MAGHERAMASON –(Cricket news) Paul Stirling has achieved pretty much everything in an Ireland shirt, and he checked a box with his maiden T20I hundred, the knock helped Ireland reach a match-winning total in the third game against Zimbabwe.

The hard-hitting opener has 18 fifties in the T20I format but no tons. It was 19th time lucky, with Stirling finishing on 115 not out off just 75 balls hitting eight boundaries and eight maximums in the process.

His unparalleled contribution to Irish cricket was also highlighted by his elevation in the all-time men’s T20I run charts. Having started the day in the ninth position, he surpassed Australia’s David Warner and Pakistan’s Shoaib Malik during his innings. He rose to seventh place, with England captain Eoin Morgan, 17 runs ahead, next in his sights.

Stirling took his time to get set and assess the conditions before shifting gears in scintillating style. Though he opened his account with a slog-swept six from his fourth ball, he was fine with waiting for his moment, playing out a maiden off Richard Ngarava as he dominated the strike early on. It wasn't until the fourth over when his partner Kevin O’Brien finally faced a ball.

The 37-year-old came into the game in fine form, having hit 60 in Ireland’s series-levelling win in the second T20I, and he looked determined to continue, pulling Tendai Chatara for six off his third ball. The veteran added another six off the pull in the next over, and the pair looked set for a formidable partnership, but O’Brien was dismissed after being caught at mid-off attempting a big shot from the 2nd last ball of the powerplay, putting a bump on Ireland’s effort to set a defendable total.

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A pair of Stirling boundaries in the very next over swung some momentum back in Ireland's favour, but he and captain Andrew Balbirnie were happy to set a platform. After 11 overs the pair were scoring at a strike rate of 100, with Ireland’s run rate just under six. What followed was simply outstanding.

Stirling bringing up fifty with a lofted drive off Burl seemed to signal a change in approach. He swept Wellington Masakadza fine for four before Balbirnie slog-swept for six, with a pair of fours from the skipper off Luke Jongwe in the next over keeping the runs flowing. Stirling then went straight down the ground, with a checked follow-through still sending the ball way back over the sight screen.

Balbirnie picked out the man on the deep point rope, departing for 31, but by now there was no stopping Stirling. Shane Getkate started quickly, striking his third and fourth balls for four, but in general, he was content to hand strike to Stirling and watch the carnage unfold from the non-striker’s end.

Even with two overs to go, it was open to debate whether Stirling would have time to reach three figures. But so brilliantly did he pace his innings that he careered past the landmark in the penultimate over, ending with a flourish. The 19th over was plundered for 25 runs, Stirling striking two sixes and two fours, interspersed with a pair of wides, and reaching three figures with an ambled single to deep square leg. He celebrated in trademark understated style, with a gentle rise of the bat and the helmet staying in place. There was work still to be done, and he finished the innings with 10 runs off the last two balls.

In all, 66 runs had been taken off the last four overs. Stirling’s hundred – the third by an Ireland player in T20Is after Kevin O’Brien’s hundred against Hong Kong in 2019 and Gaby Lewis’ century against Germany at the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Europe Region Qualifier last week – was the second-longest in the format by any player, one ball behind Aaron Finch’s 76-ball 172, also against Zimbabwe in 2018.

A disciplined bowling performance meant Zimbabwe never came close to chasing down the target. Stirling was given the new ball, but travelled for 14 as Wessley Madhevere struck him for three consecutive boundaries, but Mark Adair, one of three changes to the side, struck with his second delivery, Balbirnie claiming the catch at mid-off. Josh Little, another player recalled, also struck in his first over, and similarly, a miscue finding the hands of Balbirnie close in on the off-side.

The required rate remained just out of reach of the tourists, though they battled gamely. Their struggles are perhaps best shown by the fact that no partnership lasted longer than three overs. Ben White, bowling stump to stump, struck twice through the middle, Regis Chakabva dismissed lbw and Milton Shumba bowled after missing a slog-sweep. The others in the middle order fell to Shane Getkate, with Dion Myers holing out to O’Brien at long-on and Craig Ervine, Zimbabwe’s captain, seventh to fall, bowled leg stump.

Adair and Little cleaned up the tail, the former ending with three wickets and the latter with two, and the final wicket coming via a run-out. Stirling was named Player of the Match, with victory secured by 40 runs.

The two sides meet again at the same venue tomorrow at 3 pm for the fourth match of the series, with Ireland leading 2-1.

Ireland Men v Zimbabwe Men, 3rd T20I DafaNews Cup, Bready, 1 September 2021

Ireland 178-2 (20 overs; P Stirling 115*, A Balbirnie 31; R Burl 1-30)

Zimbabwe 138 (18.2 overs; C Ervine 33; M Adair 3-11, J Little 2-18)

Ireland won by 40 runs (Ireland lead series 2-1)