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WATCH: Jacob Duffy's older brother Ryan on their cricket-mad upbringing
Sport Nation • December 5th, 2025 3:42 pm
Beaming full of pride after watching his young brother Jacob secure a five-wicket haul in just his second Test match for New Zealand, Ryan Duffy joined the Sport Nation Cricket team for a special family edition of The Cricket Lunch at Hagley Oval.
Jacob had been grinding it out in the domestic cricket season since making his debut for Otago in 2012, biding his time until he would eventually get his shot at playing Test cricket following the retirement of Blackcaps great Tim Southee.
While waiting, the now 31-year-old worked on his craft, taking time away from the game as per the suggestion of then-Otago coach Rob Walter, who has since taken over from Gary Stead as the Blackcaps head coach. During that time, Jacob Duffy improved upon his bowling action with seaming and swinging the ball, finding more pace, to the point where he was knocking down the door when his debut against Zimbabwe came in August 2025.
His first Test innings saw no wickets but Duffy was economical over his ten overs, allowing just 24 runs. The breakthrough came for the debutant in the second innings, bowling 2/28, claiming the wickets of Tanaka Chivanga plus Sean Williams - the latter an individual caught and bowled effort.
In this charming 17-minute interview, Daniel McHardy asks older brother Ryan, a former first-class cricketer for Otago himself, about what it was like growing up in the Duffy household. He also reveals the epic lengths their father went to in creating a dream backyard cricket setup, plus whether he felt Jacob was always destined for Test cricket.
Watch the full interview via the Sport Nation YouTube below:In this charming 17-minute interview, Daniel McHardy asks older brother Ryan, a former first-class cricketer for Otago himself, about what it was like growing up in the Duffy household. He also reveals the epic lengths their father went to in creating a dream backyard cricket setup, plus whether he felt Jacob was always destined for Test cricket.
