William Thomas Stuart Porterfield (born 6 September 1984) is an Irish former cricketer and a former captain of the Ireland cricket team. He played first-class cricket for Gloucestershire and Warwickshire. A left-handed batsman, he played for Ireland from 2006 to 2022, and has captained Ireland at all levels from Under-13 and is considered one of the greatest Irish cricketers of all time. During Afghanistan T20I series in March 2017, he passed 1,000 runs in T20Is and became the first player from Ireland to do so. In May 2018, he was named as the captain of Ireland's squad for their first ever Test match, against Pakistan. He announced his retirement from international cricket on 16 June 2022.
In December 2018, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract by Cricket Ireland for the 2019 season. In July 2019, Porterfield scored his 4,000th run in ODI cricket and recorded his 50th win as captain of Ireland's One Day International team. In January 2020, he was one of nineteen players to be awarded a central contract from Cricket Ireland, the first year in which all contracts were awarded on a full-time basis. Later the same month, in the second ODI against the West Indies, Porterfield played in his 300th international match for Ireland and announced his retirement from international cricket on 16 June 2022.
International career
Porterfield made his first-class cricket debut on 17 May 2006, for Ireland against Namibia in the 2006–07 ICC Intercontinental Cup. On 31 January 2007, he scored his maiden ODI century with an unbeaten 112 to guide his side to victory over Bermuda. He followed it up in his next game with 104 not out against Kenya. In the 2007 World Cup he was man of the match with 85 against Bangladesh during a Super Eight game, which Ireland won.
Porterfield scored his maiden first-class century in late August 2007. In a match against Bermuda as part of the 2007–08 ICC Intercontinental Cup, Porterfield scored 166 runs from 326 balls.
In the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Porterfield reached a fifty against the Netherlands. He hit 68 off 93 balls and helped his team to victory over the Netherlands.
Captaincy
Porterfield was appointed Ireland captain at the start of the 2008 season, succeeding Trent Johnston. Porterfield said "I've learnt a lot from Trent – he brought young players through, looked after them and he set an example by how he went about his game and how he prepared on and off the field. I may be young but I've plenty of experience of captaincy and I love it, being out there right in the mixer. I was vice-captain under Trent and I filled in when he was off the field so I've had a taste of it".
Despite being Ireland's official captain, Porterfield chose to represent his county (Gloucestershire) instead of leading Ireland in their ODIs against Scotland and New Zealand in July 2008 in an attempt to secure a permanent position at Gloucestershire. He said "It's definitely the hardest decision I've ever had to make ... I feel it's the right decision for me at this stage in my career".
Porterfield was one of seven Ireland players to be nominated for the 2009 Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year (there were fourteen nominees in all); he eventually won the award. Speaking about the award, Portfield said "It's been a fantastic year for us. This award caps it off on a personal note but it's great for the team to be going to the World Cup having won the ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier early this year. This award is great for Irish cricket and it shows how much we have done on the field. If we continue onwards and keep on making improvements in that department then other awards will follow."
A side made up of some of the best players from Associate and Affiliate teams was put together to face England in Dubai in January 2012. The three-day match was part of England's preparation for a series against Pakistan later that month. Porterfield captained the squad and was one of four Ireland players included.
2011 World Cup
Porterfield was selected in Ireland's 15-man squad for the 2011 World Cup. He led them to a famous victory over England and to narrow defeats to Bangladesh, West Indies and India, as well as hitting the hundredth six of the tournament during the match against hosts India. He captained Ireland to a victory over the Netherlands.
Test cricket and beyond
In May 2018, Porterfield was named as the captain of a fourteen-man squad for Ireland's first ever Test match, which was played against Pakistan later the same month. He made his Test debut for Ireland, against Pakistan, on 11 May 2018.