2025 in pictures
Australia's sweep of the 2025 Women's Ashes was ruthless and comprehensive. They won every match across formats and never gave England a foothold in the series. Alana King was at the heart of it all, popping up whenever England looked like settling and ripping out key wickets with her legspin. She took nine wickets in the only Test, and had 23 by the end of the series.
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It was curtains also for a New Zealand white-ball great. Martin Guptill confirmed his retirement from international cricket early in the year, having racked up over 10,000 runs in ODIs and T20Is. He finished as New Zealand's highest run-getter in the latter format by a distance, and scored those runs at a strike rate of 135.70.
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Rohit Sharma captained India to two ICC titles in 12 months but endured a poor run of form in Tests that ultimately precipitated his decision to step away from the format in May. He finished with 4301 runs in 67 Tests, averaging 40.57 despite his recent form.
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Has any captain had a better year than Temba Bavuma? He led South Africa to Test series wins against Pakistan at home, and India away. They also thumped Australia and England, both away, in ODI series. But nothing could top the moment he lifted the WTC trophy - South Africa men's first ICC title since the 1998 ICC knockout.
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In a rough year for Pakistan, the side made it to the final in an ill-tempered and politically fraught Asia Cup, but lost to India in the final. More shenanigans followed, with India refusing to accept the trophy from ACC (and PCB) president Mohsin Naqvi, who subsequently refused to hand it over. The trophy was still absconding as of the last week of the year.
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The retirements of Mahmudullah and Tamim Iqbal in 2025 marked a generational shift in Bangladesh cricket, with only Mushfiqur Rahim and the exiled Shakib Al Hasan the holdovers from the 2000s. Mushfiqur had a landmark year, becoming the first Bangladesh cricketer to make it to 100 Tests.
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Australia, though, had as good a year as any. Despite juggling multiple players with injuries, their only Test loss in the year was the WTC final to South Africa. Mitchell Starc went past Wasim Akram to become the all-time leading left-arm fast bowler, and took 22 wickets in the first three Ashes Tests alone. Nathan Lyon became the second most prolific Australian Test bowler, his 567 wickets behind only Shane Warne.
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Virat Kohli faced his final ball in Test cricket in January, though no one knew it at the time. Though he had a disappointing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he was expected to play England later in the year, but in May, with no fanfare and no farewell series, he brought the curtain down on a career that spanned 14 years and 123 Tests in which he scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85.
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England had a less than stellar year overall, but their lowest point came perhaps in the Champions Trophy, where they lost every match and exited early. Australia and South Africa beat them comprehensively, and a sparkling 177 by Ibrahim Zadran put Afghanistan's total of 325 out of England's reach.
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A competitive tenth year of the PSL saw fluctuating fortunes and dramatic finishes that kept the playoffs alive till the end. Lahore Qalandars finished fourth after the league stage, but peaked just in time to scuttle table-toppers Quetta Gladiators' hopes of a second PSL trophy. Kusal Perera and Sikander Raza helped chase down a record 202 with a ball to spare to seal Qalandars' third title win.•AFP/Getty Images
India levelled the Test series in England within a nail-biting 56 minutes at The Oval. England needed 35 to win with four wickets in hand - including a one-handed Chris Woakes with his dislocated shoulder in a sling - but Mohammed Siraj's fiery five-for sealed the win with six runs to go.
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Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma brought up their first century partnership since January 2020 in India's lone ODI win of the white-ball tour of Australia, in Sydney. Fans turned out in numbers for the ODI series, which marked possibly the last outing for the pair in Australia.
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Purveyor of England's fiercest square cut, and a pugnacious opponent to West Indies' fastest, Robin Smith died at his home in Australia at the age of 62. Smith played 62 Tests for England between 1988 and 1996, scoring 4236 runs at 43.67, with nine centuries, including three against the formidable West Indies attacks of the '80s and '90s.
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India clinched their second ICC title in less than a year, edging New Zealand by four wickets to win the Champions Trophy - their first since 2013. Having reached the final unbeaten, India's spinners restricted New Zealand to 251 for 7, before Rohit Sharma's steady 76 set up the chase. New Zealand found increasing turn but India's batting depth prevailed, with KL Rahul guiding the finish and Ravindra Jadeja sealing it with a four late in the 49th over.
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For 17 years, Royal Challengers Bengaluru were one of three franchises to never have won the IPL. That changed in 2025, when they clinched a nervy final against Punjab Kings to become champions. RCB 190, a total that looked chaseable, but brilliant spells from Josh Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya restricted PBKS and secured a six-run victory for RCB.
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Nepal won 12 of their 17 T20Is this year, their most significant win coming against West Indies in Sharjah. They did it again in the next match, to take the series 2-1, their first series win against a Full Member side.
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It took 47 years and many, many heartbreaks but India women did it at last, clinching their first senior ICC title - the ODI World Cup. In a campaign marked by grit and several landmark individual performances, they went on to beat old nemesis Australia in the semi-final, then South Africa in a thrilling final to finally get their hands on the trophy.
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The day that Bazball died? England capped a terrible year in Tests with a humiliating 11-day defeat in the Ashes, losing the first three games. They won just three of their nine Tests in 2025, and their sole series win came in a one-off Test against Zimbabwe at home.
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