Jacob Duffy is embracing his first World Cup experience at 31, capping what has already been a breakthrough phase in his career with New Zealand. The right-arm pacer enjoyed a record-breaking 2025, claiming 81 wickets across formats to surpass a long-standing national mark held by Sir Richard Hadlee for four decades.
He has carried that momentum into the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, striking key blows in New Zealand’s victories over Afghanistan and the UAE.
Duffy’s journey, however, has been far from straightforward. He had to wait until the age of 26 to make his international debut, marking the occasion with a four-wicket haul and a Player of the Match award in a T20I against Pakistan.
Years of intermittent opportunities and A-team tours preceded that breakthrough, but the seamer believes the patience he was forced to show has ultimately shaped him into a stronger cricketer.
“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 meaningful impact for New Zealand and hold your own in different formats is a great feeling,” he added.
Born in Lumsden on New Zealand’s South Island, Duffy honed his skills bowling to his two older brothers on a backyard pitch prepared by their father using local Kakanui clay. He believes being the youngest sibling “definitely fast-tracked my progress” and is now preparing for a new chapter off the field as well, with him and his wife Natasha expecting their first child in mid-June.
Before that, Duffy has a World Cup campaign and his maiden IPL stint to navigate. He is set to represent Royal Challengers Bangalore, where he is eager to learn from Josh Hazlewood and share a dressing room with Virat Kohli.
Within the New Zealand squad, he continues to benefit from the camaraderie and collective knowledge of fellow seamers Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, and Kyle Jamieson. “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 sorts 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 grown up watching World Cups, Duffy is now relishing the chance to play on the biggest stage and hopes New Zealand can go one step further after several near-misses.
“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. 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,” he added.