Mitchell Santner backs Jacob Duffy as New Zealand’s ‘front man’ for West Indies ODIs

Mitchell Santner has thrown his support behind Jacob Duffy to lead New Zealand’s pace attack in the ODI series against West Indies, saying the seamer has earned the chance to become the “front man” of a bowling group missing several first-choice quicks.

Duffy, who missed New Zealand’s recent Test tour of England on paternity leave, returns for the five-match ODI series with Matt Henry, Will O’Rourke and Kyle Jamieson all rested after their heavy red-ball workloads. Their absence leaves Duffy as the most experienced quick in a pace attack that also features Nathan Smith, Kristian Clarke, the uncapped Matt Fisher, and Ben Lister, who was called in as Ben Sears’ replacement.

“We’ve obviously seen how good he is for the last few years,” Santner said of Duffy on the eve of the first ODI in Providence. “He’s taken his opportunities, but now he’s the front man in this bowling unit. There are a couple of younger guys around him, so he’s going to be the main man here.

“He’s obviously excited to play after a bit of time at home. We’ve got five games in a short amount of time and that’s going to be part of it as well – managing the workload of bowlers and seeing how they pull up after games. It can be sticky and hot here and take a bit out of you, so it could be a squad effort.”

Duffy arrives in the Caribbean on the back of a successful IPL campaign, where he was part of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s title-winning side. Although his last ODI came against West Indies in Hamilton in November 2025, he has an impressive record in this format with 35 wickets from 19 matches at an average of 24.25 and an economy rate of 5.90. He will now shoulder the responsibility of leading a relatively inexperienced pace attack as New Zealand look to bounce back from a 2-1 series defeat in Bangladesh.

Santner said the tour also presented an opportunity for New Zealand to test their depth, with injuries and the resting of fast bowlers opening the door for others.

“Through a few injuries and guys unavailable, we’re going to show the depth we have, and we’re excited by the group we’ve got here,” he said. “Seam and spin covered and obviously batting, we know we’re up for a challenge. West Indies are very good at home and they’re obviously used to these conditions.”

New Zealand begin the series in Providence, Guyana, where they play the first three ODIs, before they move to Bridgetown, Barbados, for the final two ODIs. Santner expects the conditions there to pose a different challenge.

“I guess for every team, when you’re away from home, that’s always going to be the challenge and we know West Indies is a great place to come,” he said. “Conditions can change and, we do pride ourselves on adapting pretty quickly to what’s confronting us. It’s going to be no different this series.

“Guyana can traditionally play a touch slower, but the lights might play differently, and then Barbados is a different kettle of fish as well. We pride ourselves on adapting pretty quickly to what’s in front of us. It’s a game at a time.”

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