Ireland v West Indies: Irish captain Paul Stirling says there will be ‘nothing held back’ in ODIs

Despite being one of the older members of the squad, Stirling says that ODIs against the West Indies still excite him and he is not yet contemplating retirement.

“I think I realised when I have a month off, I find myself going into the shed and picking up the cricket bat and I think that is a really good sign for me personally,” he said.

“I know if I wasn’t batting in front of the mirror at home that would be a sign that maybe I’m not as keen, but I’m still hungry and fixtures like this are brilliant.”

As captain, Stirling will be tasked with helping the uncapped trio of Cade Carmichael, Tom Mayes and Liam McCarthy settled into the squad.

They have been included alongside Jordan Neill and Stephen Doheny, who were late call-ups for the injured Craig Young and Curtis Campher, with Mark Adair, Graham Hume and Fionn Hand also ruled out.

Belfast native Stirling hopes that Ireland can compete despite their spate of injures and that the injection of new players can help develop squad depth.

“You have to look at the positive side of it, new faces and fresh energy and see what’s underneath the first team itself and put some pressure on old faces like me,” he said.

“There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be competing throughout the 50 overs in both innings. There’s no pressure on anyone coming in. If you’re on your debut, you’ve got the freedom to play your own game.

“You are slight underdogs for most games you play, but not as much so as in the past and our depth is improving each year, so this is always the challenge to play a side like the West Indies to see where you are.”