Big boost for Northants as Ireland star Stirling extends his Blast deal

Originally signed in January for parts of the group stage, the powerful opening batsman will now be available for selection for the duration of the rescheduled tournament.

“I’m really pleased I’ll get to play the whole tournament now, I’m looking forward to it.” said Stirling, who smashed an incredible 142 from just 128 balls when Ireland beat England on Tuesday.

“It’s been a great few weeks with Ireland at the Ageas Bowl and nice to get a few runs the other day, hopefully I can carry on that form for the Steelbacks.”

Stirling adds additional firepower to an already potent Steelbacks top order, having scored more than 5,000 T20 runs at a strike rate of over 140.

“Stirlo showed the other night what he’s capable of as a batsman, he’s such a good striker of the ball and a genuine match-winner, so having him up top for us in an already powerful batting lineup is great.” Josh Cobb said.

“You hear it a lot but getting into a good rhythm as a side is so important in T20 cricket, knowing we’ve got that continuity with him available for the whole competition is pretty exciting.

"We’re really fortunate to have someone behind the scenes who supports the club and let’s us make big signings like this.

"I’m sure they won’t want the spotlight so I won’t name them, but they know who they are and I’d just like to say a special thanks to them on behalf of the club.”

Stirling will join up with the squad ahead of the competition getting underway on August 27.