Paul Stirling will miss the final two matches of Ireland’s one-day international series against Namibia in Windhoek after scans confirmed that he broke his ring finger while attempting to take a catch in the third game on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old skipper has been fortunate with injuries during an Ireland career that began in 2008 and has earned him a record 433 caps but that luck appears to have deserted him of late.

Stirling flew home from the T20 World Cup in February after falling heavily and suffering a serious knee injury, his calf gave way only an over into his comeback game in May, and the latest setback comes after he started the Namibia series with back-to-back half centuries.

Cade Carmichael moved up from No 3 in the skipper’s absence on Tuesday and with a settled top six there is no other obvious choice to open with Andy Balbirnie in tomorrow’s pivotal fourth encounter, with Namibia leading the series 2-1.

Tim Tector is flying out to replace Stirling but it would be asking a lot for him to step off a plane and into the fray so quickly.

Lorcan Tucker will captain the side and one temporary option for coach Gary Wilson would be to employ Andy McBrine at No 3, where he proved successful against the West Indies in 2022, while drawing a line under his disciplinary issues with Mark Adair and restoring the all-rounder to the XI.

Meanwhile, Orla Prendergast has earned herself a €30,000 pay day with the Gujarat Giants as she becomes the second Ireland woman to be signed by one of the Indian WPL franchises.

All-rounder Prendergast will join her former Pembroke and Ireland team-mate Kim Garth, who now plays for Australia, in the Giants dressing room for the tournament that takes place in January and early February.