Duffy's Four Wickets Help New Zealand Win Series 3-1

5th T20I: Duffy's Four Wickets Help New Zealand Win Series 3-1

New Zealand vs West Indies: New Zealand defeated West Indies by eight wickets in the final T20I of the five-match series in Dunedin. Jacob Duffy was named both the Player of the Match and Player of the Series for his match-winning performances throughout the series. He finished the series with 10 wickets.

Fast bowlers like Jacob Duffy know very well how to take advantage of chilly weather. As the pitch had fresh grass, the air helped the ball swing. Duffy made full use of it, taking 4 wickets for just 35 runs and helping New Zealand win the T20I series against West Indies 3-1.

West Indies were asked to bat first and struggled right from the start. They lost four wickets in just 11 balls during the power play. Their aggressive approach didn’t work on a pitch that offered bounce and movement. Duffy struck in the third over, removing Shai Hope with a top-edged pull shot, bowling Ackeem Auguste with a ball that moved in late, and getting Sherfane Rutherford caught behind while trying to charge him.

These three quick wickets gave Duffy his 50th T20I wicket in just his 38th match making him the third-fastest New Zealand bowler to reach that milestone, behind only Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson.

The West Indies have a deep batting line-up and have scored heavily even after losing early wickets in previous matches. But this time, they couldn’t recover. Rovman Powell, who had played a brilliant rescue knock earlier in the series, got out in the seventh over. Roston Chase and Jason Holder tried to slow things down and added 42 runs together, but both were dismissed within five balls of each other. Matthew Forde followed soon after, and West Indies were reduced to 94 for 8 in the 14th over. Despite their efforts, they were bowled out for just 140.

New Zealand also found batting tricky, as the ball continued to move around. But with a small target and short boundaries just 63 square meters of the wicket they were in a comfortable position. Young batter Tim Robinson played with flair, scoring 45 runs off 24 balls. His aggressive style, including five fours and three sixes, reminded fans of Brendon McCullum. One of the most powerful shots of the day came from Romario Shepherd, who smashed a ball over long-on, clearing the stands and nearly reaching the old Dunedin art gallery.

Devon Conway played a steadier innings, reaching 1000 T20I runs at home. He guided New Zealand to victory with eight wickets in hand and 26 balls to spare. It was a complete performance from the home side, with Duffy leading the way and the batters finishing the job calmly.