Paul Stirling: Northants sign Ireland opener for Blast

Paul Striling has scored 2,052 T20 runs for Ireland with a top-score of 95 in T20 international cricket

Northamptonshire have signed Ireland all-rounder Paul Stirling for this summer's T20 Blast.

Stirling, 29, was the leading run scorer in T20 international cricket in 2019 and has made 5,400 T20 runs at a strike rate of 142.35.

The club say he will be available for "parts of the group stages" and the knockout stage, should they qualify.

"I'm thrilled to be playing for the Steelbacks in this year's Blast," Stirling told the club website.

"It's a good wicket and the boundaries are small so I'm excited to entertain the people of Northampton."

He spent 10 years with Middlesex, but left last September because he would have to re-register as an overseas player in 2020 or give up his international career.

Northants have already made two overseas signings for 2020 - Pakistan's Faheem Ashraf as their all-format player to the end of the T20 Blast group stages and West Indies skipper Kieron Pollard, the world's record T20 appearance maker.

Pollard will be joining for eight Blast matches from 5 June, leaving three group games either side of his spell where he won't be available.