Debut sensation! Jacob Duffy’s patience pays off as Kiwi seamer shines in T20 World Cup

The paceman took 81 wickets for New Zealand in 2025, breaking a Kiwi record which had been held by Sir Richard Hadlee for four decades, and has begun his ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 campaign by claiming important scalps in wins over Afghanistan and the UAE.

Duffy had to wait until he was 26 for his international debut, collecting the Player of the Match award following four wickets in a T20I against Pakistan, but patience is proving a virtue for a player going from strength to strength.

And the man from the South Island believes his time on the outside looking in has helped him make such an impact.

“There were so many times I wished I was in the team and I wasn’t,” he said.

“I have done a lot of A tours and when I finally got a consistent run of games, that was the most important thing.

"I’d had a series or a game here and there over the years but to play regularly and be comfortable at that level and prove to yourself you belong at that level is pretty huge.

"I have 10 or 12 years of experience to call upon and that has served me well. I know my game so well, I know my tactics, my action. I had all those experiences to call upon when push came to shove in those high pressure moments in international cricket.

“It’s not always nice sitting on the sidelines not getting those games but those experiences helped me when I did get there.

“A big part of it is proving to yourself you are good enough. A lot of sportspeople talk about imposter syndrome, and not quite knowing if you are good enough.

"To prove time and again that you are, not necessarily to dominate, but to have a meaningful impact for New Zealand and hold your own in different formats is a great feeling.”

Duffy was born in Lumsden and learned his trade bowling with his two older brothers on a pitch prepared in their back garden by their father using local Kakanui clay.

He believes being the younger sibling 'definitely fast-tracked my progress’ and will soon be a father himself, with Duffy and his wife Natasha set to welcome their first child in mid-June.

On the field, he has a World Cup and maiden IPL campaign to get through before that and Duffy is looking forward to learning from Josh Hazlewood – and sharing a dressing room with Virat Kohli - during his first season with Royal Challengers Bangalore.

He is also picking up plenty of tips from his fellow Kiwi pacemen, with Duffy part of a strong set of seamers also including Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Kyle Jamieson in the Black Caps squad.

“One of our greatest strengths is that we all get along so well,” he said.

“We feed off each other pretty well and we all have different attributes.

“Even just this week, I’ve been trying to perfect my away swing to the left-hander. Kyle has come out and nailed those sort of balls for the last five or six years, so he is helping me out trying to do that.

“We are all good mates, we are all helping each other out and having a good time doing it. I am very grateful for their companionship."

Having watched plenty of World Cup action growing up, Duffy is treasuring being at the centre of the action and hopes New Zealand can kick on from being knockout regulars to lifting silverware.

"That 2015 World Cup was pretty amazing, that got a lot of people into cricket back home and there was a real buzz after that,” he said.

“The pool game against Australia, Kane (Williamson) hitting the last ball six to win it when we were nine down, then obviously there was the semi-final against South Africa at Eden Park.

“I know people who were there that day and they still stay. They have never experienced a crowd with that much energy in it.

"World Cups are pretty special things and these are the pinnacles you work towards through your career. It’s very exciting to be part of it.”