Dubai [UAE], January 29 : Veteran Irish cricketer Paul Striling surpassed former Indian captain Rohit Sharma's record of the most capped player in Men's T20I cricket.
The Ireland batter achieved this historic feat during the first T20I against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Thursday.
Striling, now ranked number one, has played 160 T20I matches for his country. The 35-year-old has amassed 3,874 runs at an average of 26.53. The right-handed batter has notched up one hundred and 24 half-centuries with a best score of unbeaten 115.
Sharma, who is now placed at the second position, smashed 4,231 runs in 159 matches. The ace batter had an average of 32.05, with the help of five centuries and 32 half-centuries. The former Indian captain is also the most-capped player in Men's T20I cricket for his country.
After Stirling and Sharma, the elite list also includes - Ireland's George Dockrell (153), Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi (148), England's Jos Buttler (141), Pakistan's Babar Azam (137), New Zealand's Ish Sodhi (136), England's Adil Rashid (134), and South Africa's David Miller (133).
Coming to the UAE vs Ireland first T20I, the visitors posted 178/6 in 20 overs. Captain Stirling had a dismal outing, scoring just eight runs off three deliveries.
Opener Ross Adair (39 off 29 balls), wicketkeeper-batter (38 off 25 balls), Curtis Campher (25 off 23 balls), Benjamin Calitz (26*off 12 balls), and George Dockrell (22* off 10 balls) played crucial knocks for their side.
For the UAE, Junaid Siddique (2/36), and Haider Ali (2/31) scalped two wickets apiece.