Paul Stirling ruled out of remaining ODIs in Namibia after fracturing finger

Ireland captain Paul Stirling will miss the final two matches of his side's one-day international series in Namibia after fracturing his finger while fielding in the third ODI on Tuesday, the injury occurring in Ireland's defeat that left them 2-1 down in the five-match series.

The 36-year-old Stirling was unable to bat in Ireland's innings following the injury. He had opened the series with half-centuries in the first two games in Windhoek, scoring 56 and 77. The third ODI loss came after Ireland won the opener on 22 October.

Tim Tector has been drafted into the squad as Stirling's replacement. Tector is identified in the report as the younger brother of Harry Tector and is uncapped in ODIs. He has made eight appearances for Ireland in T20 cricket, averaging 17 in that format.

The defeat in the third match left Ireland trailing Namibia 2-1 in the five-game series. Ireland's two losses since the opener were by margins of 31 and 63 runs. The report states the series is being used by Ireland as preparation for next year's World Cup qualifiers.

Head coach Gary Wilson was noted as facing another setback with Stirling's injury. Stirling's absence removes an experienced opener who had top-scored for Ireland in the first two fixtures. There is no further squad update in the report beyond Tector's call-up.

The series is scheduled to resume on Friday, with the concluding fixture set for Sunday.