The sides face each other on Friday at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium before the series concludes on Sunday. Ireland are hoping to break their duck against South Africa at the sixth attempt but Stirling is hopeful of a breakthrough victory. Advertisement Advertisement “It would be huge,” he said.
“South Africa are such a powerhouse in world cricket and have such a strong team. Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Belfast News Letter, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. “So, it would be good if we could manage to get over the line in the next few days.
Anything can happen in the T20 format so we are confident we can get a result.” Ireland are five places below South Africa in the T20 world rankings and will field a young squad this weekend. The Proteas reached the T20 World Cup final in June and like Ireland are embarking on a new cycle in preparation for the tournament in 2026, which takes place in India and Sri Lanka.
Advertisement Advertisement Ireland were winless in four games at the World Cup but Stirling has no doubt the team will improve over the next two years. “We've got extremely talented players and we want to get them in the best possible place for the next World Cup,” he said. “We're probably going to see new faces over the next six to 12 months and get that player pool expanded, getting more people playing international cricket.
“We need.