NEW DELHI: Pacer Jacob Duffy was included in New Zealand’s squad for the Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday, capping an outstanding 2025 in which he claimed 81 international wickets. The 31-year-old surpassed Richard Hadlee’s 40-year-old record of 79 wickets in a calendar year and climbed to second place in the world T20 bowling rankings. Despite being part of a New Zealand squad that collectively boasts 1,064 T20 international caps, Duffy is the only player yet to feature in a T20 World Cup.Duffy slots into an experienced pace unit featuring Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Adam Milne and all-rounder Jimmy Neesham for the tournament in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Kyle Jamieson will travel with the squad as the reserve fast bowler.
The squad will be led by all-rounder Mitchell Santner, who anchors a spin group that includes specialist Ish Sodhi along with Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips and Rachin Ravindra. Both Santner and Sodhi were part of New Zealand’s campaign at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India.Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell and Tim Seifert make up the specialist batting contingent. Seifert, who will also keep wicket, is set to join the squad after the conclusion of Australia’s Big Bash League.Allen (finger/hamstring), Chapman (ankle), Ferguson (calf), Henry (calf) and Santner (adductor) are currently undergoing treatment. Ferguson and Henry are also likely to be granted short-term paternity leave during the tournament.Duffy led New Zealand’s pace attack across all three formats during the domestic season in the absence of Henry, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Jamieson, Nathan Smith and Ferguson, who were all sidelined with injuries. His 81 wickets in 2025 came from 36 matches at an average of 17.New Zealand will play a white-ball series in India in January, followed by a warm-up match against the United States, before beginning their World Cup campaign in Group D alongside Afghanistan, UAE, South Africa and Canada.New Zealand squad: Mitchell Santner (captain), Finn Allen, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Jacob Duffy, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Adam Milne, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Tim Seifert, Ish Sodhi.
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