The landscape of women's international cricket in 2025 was defined by one unforgettable moment: India's ecstatic players swarming the pitch at Mumbai's DY Patil Stadium to celebrate a long-awaited, fairytale World Cup victory. This historic triumph, decades in the making under Harmanpreet Kaur's leadership, crowned a year that also featured a solitary, high-profile Test match—the Women's Ashes clash in Melbourne.
The Spin's Cross-Format XI of 2025
Reflecting a calendar dominated by white-ball cricket, The Spin's annual selection is a cross-format XI, with significant weight given to performances under the intense pressure of the World Cup. The team features just two England players, a stark reminder of their disastrous start to the year in Australia—a memory most English fans are still trying to erase.
Smriti Mandhana (India) enjoyed the most prolific year by any female cricketer in history. After gentle teasing from teammates for not having a T20 century, she responded with a blistering 51-ball hundred at Trent Bridge. Her monumental 1,362 ODI runs in 2025 shattered the previous record. Retained for a maximum 3.5 crore by RCB for the 2026 WPL, she remains a bargain.
Laura Wolvaardt (South Africa) – Captain leads this team for the second successive year. The 'Miss 360' of Newlands inspired her side with back-to-back hundreds in the World Cup semi-final and final, nearly carrying South Africa to the title. Her sublime cover drive and leadership were central to their campaign.
Jemimah Rodrigues (India) bookended the year with centuries, but her true heroism came amidst personal struggle. Dropped mid-tournament and battling self-doubt, she played one of the all-time great innings in the semi-final, guiding India's chase while reciting psalms between overs, effectively landing the tournament's killer blow.
Beth Mooney (Australia) – Wicketkeeper personified Australia's Ashes dominance. In a direct rebuttal to England's talk, her sweaty, unbeaten 94 in Adelaide—filled with sprinted singles—and seamless keeping in place of Alyssa Healy led to a phenomenal series tally of 409 runs.
Nat Sciver-Brunt (England) took on the England captaincy amidst the chaos of the Ashes debacle and new motherhood. Remarkably, she continued to be her side's most reliable batter, repeatedly bailing them out during the World Cup group stage.
All-Round Excellence and Bowling Prowess
Ash Gardner (Australia) transformed her role in 2025. No longer just a finisher, she scored two crucial World Cup hundreds against New Zealand and England to rescue her side, maintaining her ICC No.1 all-rounder ranking with 19 wickets and a catch for the ages in Hobart.
Deepti Sharma (India) was fittingly the tournament's MVP and leading wicket-taker with 22 scalps, claiming the final wicket in the World Cup final. She also enhanced her batting, scoring three vital half-centuries at a significantly improved strike-rate.
Annabel Sutherland (Australia) shone in the year's sole Test with a match-winning 163. During the World Cup, her 17 wickets, full of clever variations, highlighted her all-round value, placing her in a direct duel with teammate Gardner for the title of world's premier female all-rounder.
Sophie Ecclestone (England) endured a torrid year off the field, facing a social media storm and battling injury and mental health. Yet, with ball in hand, she remained peerless, taking 42 wickets for England, including 16 at the World Cup. Her continued enjoyment of the game is paramount.
Alana King (Australia) bookended a superb year by tormenting England in the Ashes and then delivering one of the greatest World Cup spells ever: seven for 18 against South Africa. The 30-year-old leg-spinner's mastery is now complete.
Marufa Akter (Bangladesh) announced herself on the global stage. The 20-year-old fast bowler, with her physics-defying in-swing, was the poster girl for Bangladesh's impressive World Cup, where they beat Pakistan and nearly toppled England and South Africa.
Off-Field Moves and Memorable Farewells
The off-field news saw London Spirit reunite former England captain Heather Knight and coach Jon Lewis for The Hundred in 2026, a partnership that famously ended after a 16-0 Ashes whitewash. The dynamic, with Knight as General Manager and Lewis as Head Coach, promises to be fascinating for observers.
The year also witnessed a fairytale farewell as Elyse Villani announced her retirement from the WBBL live on air after leading Hobart to their maiden title, concluding an 11-season career that spanned the league's entire history.
As 2025 closes, women's cricket reflects on a year of historic firsts, individual brilliance, and stark contrasts between triumph and turmoil. The foundation is set for another compelling chapter in 2026.
