New Zealand Vs West Indies 3rd Test: Jacob Duffy Breaks Hadlee Record As Black Caps Seal Series Win

Jacob Duffy broke a 50-year New Zealand cricket record on Day 5 of the third and final Test against the West Indies at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.

The 31-year-old right-arm medium pacer achieved the feat when he dismissed Windies captain Roston Chase, caught by Kiwi skipper Tom Latham at second slip, soon after lunch during Monday's play.

With the wicket, his fourth in the innings, Duffy became the most prolific New Zealand bowler in a calendar year across formats (Test, ODI, T20I), surpassing Sir Richard Hadlee's long-standing record.

Duffy claimed the final wicket of the match, cleaning up Jayden Seales for a duck in the 81st over for figures of 5/42, and helped the Kiwis win by 323 runs. He was adjudged the Player of the Match.

"I saw that list at lunchtime in the lunchroom, and there are some cool names on there," Duffy said at the post-match presentation ceremony. "To be up there, on any kind of list, with those sorts of names is pretty special. It's been a cool year."

Interestingly, Duffy only started playing Test cricket in August 2025, with his debut against Zimbabwe at Bulawayo. In four Tests so far, he has claimed 25 wickets. This year, he also claimed 21 in 11 ODIs and 35 in 21 T20Is.

He thus ended the year with 81 wickets in 36 matches, two more than Hadlee's 79. The legendary fast bowler took 79 wickets in just 23 outings in 1985, including 64 in 10 Tests.

The Kiwi top five also features former captain Daniel Vettori (76 from 33 matches in 2008) and Trent Boult, twice – 72 from 25 in 2015 and 69 from 27 in 2017.

With 23 scalps in this series, Duffy also created the record for the most wickets taken in a home series by a New Zealand bowler. The record previously belonged to left-arm pacer Boult, who took 20 in a three-match series in 2013, also against the West Indies.

Duffy was among eight New Zealand players sold at the recent Indian Premier League (IPL) auction ahead of the 2026 season. Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru signed him at his base price of INR 2 crore. The 19th season of IPL will run from March 26 to May 31 next year.

Black Caps To Visit India After WI Series Win

The Bay Oval outing marked the final outing for both sides this year. The West Indies' tour of New Zealand 2025 began with the T20Is, which the Kiwis won 3-1 (five matches), followed by a 3-0 ODI sweep by the hosts.

The Windies salvaged a draw in the first Test but lost the second match by nine wickets, and now they have suffered defeat, giving Latham & Co. crucial ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 points.

Next, New Zealand will be in India for a limited-overs series (three ODIs and five T20Is), beginning January 11, 2026. Meanwhile, the West Indies are scheduled to play three T20Is against Afghanistan in Sharjah, UAE, before travelling to South Africa for another three T20I matches.

All four teams will compete in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan, New Zealand, and South Africa are in Group D, while India are in Group A.