Tuesday, January 14th, 2025

OVERSEAS SIGNING DUFFY MAKES BIG IMPACT FOR BLACK CAPS AND DWARSHUIS IN BIG BASH

Worcestershire 2025 overseas signing, Jacob Duffy, has played a key role in New Zealand’s double success over visiting Sri Lanka in T20I and ODI Series.

The 30-year-old right armer has been consistently amongst the wickets for the Blacks Caps in their 2-1 T20I triumph and – ODI success.

Duffy is available to play Rothesay County Championship and Vitality Blast cricket at Visit Worcestershire New Road during the opening half of the campaign.

He will join up with Worcestershire after their opening Championship match for six games in April-May plus at least one of the two red-ball games in June.

Duffy is also contracted to play in the Blast for the Rapids to the end of June.

He finished as New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the T20I Series against the Sri Lankans with an impressive haul of eight scalps in three matches.

Duffy really made his mark in the two victories, both at Mount Maunganui, with 3-21 in the opener and a T20I career-best 4-21 in the second encounter.

He had figures of 8-66 from 12 overs at an average of 8.25 and an economy rate of 5.50 per over.

In the ODIS, Duffy also weighed in with important contributions with 8.4-0-39-2 in the opening success at Wellington and 5-1-30-2 in the follow-up win at Hamilton before being rested for the final dead rubber game in Auckland.

Worcestershire’s other 2024 overseas signing, Ben Dwarshuis, also made a big impression for Sydney Sixers in their 14 run win over Perth Scotchers in the Big Bash League on Saturday.

Dwarshuis, who has signed for the entire Vitality Blast tournament, showed his potency with the bat in smashing an unbeaten 23 off just seven balls as the Sixers, for whom ex Worcestershire T20 player Steve Smith, hit an unbeaten 121, totalled 220-3.

Andrew Tye was struck for successive sixes over deep mid wicket by Dwarshuis and who then clubbed Jhye Richardson into the second tier of the pavilion.

Dwarshuis also struck with the ball in dismissing Nick Hobson (12) and finished with 1-37 from four overs as the Scorchers closed on 206-7.