Man of Steel

PAUL STIRLING

For little more than an hour at the Saxton Oval yesterday Ireland's Paul Stirling had transformed him into a baseball player. Anything that came over his hip he pulled, hooked and whipped over the mid-wicket and the long-on region. He may have missed out on a century, but his 84-ball 92 laid the foundations for a historic win. He punched 12 boundaries, three of which stormed into the crowd and begged caution. It was because of his rigid innings that Ireland, despite a mini-stumble towards the end, overcame yet another 300-plus score in a World Cup.