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New Zealand pacer Jacob Duffy, who has finally made his World Cup debut across any format, reflected on the challenging phase of his career after being benched when he wished to be a part of the side.
He further noted that his 10-12 years of experience at the domestic level had made him well aware of his game and tactics, which had "served him well". At 31, Jacob is enjoying his first World Cup experience, following his international debut in 2020 at 26. In two games so far, he has taken two wickets so far and is a crucial part of the Kiwi bowling line-up, consisting of Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson and Lockie Ferguson. Last year, the pacer emerged as the highest wicket-taker in international cricket, getting 81 wickets and breaking a Kiwi record which had been held by Sir Richard Hadlee since 1985. Duffy's rise to international cricket was not the quickest, as he had to wait till 26 for his international debut, collecting the 'Player of the Match' award following four wickets in a T20I against Pakistan, but patience is proving a virtue for a player going from strength to strength. And the man from the South Island believes his time on the outside looking in has helped him make such an impact. "There were so many times I wished I was in the team and I was not," he said as quoted by ICC. "I have done a lot of A tours, and when I finally got a consistent run of games, that was the most important thing. I had a series or a game here and there over the years, but to play regularly and be comfortable at that level and prove to yourself you belong at that level is pretty huge." "I have 10 or 12 years of experience to call upon, and that has served me well. I know my game so well, I know my tactics, my action. I had all those experiences to call upon when push came to shove in those high-pressure moments in international cricket." "It is not always nice sitting on the sidelines not getting those games, but those experiences helped me when I did get there," he continued. Duffy said that a major factor is believing you are good enough, and many players talk about impostor syndrome and "not quite knowing if you are good enough." "To prove time and again that you are, not necessarily to dominate, but to have meaningful impact for New Zealand and hold your own in different formats, is a great feeling," he added. Duffy was born in Lumsden and learned his trade bowling at his two older brothers on a pitch prepared in their back garden by their father using local Kakanui clay. He believes being the younger sibling 'definitely fast-tracked my progress' and will soon be a father himself, with Duffy and his wife Natasha set to welcome their first child in mid-June. On the field, he has a World Cup and maiden IPL campaign to get through before that, and Duffy is looking forward to learning from Josh Hazlewood - and sharing a dressing room with Virat Kohli - during his first season with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) this year. He is also picking up plenty of tips from his fellow Kiwi pacemen, with Duffy part of a strong seam attack that also includes Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Kyle Jamieson in the Black Caps squad. "One of our greatest strengths is that we all get along so well," he said. "We feed off each other pretty well, and we all have different attributes. Even just this week, I have been trying to perfect my away swing to the left-hander. Kyle has come out and nailed those sort of balls for the last five or six years, so he is helping me out trying to do that." "We are all good mates, we are all helping each other out and having a good time doing it. I am very grateful for their companionship," he added. Having watched plenty of World Cup action growing up, Duffy is treasuring being at the centre of the action and hopes New Zealand can kick on from being knockout regulars to lifting silverware. "That 2015 World Cup was pretty amazing, that got a lot of people into cricket back home, and there was a real buzz after that," he said. "The pool game against Australia, Kane (Williamson) hitting the last ball six to win it when we were nine down, then obviously there was the semi-final against South Africa at Eden Park. I know people who were there that day, and they still say they have never experienced a crowd with that much energy in it." "World Cups are pretty special things, and these are the pinnacles you work towards through your career. It is very exciting to be part of it," he concluded. (ANI)
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