Jacob Duffy’s Nightmare Return Sums Up New Zealand’s Evening

Jacob Duffy had not played since the group stage when he was recalled to New Zealand’s side for the T20 World Cup final. His first over in the tournament’s biggest match went for 15 runs. It was a moment that summarised New Zealand’s entire evening, as India cruised to a 96-run victory and retained the World Cup with a batting and bowling performance that left the Black Caps shellshocked. Making history has rarely looked so effortless.
India’s powerplay was one of the great passages of play in World Cup final history. Abhishek Sharma’s 50 off 18 balls set the tone, and the opening partnership contributed to a six-over total of 92 for no loss — equalling the record for the highest powerplay score in World Cup history. Lockie Ferguson went for 24 in his opener, Matt Henry for 21, and Duffy for 15. New Zealand’s bowling plans were in tatters before the match was 20 minutes old.
Sanju Samson (89 off 46) and Ishan Kishan (54 off 25) continued the assault through the middle overs, and while a late collapse brought some mathematical interest to India’s total, the final figure of 255 was always going to be beyond New Zealand. The defending champions’ scoring in this tournament has been in a category of its own.
Bumrah was the decisive factor with the ball, picking up three wickets with slow yorkers in a performance that earned him the man-of-the-match award. New Zealand batted to 159, with only Seifert’s half-century providing any genuine resistance. The result confirmed what the tournament had been saying all along: India are simply the best.
For Duffy, for Ferguson, for every New Zealand player who gave everything in this tournament, there is pride in a fine campaign. But on this night, they met a team that was just a class above.