Top 10 cricket moments of 2025
Cricket in 2025 has brought many fabulous and entertaining moments to fans all over the world. From thrilling series upsets, last-day Test wins, to ICC tournament wins, this year has been a feast for cricket lovers all over the globe.
Here, we present our top ten picks for the most memorable moments in the world of cricket in 2025.
Note: All match-related stats have been taken from ESPNcricinfo.
10. Zimbabwe end their Test win drought
Zimbabwe as a cricketing nation has been struggling for a long time due to financial and management issues, though this year the Zimbabwean fans finally had something to cheer about.
In a one-off Test against Afghanistan at the Harare Sports Club in October, Zimbabwe imposed a crushing defeat with an innings and 73 runs, thus ending their 24-year drought for a Test match win. Last time ZIM won a Test match was against Bangladesh in 2001.
Batting first, Afghanistan crumbled for a paltry 127 runs, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz being the only one offering any resistance with 37 runs off 37 balls. Brad Evans bowled beautifully for Zimbabwe to take a fifer (5/22).
The hosts then posted a massive 359 in response, showcasing a solid batting display. Ben Curran (121 off 256 balls) was the star of the show with support from Sikandar Raza (65 off 88 balls) and Nick Welch (49 off 89 balls). Afghanistan’s Ziaur Rahman ended with figures of 7/97.
In their second innings, Afghanistan’s batting collapsed yet again, with only Ibrahim Zadran and Bahir Shah getting past the 30-run mark. Richard Ngarava ended up with figures of 5/37 and, alongside Blessing Muzarabani (3/48), helped his side win the match by an innings and 73 runs.
This was a rare happy moment for Zimbabwean cricket after years of struggle, one that could bolster their confidence and help them challenge the top teams going forward.
9. India script a historic WT20I series win in England
The Indian women’s national team have often been labelled as poor travellers due to their disappointing performances in away tours, but this year they challenged this narrative with a historic T20I series win away in England, while also winning an ODI series in England after 25 years.
In the summer, England hosted India for a three-match ODI series and a five-match T20I series, which the Women in Blue won 2–1 and 3–2, respectively.
The T20I series win also showed India’s strength in the shortest format, as they sealed the series in the fourth game itself, though England did come back in the last game to make it 3–2. Shree Charani was adjudged the player of the series, having taken ten wickets across five games.
India also won the ODI series 2–1, by winning the first and third games of the series courtesy of a brilliant team performance. Team India captain Harmanpreet Kaur was chosen as the player of the series for her superb performances with the bat, while young quick Kranti Goud also had a memorable outing, taking nine wickets in three matches.
Given India hadn’t won a T20I series in England before, this was an unprecedented triumph away from home, and a sign of things to come later in the year.
8. India win Men’s Asia Cup 2025, yet to receive the trophy
The Men in Blue have showcased time and again why they are the best T20I side in the world in recent years. After winning the 2024 T20 World Cup, they entered the T20 Asia Cup this year as the overwhelming title favourites.
They didn’t disappoint either, going unbeaten in the competition and beating Pakistan comprehensively in the final to win the Asia Cup. Batting first, Pakistan could only manage 146 in their 20 overs. Sahibzada Farhan turned up with a well-made fifty alongside Fakhar Zaman (46 off 35 balls), but no one else contributed much. Kuldeep Yadav destabilised the Pakistan innings with 4/30 from his four overs.
Chasing the target, India found themselves in trouble at one point, losing three early wickets, but Tilak Varma guided the team home comfortably in the end with an unbeaten 69 off 53 balls, with the help of Shivam Dube’s cameo (33 off 22). Faheem Ashraf was the performer with the ball for Pakistan with 4/29 from his four overs.
The Men in Blue never received the Asia Cup trophy, though. The trophy was to be presented by Mohsin Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, as well as Pakistan’s federal interior minister, but India refused to accept the trophy from him amid heightened political tensions with Pakistan, which has also resulted in the Men in Blue not shaking hands with the Men in Green in their recent encounters.
As a result, Naqvi left the stadium with the trophy and medals, leaving the Indian players to celebrate the win by lifting an imaginary trophy for the photos. This was an unprecedented situation, where a winning team didn’t receive the trophy, making for a controversial yet happy moment that the Indian fans will certainly remember from 2025.
7. Associates Nepal register stunning series win over West Indies
Associate cricket nations like Nepal, the USA, Oman, and the UAE rarely get to compete with a full member in a series, but when they do get an opportunity, it’s a great chance for them to write a beautiful underdog story.
One such moment arrived in September this year in Sharjah. Nepal played in a three-match T20I series against the West Indies and ended up stunning the several-time world champions. Nepal won the first two games to take an unassailable lead, and the Caribbeans could only avoid the embarrassment of a whitewash by winning the third game.
It was the batting that let the Windies down yet again, but kudos to the Nepal team for showing that they can compete with the very best. Nepal outplayed the Windies in every department to deservedly win the series. Kushal Bhurtel was adjudged the player of the series, having topped the wicket-takers’ chart.
Interest in the sport is growing by leaps and bounds. As associate nations get more opportunities to go head-to-head with member nations, their quality and competitiveness will only improve, and we will see many such upsets rather than predictable results in future tournaments.
6. India register highest chase WODI history at ICC Women’s CWC 2025
In the recently concluded Women’s World Cup, India did the unthinkable. In the semi-finals, the Women in Blue pulled off a heist, chasing a mammoth 338 and knocking out defending champions Australia in sensational fashion.
Australia batted first, and with the help of Phoebe Litchfield (119 from 93 balls), Ellyse Perry (77 off 88), and Ashleigh Gardner (63 off 45), they set a massive total of 338. However, the much-famed Indian batting line-up didn’t disappoint, and with the help of Jemimah Rodrigues’ unbeaten 127 off 134, captain Harmanpreet’s 89 off 88, and crucial cameos from Deepti Sharma, Richa Ghosh, and Amanjot Kaur, India powered towards victory and sealed a world-record chase with five wickets and nine balls to spare.
In doing so, they also broke the highest chase record set by this very same opposition earlier in the league stage, when Australia chased down a target of 330 set by none other than India themselves.
It was a chase for the ages, and given that it arrived in a high-pressure semi-final, it’s one all cricket fans will definitely remember for years.
5. India win ICC Champions Trophy 2025
The Indian cricket team reinforced their supremacy in white-ball cricket by winning the ICC Champions Trophy this year.
The Men in Blue came into the tournament as one of the favourites, and rightly so. They romped into the final without dropping a match, beating Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the group stage, and Australia in the semi-final. In the final, they beat New Zealand to lift their first Champions Trophy in 12 years.
Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul shone with the bat, while Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy, and Mohammed Shami performed with the ball for India.
Since the 2023 ODI World Cup, where they suffered a heartbreaking loss in the final, India have won the other two white-ball ICC tournaments, showing the world that they are currently the best side in the shorter formats.
4. Royal Challengers Bengaluru win their first IPL trophy
This was certainly one of the most awaited moments for legendary Indian batter Virat Kohli and the huge legion of RCB fans all over the world.
Since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, Kohli has stayed loyal to the Bengaluru-based franchise, having come close to winning the trophy several times, only to fail at the final hurdle. Before 2025, the Royal Challengers had reached three IPL finals — in 2009, 2011, and 2016 — finishing runners-up each time.
However, 2025 was the year of unpredictable wins in sport, and it seemed like this could finally be the year RCB and Virat Kohli got their due. They started well in the league stage, and after 14 games they finished second in the table to comfortably make the play-offs. In the final, they ended up beating table-toppers Punjab Kings to lift the coveted trophy.
And so, an 18-year wait finally came to an end for the hugely popular Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Virat Kohli, who had won everything else in international cricket, finally managed to add this trophy to his glittering cabinet, something he was desperate to achieve.
3. New-look India draw the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy
As the legendary Indian batters Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket together, the Indian selectors were left stranded ahead of a very crucial Test series in England. Losing two of their best batters and the experience that came with them was going to be very difficult to replace, and so the selectors had to make do with a particularly inexperienced batting line-up and a new captain for the England tour in the summer.
India started the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy on the back foot, with England winning the first Test by chasing a mammoth 371 runs in the fourth innings. India then made a comeback in the second Test thanks to a scintillating batting performance from the new captain, Shubman Gill, winning the game by a huge margin of 336 runs.
The third Test at Lord’s was a really close game, with the Indian top order collapsing in the fourth innings and veteran Ravindra Jadeja holding the fort with the lower-order batters. However, England managed to squeeze out a win by 22 runs. The fourth Test was drawn by India thanks to some stoic fourth-innings batting performances that saw KL Rahul, Shubman Gill, Washington Sundar, and Ravindra Jadeja all score big runs to force a draw.
The final Test arrived with England having a 2–1 lead in the series and India’s backs against the wall. This one went right down to the last session on the last day and ultimately ended in a mighty close win for the Indians. Pace spearhead Mohammed Siraj brought his A-game to the final day, taking a fifer and leading his team to a six-run win, thereby also tying the series.
With a young captain and an inexperienced batting line-up, many expected India to capitulate in this series against a strong England team captained by the brilliant Ben Stokes. However, matches aren’t won on paper, and India didn’t give up till the last day of the series and came away with an admirable draw due to their resilience and mental strength.
2. India win ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2025
India finally won their first ICC trophy after several heartbreaks by winning the 2025 Women’s Cricket World Cup on home soil. Though they broke the jinx by peaking at the right time, at one point in the league stage the Women in Blue had lost three straight matches, prompting the fans to think whether this would be yet another dismal campaign.
However, India turned around their fortunes with great performances against New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa in crucial matches to take home the coveted trophy just a few days ago. Their semi-final performance against Australia was the most memorable one, as they chased down a massive target of 338 runs against the seven-time world champions.
The Indian opening batting was the hallmark of their campaign, with Smriti Mandhana and Pratika Rawal among the top run-getters in the tournament. The ever-reliable Deepti Sharma shone with both bat and ball, taking home the Player of the Tournament award for her incredible performances.
This was not only a memorable moment for Indian cricket fans, but also a watershed moment for women’s cricket in the country, one that could inspire generations of little girls to take up the sport.
1. South Africa end ICC trophy drought with WTC triumph
This year, South Africa qualified for their first-ever World Test Championship final, where they’d face Australia at Lord’s. Having a long history of losing ICC tournaments, the Proteas went into this final as the underdogs against the mighty Aussies. What unfolded, though, was an amazing result for the South African fans, who had waited for decades to see their team win an ICC tournament.
Led by a superb captain in Temba Bavuma, SA bowled well in Australia’s first innings but struggled with the bat in their own, only managing to score a paltry 138 and conceding a lead of 74 runs to the Baggy Greens. Their bowling attack, led by Kagiso Rabada, then came back well in the second innings, bowling Australia out for 207 to set up a reasonable target of 281 for their batters. In response, opener Aiden Markram scored a memorable 136 runs to take his side home with the help of a gutsy knock of 66 runs from captain Bavuma.
This ranks as the best cricket moment of 2025, as it had been a long time coming for the Proteas and their fans after several close encounters. Also, they beat a very strong Australian team against all odds to make sure an ICC trophy finally headed to South Africa.
