Racing
League
Rugby
Football
Cricket
Golf
Sport Nation
Motorsport
Netball
Basketball
Combat Sports
Olympics
Other Sports
Live sport on SN this weekendDuffy receives brotherly bowling advice as Blackcaps look to rein in India
Alex Chapman • October 29th, 2026 4:32 pm
Jacob Duffy with the ball at Wellington's Hrny Stadium | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
As the Blackcaps finished their warm-ups for training at Eden Park on Thursday, the bowlers took some time with each other.
Sat on the turf which they'll walk out on tomorrow - the group, alongside head coach Rob Walter and bowling coach Jacob Oram - held a 15-minute meeting of the minds.
No screens, no notepads, just talking.
"Just our plans," Duffy told Sport Nation when asked what was discussed.
"We're quite a tight unit, we've all spent dinners and lunches and all sorts together, so we've talked a lot about what happened the other night and what we're going to do.
"Just reconfirmed with the skipper there, with Rob there as well, just what we can live with I guess is more the play."
What they've had to live with in the three games so far this series though has been seeing the ball flying all over Hagley Oval and Hnry Stadium.
The visitors have smacked 610 runs in their 51 overs at the crease, of which 398 have been in boundaries.
Abhishek Sharma celebrates his T20 century against the Blackcaps in Wellington | Photo: Kerry Marshall/Photosport
The most-telling of numbers so far though was the world champions being able to chase 199 in 13.2 overs in the third match in Wellington.
"I think you've got to give a little bit of credit to the Indians there." Duffy conceded.
"I think when you looked at how they played in Christchurch, especially the two lefties up top, I wouldn't say they struggled, but they didn't look quite as fluent. And then they adjusted to the Wellington wicket and conditions.
"They got inside the ball really well. They looked at us square, I guess we can expect the same again."
But Auckland offers a different sort of challenge from what was presented in Wellington.
In the Capital, short square boundaries were targeted and peppered by the Indian batters, with Abishek Sharma in particular eyeing them up, blasting 84 of his 113 runs forward of square through to mid off/on.
Abhishek Sharma's incredlble 113 runs from 38 balls in 3rd T20 vs Blackcaps | Cricket Nation
At Eden Park, the 52-metre straight dimensions will be lined up on what is expected to be a flat pitch.
However it's a ground which has only seen 200 be scored five times in the last 20 innings, of which three of those were the team batting first.
"Traditionally, when you're playing the short boundaries straight, obviously the little extra bounce, guys tend to struggle fighting into those straight boundaries and playing straight." Duffy explained.
"We've got our plans to adjust, but you've got to take that with a grain of salt too, because they're allowed to adjust as well. And they're good enough players and they're smart enough that they can go either way too. So we'll see."
Duffy acknowledges though that despite the public perception, it's not as simple as bowling wide offside yorkers, or into the hip, as they found out in India earlier this year.
Blackcaps bowling coach Jacob Oram | Photo: Chris Symes/Photosport
"I think we learned a few times, especially against Abishek, we went to try and chase him a little bit, so he'd hit us off our length one time and then we'd go straight heel yorker and he'd be ahead of our game and he would be dancing down the wicket inside and hit us over cow.
"So sometimes, I know it might look funny for the fans and then when we're just bowling the same ball over and over again, but there is some thought behind that." Duffy said.
"I don't think you can live in a fourth stump, third-stump channel, because if you miss, it's a pretty easy six. So it's living a lot inside the back heel or right on the wide line. I guess we talk about the extremes and that's not uncommon to most grounds, but I guess probably even more so here to get hit square."
But as much as the Blackcaps may have their own plans, Duffy's brother has come up with his own.
In a text shared to Sport Nation, Ryan, the older of the pair, put forward: "I've seen a weakness in Samson... he doesn't seem to like it when you start it about a foot down leg then swing it back to clip of off... might wanna mention that in your scouting meeting today."
The Duffy brothers | Photo: Photosport
Jacob's reply was simple.
"Thanks Ryan, I'll keep that in mind."
Jacob laughed when the exchange was brought up.
"You can bowl the perfect ball. That's kind of what went through our minds in the bowling meeting, just how to get these guys out and the perfect away swinging starting outside leg hitting top of off come up. But it's also quite hard to execute that ball on demand.
"We've talked a lot in the last 24, 48 hours about what to do and we've come up with some good ideas. They might be listening to Sport Nation, so we won't give them all away now, but definitely going to make some adjustments, that's for sure."
Tune into Sport Nation for live ball-by-ball commentary of the Blackcaps' T20 series against India - download the app today on Google Play and the App Store - find your frequency here.
