Five-star Duffy to the fore as NZ blow away Windies to seal series

Mount Maunganui: Jacob Duffy took 5-42 as New Zealand bowled out the West Indies for 138 on a deteriorating fifth-day pitch to win the third Test by 323 runs Monday and take the three-match series 2-0.

Duffy surpassed Richard Hadlee’s New Zealand record of 80 wickets in a calendar year and finished the series with 23 wickets at an average of 15.4 including three five-wicket hauls. He bowled more than 154 overs as the workhorse of the New Zealand attack in the three Tests. “I saw that list at lunchtime and there were some cool names on there, so to be up there on any sort of list with those sort of names was special,” Duffy, who was voted Player of the Series, said of his bowling record.

New Zealand’s win ended a series in which both teams had to cope with significantly depleted pace attacks and in which a slew of batting records fell. West Indies were without Shamar Joseph and Alzarri Joseph. Duffy became New Zealand’s pace spearhead after injuries sidelined Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke, Ben Sears, Kyle Jamieson, Nathan Smith and Blair Tickner. The third Test was a feast for statisticians. Devon Conway made 227 and Tom Latham 137 in a 323-run opening stand in New Zealand’s first innings of 575-8 declared. Conway then made 100 and Latham 101 in a partnership of 192 in the second innings before New Zealand declared at 306-2.