Stirling Effort Gives Paul The Right To Be A Part Of History

Jeremy Blackmore catches up with Paul Stirling, who will not be fazed by the daunting surroundings at Lord’s when his Ireland side face England this week

When a teenaged Paul Stirling became one of the first Ireland players to be awarded a central contract ten years ago, the prospect of playing in a Lord’s Test Match was beyond his wildest imagination.

A decade later, with more than 5,600 international runs behind him, Stirling is due to line-up for Ireland’s inaugural Test Match on English soil.

It will be at a ground he knows well. He has pursued a successful domestic career at Lord’s alongside his international commitments and is set to join Middlesex teammate Tim Murtagh in the Ireland side this week.

Talking to TCP in the build-up to Wednesday’s start, Stirling said: “When I received my first central contract, to have the opening Test Match at Lord’s of the summer was beyond everyone’s imagination apart from the people on the board who came up with a plan to get Test status.

“That came earlier than expected and now to be hosted by the ECB at the Home of Cricket is brilliant. In those ten years, we’ve come a long way.”

He admits there have been some ups and downs in that momentous journey, but adds: “We’ve just got to try and get back to where we were maybe a couple of years ago, but we’re showing some good signs and with a few good youngsters coming through, hopefully we can pick it up again.”

Stirling has made 176 appearances for Ireland since making his debut against the UAE in Abu Dhabi in 2008, aged just 17, and believes that receiving a central contract was crucial in his development.