Jacob Duffy entered his name in the history books on Monday (December 22) by breaking legendary Richard Hadlee’s record of taking the most wickets for New Zealand in a calendar year. The 31-year-old fast
bowler dismissed a total of 81 batters for New Zealand this year (2025) in 36 matches played across three formats. Hadlee, on the other hand, finished with 79 wickets in 23 matches for the Black Caps in 1985.
Duffy, who made his Test debut for the Kiwis on August 7, 2025, against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, finished with 25 wickets in four red-ball matches in 2025. He picked up a five-wicket haul in each of the three Tests played against the West Indies in December 2025 to bag the Player Of The Series award.
Most wickets in a calendar year for New Zealand
| PLAYER | YEAR | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | 5-WKT HAULS |
| Jacob Duffy | 2025 | 36 | 81 | 5/34 | 3 |
| Richard Hadlee | 1985 | 23 | 79 | 9/52 | 6 |
| Daniel Vettori | 2008 | 33 | 76 | 6/56 | 5 |
| Trent Boult | 2015 | 25 | 72 | 5/27 | 3 |
| Trent Boult | 2017 | 27 | 69 | 7/34 | 2 |
| Chris Cairns | 1999 | 30 | 68 | 7/27 | 4 |
| Daniel Vettori | 2004 | 34 | 66 | 6/28 | 5 |
| Trent Boult | 2018 | 27 | 66 | 6/30 | 3 |
| Tim Southee | 2022 | 31 | 65 | 5/35 | 1 |
| Matt Henry | 2025 | 27 | 65 | 6/39 | 3 |
In addition to 25 Test wickets, Duffy also dismissed 21 batters in 11 ODIs and 35 batters in 21 T20Is played this year.
Jacob Duffy in 2025 for New Zealand
| FORMAT | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | 5-WKT HAULS |
| Tests | 4 | 25 | 5/34 | 3 |
| ODIs | 11 | 21 | 3/35 | 0 |
| T20Is | 21 | 35 | 4/14 | 0 |
| Total | 36 | 81 | 5/34 | 3 |
No other bowler has picked up more wickets than Duffy in 2025, and he is certain to end the year as the highest wicket-taker.
Most wickets in 2025 (Tests + ODIs + T20Is)
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | 5-WKT HAULS |
| Jacob Duffy | New Zealand | 36 | 81 | 5/34 | 3 |
| Blessing Muzarabani | Zimbabwe | 31 | 65 | 7/58 | 3 |
| Matt Henry | New Zealand | 27 | 65 | 6/39 | 3 |
| Ali Dawood | Bahrain | 37 | 63 | 7/19 | 1 |
| Kuldeep Yadav | India | 25 | 60 | 5/82 | 1 |
| Richard Ngarava | Zimbabwe | 35 | 56 | 5/37 | 1 |
| Jayden Seales | West Indies | 26 | 56 | 6/18 | 2 |
| Rizwan Butt | Bahrain | 34 | 55 | 6/9 | 1 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 13 | 54 | 7/58 | 3 |
| Abrar Ahmed | Pakistan | 34 | 53 | 4/9 | 0 |
The world record for taking the most wickets in a calendar year is in the name of former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. Muralitharan dismissed 136 opposition batters for Sri Lanka in 2001.
Most wickets in a calendar year (Tests + ODIs + T20Is)
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | YEAR | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | 5-WKT HAULS |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 2001 | 45 | 136 | 8/87 | 8 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 2006 | 40 | 128 | 8/70 | 9 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 1994 | 39 | 120 | 8/71 | 6 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 1999 | 41 | 119 | 5/14 | 6 |
| Mitchell Johnson | Australia | 2009 | 47 | 113 | 5/69 | 2 |
| Graeme Swann | England | 2010 | 39 | 111 | 6/65 | 6 |
| Saeed Ajmal | Pakistan | 2013 | 50 | 111 | 7/95 | 4 |
| Muttiah Muralitharan | Sri Lanka | 2000 | 31 | 109 | 7/30 | 9 |
| Allan Donald | South Africa | 1998 | 27 | 107 | 6/88 | 7 |
| Dennis Lillee | Australia | 1981 | 28 | 105 | 7/83 | 5 |
Most wickets by a fast bowler in a calendar year (Tests + ODIs + T20Is)
| PLAYER | COUNTRY | YEAR | MATCHES | WICKETS | BEST FIGURES | 5-WKT HAULS |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 1999 | 41 | 119 | 5/14 | 6 |
| Mitchell Johnson | Australia | 2009 | 47 | 113 | 5/69 | 2 |
| Allan Donald | South Africa | 1998 | 27 | 107 | 6/88 | 7 |
| Dennis Lillee | Australia | 1981 | 28 | 105 | 7/83 | 5 |
| Joel Garner | West Indies | 1984 | 28 | 105 | 6/60 | 5 |
| Makhaya Ntini | South Africa | 2003 | 35 | 104 | 5/66 | 4 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 2005 | 37 | 104 | 6/115 | 4 |
| Shaun Pollock | South Africa | 2000 | 49 | 103 | 5/20 | 1 |
| Brett Lee | Australia | 2005 | 39 | 101 | 5/30 | 3 |
| Kapil Dev | India | 1983 | 36 | 100 | 9/83 | 6 |
Glenn McGrath of Australia tops the list of fast bowlers who have picked up the most wickets in a calendar year. The legendary Aussie pacer dismissed 119 batters in 1999.
