Paul Robert Stirling is an Irish international cricketer born on 3 September 1990 in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
He has been a mainstay of the Ireland team across formats since making his One-Day International debut as a teenager in 2008.
Known for his aggressive style and powerful striking, particularly at the top of the order in limited-overs cricket, Stirling has also featured in Ireland’s first Test match and later took on leadership roles, serving as vice-captain and then as limited-overs captain.
He has played domestic and franchise cricket for sides including Middlesex, Northern Knights, and various T20 leagues around the world.
Siblings
Paul has one sibling, an older brother named Richard Brian Stirling.
Richard also played cricket at a high level for Ireland, representing the country at Under-19 level and featuring in the squad for the 2006 ICC Under-19 World Cup.
He did not progress to senior international cricket in the same way as his younger brother.
Cricket runs in the family: their father, Brian Stirling, a primary school headmaster, played the game for Irish Schools and Ulster Town and later became an international rugby union referee.
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Career
Stirling made his first-class debut for Ireland in the Intercontinental Cup in March 2008 and his ODI debut against New Zealand later that year at the age of 17.
He earned his T20I cap in 2009 against Pakistan.
An early highlight came in 2010 when he scored 177 against Canada, then the highest individual ODI score for Ireland.
He signed with Middlesex in 2009 and went on to play for the county for a decade, while also appearing for various franchise teams in leagues such as the Bangladesh Premier League, Afghanistan Premier League, Pakistan Super League, The Hundred, Caribbean Premier League and others.
He was part of Ireland’s historic first Test side against Pakistan in May 2018.
Stirling has been a consistent performer in white-ball cricket, becoming the first Irish player to reach several major run milestones, including 4,000 and later 5,000 ODI runs, and eventually becoming the first Irish cricketer to amass 10,000 international runs across all formats.
He was appointed vice-captain in 2020, served as interim captain, and was named permanent limited-overs captain in 2023.
Stirling has also captained Ireland in T20Is at times. Domestically he has continued with Northern Knights and other English counties in later years.
Accolades
In 2022 Stirling was named Ireland’s Men’s International Player of the Year and was also recognised as the Player of the Decade for his consistent performances.
He has been among the leading run-scorers in T20 internationals and holds several Irish batting records, including high individual scores and milestones for runs accumulated.
In 2025 he became the first Irish player to score 10,000 international runs across formats. He has also scored centuries in all three international formats.
Earlier in his career he received nominations in ICC award categories for emerging and associate players.
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