DUBLIN – In cricket news, Ireland has given Paul Stirling permission to play in the rest of The Hundred for Southern Brave, which might be his maiden appearance in the new format tomorrow.

Stirling will return to England for the second time this season, following a five-match stay with Middlesex in the Vitality Blast in May.

The transfer was approved after Cricket Ireland signed a No Objection Certificate today, allowing the player to join the current unbeaten tournament leaders right away. The Southern Brave will play the Manchester Originals at the Emirates Old Trafford in their next encounter tomorrow.

Paul Stirling said,“I’ve watched the first few rounds of The Hundred with great interest and am delighted to have been given this chance to be involved. The Southern Brave team has been outstanding so far under James Vince, and I hope I can contribute to the ongoing success of the team in this inaugural season of the competition. As a new concept, it's been great to see the fans turning out to support The Hundred and it'll be great to play in front of big crowds once more.”

Speaking about the agreement, Richard Holdsworth, High Performance Director for Cricket Ireland, said,“We’re pleased for Paul to have this opportunity to compete in such a high quality competitive environment. With the rescheduling of the Ireland Men’s Zimbabwe series, this gap in the calendar has opened up an opportunity that we were only too happy to help facilitate.”

“With the T20 World Cup approaching, the opportunity for one of our leading players to have an experience like this can only be beneficial. We’d like to thank the management team at the Southern Brave for working so efficiently to make this happen.”

Stirling's Southern Braves have four games left before they could play in The Eliminator and/or The Final, which will be held at Lord's on August 21, 2021.

Also read: How do the numbers stack up for The Hundred after its first week