Ireland vs Zimbabwe T20I May 2026 Belfast Bilateral — Paul Stirling 81 and Sikandar Raza 3/24

Belfast and Stormont in mid-May tend to produce flat surfaces with grey skies overhead. The Ireland-Zimbabwe T20I bilateral in 2026 was scheduled across the two venues — first match at Civil Service Cricket Club on May 11, second at Stormont on May 13. Paul Stirling decided the first one with 81 off 56. Sikandar Raza decided the second with 3 for 24 and a steady 38. The series finished 1-1 and both sides went home with cricket questions that matter for the Asia Cup 2027 build-up.

Phase one: the Stirling innings at Belfast

Ireland batted first at Civil Service Cricket Club after Andrew Balbirnie won the toss. Stirling and Andrew Balbirnie opened. The plan was clear from the dressing-room briefing — Stirling to absorb the new ball, Balbirnie to attack. The execution flipped both ways.

Balbirnie fell early to Tendai Chatara for 12. Harry Tector came in at three and made 28 off 22. Lorcan Tucker added 38 off 27 batting at four. The middle order ticked along while Stirling anchored.

Stirling's 81 was an old-school T20 anchor knock in a format that has mostly forgotten about anchors. He took 30 balls to get to 25, then accelerated. The fifty came up in the 13th over off 41 balls. The 81 came up off 56 with seven boundaries and two sixes.

What the numbers say

Stirling's 81 broke into three phases. Phase one (balls 1-21): 14 runs at strike rate 66.6, two boundaries. Phase two (balls 22-43): 32 runs at strike rate 145.4, three sixes. Phase three (balls 44-56): 35 runs at strike rate 269.2, three fours and two sixes.

The matchup splits: against Tendai Chatara 16 off 11, against Blessing Muzarabani 19 off 13, against Sikandar Raza 23 off 16, against Brad Evans 14 off 9, against Tinotenda Maposa 9 off 7. The Raza matchup was the boundary mine — Stirling used the inside-out drive against the off-spin and the reverse-sweep against the line outside off.

Ireland finished on 184 for 5 in 20 overs. Zimbabwe's chase fell apart in the middle overs and they ended 142 for 9.

The Stormont response

Zimbabwe came back hard in the second match at Stormont on May 13. Sikandar Raza won the toss and chose to bowl — a reverse of Balbirnie's call two days earlier. The strategy was to use the morning cloud cover for the new-ball swing.

Ireland struggled. Stirling fell for 18, Balbirnie for 22, Tector for 14. The middle order's collapse came in a 19-run spell where Zimbabwe took three wickets. Ireland were 89 for 5 in the 12th over. Lorcan Tucker (32 not out) and Mark Adair (28 off 17) added a lower-order partnership to lift the total to 142 in 20 overs.

Raza's 3 for 24 was the wicket-taker — he removed Stirling with a beautiful drift away, then got Curtis Campher with a top-spinner, and finally Mark Adair with a wrong'un in the 18th over. The economy of 6.0 was the lowest among Zimbabwe's bowlers.

The Asia Cup 2027 implications

The Asia Cup 2027 will be in Sri Lanka, hosted in February. The ACC has invited associate sides through a qualifier path, and Ireland and Zimbabwe are both on the qualifier ladder. The bilateral T20I series in Belfast was the kind of warm-up both teams need.

For Ireland the read is mixed. Paul Stirling looks fit and timing the ball well. The middle order beyond Tector and Tucker still hasn't been settled. The pace bowling lacks the new-ball heavy ball — Mark Adair and Josh Little have been the only consistent options.

For Zimbabwe the read is more positive. Sikandar Raza is the captain now after Craig Ervine's retirement, and his all-round contributions across both matches are the headline. Blessing Muzarabani at his best is the world's tallest left-arm seamer and his comeback from injury looks set. The middle order anchored by Sean Williams (career average 39 in T20Is) gives Raza options.

The forward view

Ireland host Afghanistan in late June for a five-match T20I series at Stormont and Malahide. The squad will need to address the middle-order question before then. Paul Stirling at 35 won't be playing the format forever; the succession plan must accelerate.

Zimbabwe head to the West Indies in June for a four-match T20I tour. The Caribbean trip will be Raza's first major captaincy assignment as a long-term leader and the first overseas series since Craig Ervine's retirement.

What to watch next: Zimbabwe vs West Indies T20I series in June — Sikandar Raza's first overseas captaincy.

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