also suffered a serious setback. Veteran wicketkeeper-batter Brendan Taylor is sidelined. He injured his right hamstring during the match against Oman. Taylor retired hurt during Zimbabwe’s eight-wicket win. The injury has ruled him out of the tournament. Taylor’s absence weakens Zimbabwe’s middle-order experience. He also offered stability behind the stumps. Zimbabwe have drafted in Ben Curran as a replacement. Curran is the brother of Sam Curran. He is yet to make his T20I debut. He joins the squad ahead of a crucial clash with Australia.
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Australia themselves are managing injury concerns. Mitch Marsh remains unavailable due to fitness issues. These injuries are testing squad depth in Group B. Teams must now rely on bench strength. The race for Super Eight qualification has become intense.