Jacob Duffy Smashes Hadlee’s New Zealand Wicket Record

At Mount Maunganui today, New Zealand pace bowler Jacob Duffy delivered a sensational performance, claiming five wickets to dismantle the West Indies. This marked his third five-wicket haul in the three-match series, but the real headline is that he has now surpassed Sir Richard Hadlee to set a new benchmark for most wickets in a calendar year for New Zealand in international cricket.

The 31-year-old fast bowler has taken a remarkable 81 wickets in 36 matches across all formats in 2025, eclipsing Hadlee’s record of 79 wickets in 23 matches back in 1985.

Breaking it down by format, Duffy, a Test debutant this year, has taken 25 wickets in four Tests, 21 wickets in 11 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 35 wickets in 21 T20 Internationals. By comparison, Hadlee claimed 64 wickets in 10 Tests and 15 wickets in 13 ODIs during his record-setting year.

Although Duffy has set a new New Zealand record, on the global stage he remains behind the elite. In total, 80 bowlers in cricket history have taken 81 or more wickets in a single calendar year, and Duffy currently shares 72nd place with eight others.

The world record for the most wickets in a calendar year is held by Sri Lanka’s legendary off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who in 2001 captured 136 wickets in 45 matches—12 Tests yielding 80 wickets and 33 ODIs accounting for the remaining 56. Muralitharan had surpassed Australia’s leg-spin great Shane Warne, who had taken 120 wickets in 1994.

To date, there have been 121 instances of bowlers taking 100 or more wickets in a single year. However, countries such as Bangladesh, New Zealand, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe, and Ireland—where Test cricket is still developing—have yet to see a bowler reach the 100-wicket mark in a year.

Highest Wickets in a Calendar Year by Country :

Top Wicket-Takers in 2025