SA20 2023: Paul Stirling joins Paarl Royals as replacement for Obed McCoy

Ireland veteran batter Paul Stirling is all set to don the colours of Paarl Royals for the remainder of the ongoing SA20 season. This comes after Obed McCoy withdrew from the top-tier league after picking up an injury.

32-year-old Stirling will be available for selection for the franchise’s final outing in the group phase against Pretoria Capitals on Tuesday, January 7. The Paarl Royals took their official Twitter handle to confirm the new signing who will replace the injured McCoy. 

𝑷𝑺: He’s arrived. ☘️

Say hello to @stirlo90 who replaces Obed McCoy for the rest of the season. 👋 pic.twitter.com/y2pDOt5Vdn

— Paarl Royals (@paarlroyals) February 6, 2023

“PS: He’s arrived. Say hello to Paul Stirling who replaces Obed McCoy for the rest of the season,” captioned the SA20 franchise. 

Stirling recently concluded his outing in the ILT20 in Dubai where his side, Abu Dhabi Knight Riders, failed to secure a place in the play-offs. In their rather forgettable run in the inaugural season, the Irish talisman aggregated 168 runs of the six innings he featured in.

Previously, Stirling represented Paarl Rocks in the Mzansi Super League Twenty20 and has a fair bit of experience playing in the African continent. Speaking about his numbers in the T20Is for Ireland, the veteran batter has amassed 3181 runs in 120 innings with his highest score being an unbeaten 115 runs coming against Zimbabwe in 2021.

Paarl Royals on the cusp of obtaining semi-final berth

It is worth noting that the side is on the cusp of making a place in the semi-final of the inaugural edition of the SA20. Paarl currently stands fourth on the points table with 19 points, just as many as Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Durban’s Super Giants. 

However, both the aforementioned teams have concluded their campaign with Sunrisers sealing their berth in the last four due to a superior net run rate (+0.316). In contrast, Paarl hangs by a thread as the side has one fixture remaining and a net run rate of 0.050.

A win against Pretoria Capitals on Tuesday will confirm their spot in the last four, irrespective of the net run rate. However, a loss would essentially mean that Paarl will need to maintain a better net run rate to progress as Durban is placed just below them with a negative NRR of 0.319.