Cricket: New Black Cap Jacob Duffy Reflects On His All-Star Debut And How He Plans To Regain His Place

Man of the moment Jacob Duffy was impressed by the support of his hometown after his spectacular Black Caps debut.

Fresh-faced bowler Duffy ripped off the top of Pakistan’s batting order during their first of three T20 matches, the Black Caps remaining undefeated this summer with a five-wicket victory, before nearly making an incredible catch with a hand, only to be frustrated brushing the limit rope.

The 26-year-old has been the whole conversation ever since, revealing how much he meant to his Southland hometown of Invercargill.

“The people there are so passionate and proud to be a Southerner and so am I,” she said. “Honestly, I got hundreds of messages this week from people I haven’t talked to since high school, but it’s great, people surround you and I know they really loved it.

Duffy broke into the Otago team as a highly hyped teenager and has spent the last eight years on the domestic scene. His first shot at international cricket, in the game’s toughest format for bowlers, came in 4-0-33-4, and his comeback was only quenched when he received three sixes on his last four balls.

He said that although his nerves racked him at times, getting on the plate was not as difficult as he expected.

The challenge now was to secure a more permanent spot on the flank, having abandoned the flank for the past two Twenty20s as a result of the return of test closers Tim Southee, Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson.

“I know some top-class players are coming in and it’s going to be very difficult to get back in because the depth of the bowling is incredible right now,” he said.

“It is up to me to come home and do well in domestic cricket and Super Smash and earn another chance.”

Duffy’s night could have been even greater if his epic capture had been legitimate.

The visitors were 44-5 in the last 10th when Shadab Khan sent a cutoff shot sailing into third deep man. The shot looked like a six for all the money, but Duffy tracked it to the rope and reached to pluck it out of the sky.

He only had about a meter of room to stop his momentum and acrobatically contorted his body in a valiant attempt to avoid touching the limit rope.

But reruns showed that the fingertips of his left hand had just brushed against the triangular advertising wedge, meaning it was a four for Shadab.

“It was just one of those where you put your hand up and it kind of sticks,” Duffy said.

“I felt something, something there and you can’t be that guy who goes and celebrates a no-catch and withdraws on TV.”