Ireland captain Paul Sterling is ruled out for the remainder of the T20 World Cup with a knee injury.
Sterling fell to his knees after taking a catch against Australia in Colombo on Wednesday and limped off injured while batting in his usual opening position in the chase with his first bat.
Scans after Ireland’s 67-match defeat revealed ligament damage.
Sterling has been replaced in the team by opener Sam Topping, who is in an off-season training camp near Chennai, India, while wicket-keeper batsman Lorcan Tucker will captain the team for the remaining games.
“Paul will soon be heading home to rest and recuperate before the summer back home,” Cricket Ireland director of high performance Graeme West said.
“To replace Paul, we called up Sam Toppin, who was able to provide immediate coverage.
“The skills he provides provide cover in multiple areas for the team, which is important as Ben Kalitz also took a knock on his hand after the last game.”
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