Ireland hopeful on Paul Stirling fitness

Ireland’s medical staff are hopeful that Paul Stirling will be fit for the team’s crucial World Cup Twenty20 qualifier against the Netherlands tomorrow (9.30am).

Stirling had to retire hurt during Ireland’s win over UAE yesterday after being struck on the elbow with a delivery.

A win against the Dutch would ensure Ireland’s passage to the Super 10s phase of the tournament in Bangladesh.

Physio Andrew Dunne said: "Paul had an X-ray immediately after the incident, thankfully that came back with no sign of a fracture or a break. We had a CT scan done of his elbow and that just showed there was some mild soft-tissue damage.

"But just the nature of the impact and the site of the injury can be quite painful. We just have to wait and see how he pulls out of it in the morning."

He added: "I would be hopeful. I think the good news is that without any fracture or any other soft-tissue damage he can’t really do a huge amount of harm to it but it can be a very painful area to get an injury so it’s just a balance between the two.

"If we can manage to get him closer to the less painful side of things, things should be okay."