Otago’s favourite Southlander, Jacob Duffy, snapped up his third consecutive five-wicket bag to help the Black Caps seal a monster 323-run win in the third test against the West Indies in Mount Maunganui yesterday.
The right-armer grabbed five wickets on the final day — nine for the match — to help secure the chunky win.
The West Indies were rolled for 138 in pursuit of an unlikely victory target of 462.
Duffy took five for 42, while Devon Conway became just the 10th player in test history to score a double ton and a century in the same game.
Left-arm spinner Ajaz Patel also played a key role on the final day, taking three for 23 in a rare game on New Zealand soil.
Conway was named player of the match, but Duffy was named player of the series.
He claimed 23 wickets during the three tests, and the 31-year-old also bumped off Richard Hadlee’s long-standing record for the most wickets in a calendar year for New Zealand.
Hadlee took 79 wickets in 1985. Duffy has nabbed 81 across the three formats and is the leading combined international wicket-taker for 2025.
It has been an impressive year for the hard-working Otago seamer.
Resuming at 43 for none, the West Indies’ opening pair were resolute during the opening hour.
Brandon King had scored briskly the night before, while John Campbell parked the bus at the other end.
They remained defiant initially. But before the heads could drop too low in the New Zealand camp, Duffy delivered a breakthrough. He dug in a short ball and it ballooned from the gloves of King to Glenn Phillips.
Hodge, who had been so patient, suddenly decided to clobber Patel down the ground and muffed it. Phillips got under that one as well.
Kavem Hodge was a little unlucky. He pressed forward and the ball flew from an inside edge to Rachin Ravindra, who was in close under the helmet.
He thrust out a hand and parried the ball in the air, slowing it enough to give himself the time to swivel and dive to complete a stunning catch.
Duffy nicked out two more before the break.
The Windies had crumbled from 87 for none to 99 for five at lunch.
Duffy had knocked the stuffing out of the top order and he produced a brutal bouncer to account for Roston Chase shortly after the resumption of play.
Shai Hope went next: Patel trapped him lbw.
The umpire was not convinced and neither was Hope, but the replay showed the ball crashing into the stumps and vindicated the Black Caps’ decision to opt for a review.
Kemar Roach was bowled through the gap by a delighted Phillips, who got a delivery to bite and turn.
The Black Caps needed two more wickets from the final session to secure the win and the end came quickly.
Duffy finished it with a big inswinger to bowl Jayden Seales and
put an exclamation point on a wonderful year.
NEW ZEALAND
575/8 dec and 306/2 dec
WEST INDIES
First innings 420
Second innings
J Campbell c Phillips b Patel 16
B King c Phillips b Duffy 67
K Hodge c Ravindra b Patel 0
S Hope lbw Patel 3
A Athanaze c Blundell b Duffy 2
J Greaves c Mitchell b Duffy 0
R Chase c Latham b Duffy 5
T Imlach not out 15
K Roach b Phillips 10
A Phillip lbw Ravindra 10
J Seales b Duffy 0
Extras (12b, 1lb, 3w) 16
Total (all out, 80.3 overs) 138
Fall: 1-87, 2-87, 3-88, 4-91, 5-98, 6-104, 7-107, 8-112, 9-138, 10-138.
Bowling: J Duffy 22.3-10-42-5 (2w), Z Foulkes 5-0-20-0, A Patel 32-21-23-3, M Rae 14-6-26-0, G Phillips 5-2-14-1, R Ravindra 2-0-0-1.
Result: New Zealand won by 323 runs
