Record-Breaking Jacob Duffy Calls NZ Pace Spearhead Role a Great Privilege

Jacob Duffy made a big impact against the West Indies in the recently concluded test series. His numbers in the Mount Maunganui test were especially impressive, as he took 9 wickets in the match to give New Zealand a thumping victory.

Speaking at the press conference after the third test, Duffy said that he is currently enjoying his performances in international cricket. He added that it was a privilege for him to lead the New Zealand attack when the majority of their bowlers had been ruled out due to injury.

"I'm just enjoying my career, I don't know. I don't look at things too holistically I guess. It has been an awesome ride; it's been testing with all the bowlers going down and obviously the workload is pretty high.” said Jacob Duffy at the post-match press conference.

"But I guess the fact that Tommy [Tom Latham] keeps asking me to bowl the ball, I'd like to view that as a bit of a privilege. You just get to trust you to keep bowling and doing the good stuff, so that's what I'm trying to do." added Jacob Duffy.

Growing up in the Southland region, Duffy did a lot of hard work to make his way into the New Zealand international side. Now, he is performing well on the biggest stage, getting the nod that he belongs at this level.

"I guess that's probably the Southland kid in me. I think you grow up down there and even playing for Otago seems ridiculous when you're growing up. To come on to the international stage and I guess start to feel like you belong, that's really cool.” said Jacob Duffy.

"I guess it was probably out here last year, this time of year against Sri Lanka, I guess I started putting in some match-winning, match-changing spells and stuff in 2020 and you start to feel like you belong internationally. It's a really cool feeling, it gives you that trust and belief in yourself and you know you're worth it." added Jacob Duffy.

Looking Forward to 2026 T20 World Cup and IPL

The rising New Zealand pacer was recently picked by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL auction. He is looking forward to featuring in the tournament immediately after the 2026 T20 World Cup that will be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

"I think it's always going to be a surprise isn't it, you see your name on that weird auction screen, that was an interesting experience but yeah, like I said it was a very weird experience. It was quite cool, still a surprise, you just never know what's going to happen.” said Jacob Duffy.

"It's such an odd experience but pretty cool and we've got a big series in India before that and then into the [T20] World Cup and then there's a lot of time in India coming up, it's an amazing place so I'm looking forward to all of it." added Jacob Duffy.

Next year will bring plenty of opportunities for Duffy to feature in various international tours and series. Apart from the tests against India, he is particularly excited about the tours of England and Australia, where he is likely to lead New Zealand’s red-ball bowling attack.

"It's amazing, there's Test cricket [against] India at home as well, that's a huge series. It's exciting for the group and definitely I've done two-and-a-half England tours now where I've not played, so to go over there and potentially maybe do that and Aussie away too - those are the pinnacles I think. Those are the highlights of your career potentially, especially in the red-ball scene." said Jacob Duffy.