If you glance at Jacob Duffy’s X (formerly Twitter) bio, one line stands out — and it doesn’t immediately sound like cricket.
“Deuces never loses.”
The phrase began as an inside joke during online poker sessions with teammate Michael Rae. Whenever they were dealt pocket twos — statistically one of the weakest starting hands in poker — they would go all in. It wasn’t logical. It wasn’t safe. But it was bold.
Most players fold pocket twos instantly. But every now and then, they hold. And when they do, the victory feels bigger — not because the hand was strong, but because you stayed in.
In many ways, Duffy’s career mirrors that hand.
At just 17, Duffy signed his first-class contract with Otago. During his debut T20 season — while still at Southland Boys’ High School — he dismissed Kane Williamson and Tim Southee in the same spell.
The signs were obvious. He was labelled a prodigy.
But cricket careers aren’t always linear.
Despite early headlines and a strong showing at the Under-19 World Cup, his international debut didn’t arrive until 2020. Even then, appearances were scattered. Opportunities came — and went — in phases.
“Some guys reach the international stage very young,” Duffy reflects. “My career has gone up and down.”
After early domestic success, batters began to read him better. In his pursuit of extra pace — something crucial at international level — he unknowingly drifted away from his natural rhythm.
“I probably wasn’t bowling as fast as required,” he admits. “But when I tried to push for more pace, I developed some bad habits.”
In trying to improve, he lost balance.
And like many cricketers navigating form struggles, advice poured in from all directions.
Duffy describes himself as someone open to feedback — sometimes too open. Over time, he learned to filter voices.
A key influence during this period was Rob Walter, then Otago’s coach and now New Zealand’s head coach. Small technical refinements — adjustments to his run-up, a straighter follow-through — began restoring his rhythm.
More importantly, Duffy began understanding his own body and mechanics.
“You don’t know what you don’t know,” he says. “Now I understand my action. I know what gets me back to my best.”
That awareness became his turning point.
Yet, international cricket remained elusive. During tours — including one to the UK in 2015 — he often travelled but didn’t play. The presence of an established trio — Southee, Trent Boult, and Neil Wagner — meant opportunities were limited.
His style resembled Southee’s. The difference? Southee bowled quicker.
And so Duffy waited.
“I enjoy cricket,” he says simply. “When you get one game here and there, you put pressure on yourself. But when you get consecutive games and the coach backs you, that’s when you feel you belong.”
His breakthrough finally arrived in 2020 during the Covid-era schedule reshuffle. With Southee rested, Duffy stepped in.
He struck with his second delivery and finished with 4 for 33 — the best T20I debut figures by a Black Cap.
And then, once again, he waited.
For years, appearances were spaced months apart. Tours came without game time. He trained alongside Southee — the very bowler he was often compared to — but never shared the field with him.
“Tim put his arm around me from day one,” Duffy recalls. “I learned a lot from him.”
Patience remained his strongest weapon.
The rewards, however, eventually followed.
In 2025, Duffy received his long-awaited Test cap. Across formats, he claimed 81 wickets at an average of 17.11 — surpassing a 40-year-old record previously held by Richard Hadlee. He climbed to No.1 in the ICC Men’s T20I bowling rankings.
He earned an IPL contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, stepping into a dressing room alongside Virat Kohli and Josh Hazlewood.
He speaks about Bengaluru with admiration — especially the energy of Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“It’ll be bizarre,” he smiles. “But I enjoy embracing the chaos.”
Off the field, life has been equally transformative. With his wife Natasha expecting their first child, decisions — including his IPL base price — were shaped by family priorities.
“It was about making the sacrifice worthwhile,” he admits. “Being away during pregnancy isn’t easy.”
That grounded maturity reflects in his bowling too.
In the PowerPlay, he swings the ball away from right-handers. At the death, he relies on deception — off-cutters and back-of-the-hand slower balls. He studies local bowlers before overseas tours, observing players like Mustafizur Rahman in Bangladesh.
“Cricket changes everywhere,” he says. “You watch and learn.”
And the poker lessons remain.
“All you can do is get it in good. Once you release the ball, it’s out of your control.”
From a small Southland town backyard pitch to becoming one of the world’s top-ranked T20 bowlers at 31, Duffy’s journey is not about instant dominance.
It’s about staying in the game.
Pocket twos rarely look like a winning hand.
But sometimes — if you hold your nerve long enough — they are.