Jacob Duffy returns to Black Caps for West Indies tour, Matthew Fisher in line for ODI debut

Wednesday, 1 July 2026

Fresh from winning an Indian Premier League title and welcoming his first child into the world, Jacob Duffy is back in the Black Caps for their five-match white ball tour of the West Indies this month.

The 31-year-old Southlander, who was awarded the Sir Richard Hadlee Medal for Black Caps player of the year in 2025-26, was named in a 16-man squad on Wednesday for five ODIs starting in Guyana on Sunday, July 12 (6.30am NZT).

Fellow pace bowler Matthew Fisher is the only squad member uncapped in ODIs while, from the test squad who beat England 2-1, Kyle Jamieson, Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Blair Tickner, Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra will all miss the tour.

Pace trio Jamieson, Henry and O’Rourke were rested after heavy recent workloads; Tickner was already booked for ankle surgery; Conway was excused to spend time with his family after the recent birth of his second child, and Ravindra was unavailable in favour of Major League Cricket in the US.

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Duffy’s most recent match for New Zealand was the T20 World Cup final defeat to India in March, before taking up his first IPL contract with Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

He played six games for RCB in their run to the title and snared nine wickets at an average of 29 including two three-wicket hauls.

Duffy was unavailable for the subsequent tour of England as he and wife Tash awaited the birth of their first child.

He will join Fisher, Kristian Clarke, Ben Sears and Nathan Smith - player of the series after snaring 16 wickets in the England tests - as the pace bowling options in the Caribbean.

Fisher, 26, has a strong record in domestic 50-over cricket with 43 wickets at an average of 26, and has one test (against Zimbabwe last August) and one T20I (against Bangladesh in April) to his name.

Mitchell Santner will resume as white-ball captain and will be joined in the spin department by Michael Bracewell, Jayden Lennox and Dean Foxcroft, with test skipper Tom Latham the wicketkeeper.

The top-order batting includes Will Young, Henry Nicholls, Nick Kelly and Daryl Mitchell - the world’s top-ranked batsman in ODI cricket.

Coach Rob Walter said: “It’s a nice opportunity to introduce Matt to the ODI group for the first time. He bowls with good pace and has been working hard on his variations to ensure he can bowl at different stages of the innings.”

“Jacob has been a stand-out for us in all formats for the past couple of years. His skills and experience will be a great addition to our squad and I know he’s looking forward to representing New Zealand again.”

The Black Caps created history in 2022 when they won their first ODI series in the Caribbean, their previous visit in the 50-over format.

The five matches in Guyana and Barbados will be broadcast on Sky’s ESPN channel, and Disney+.

Black Caps ODI squad to tour West Indies

Mitchell Santner (capt, Northern Districts), Michael Bracewell (Wellington), Mark Chapman (Auckland), Kristian Clarke (ND), Jacob Duffy (Otago), Matthew Fisher (ND), Dean Foxcroft (Central Districts), Mitch Hay (Canterbury), Nick Kelly (Wellington), Tom Latham (Canterbury), Jayden Lennox (CD), Daryl Mitchell (Canterbury), Henry Nicholls (Canterbury), Ben Sears (Wellington), Nathan Smith (Wellington), Will Young (CD).

Schedule

Sun July 12: 1st ODI at Providence (Guyana), 6.30am (NZT)

Tue July 14: 2nd ODI at Providence, 6.30am

Fri July 17: 3rd ODI at Providence, 6.30am

Mon July 20: 4th ODI at Bridgetown (Barbados), 6.30am

Wed July 22: 5th ODI at Bridgetown, 6.30am