CRICKET: India rule white ball amid geopolitical issues and South Africa lift WTC mace

NEW DELHI — India dominated white-ball cricket while South Africa finally shed their long-standing “bridesmaids” tag, but geopolitics cast a heavy shadow over the sport during a tumultuous 2025.

Already strained relations between bitter rivals India and Pakistan deteriorated further in May when a military confrontation between the nuclear-armed neighbors nearly escalated into full-scale war.

The tensions disrupted the Indian Premier League, and the hostility spilled into the Asia Cup T20 tournament in the United Arab Emirates. India refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president Mohsin Naqvi, who also serves as Pakistan’s interior minister.

India defeated Pakistan three times during the politically charged tournament and declined to shake hands either at the toss or after matches. Players from both teams made provocative gestures, prompting sanctions from the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Earlier in March, India lifted the Champions Trophy, completing an unbeaten run in the 50-over tournament. It marked the first ICC event held in Pakistan in nearly three decades, but India played all of their matches in Dubai — a setup many critics viewed as advantageous.

Pakistan faced a similar arrangement during India’s hosting of the Women’s 50-over World Cup, playing all of their matches in Sri Lanka.

India’s women ended a long wait for their first World Cup title when Jemimah Rodrigues struck a sensational century to upset defending champions Australia in the October 30 semifinal in Navi Mumbai. Captain Harmanpreet Kaur and her teammates sealed a historic triumph.

South Africa also ended decades of heartbreak by winning the World Test Championship (WTC), defeating Australia in the final at Lord’s.

Long criticized for faltering at the knockout stage of ICC tournaments, captain Temba Bavuma’s side arrived unburdened by past failures. Opener Aiden Markram’s fourth-innings century powered South Africa to a five-wicket victory, breaking a long-standing jinx.

“We came in with a lot of belief and a lot of doubters,” Bavuma said after lifting the WTC mace.

“We got ourselves into the final, and there were doubts about the route we took. This win puts that to rest. It’s an opportunity for us as a divided nation to unite.”

South Africa later proved their WTC success was no fluke, completing a 2-0 series sweep — their first test series victory in India in 25 years.

India, however, failed to replicate their white-ball dominance in test cricket and now appear to be navigating a difficult transition following the retirements of stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma earlier this year.

For England, the problem lay not with personnel but philosophy.

Their aggressive, high-risk “Bazball” approach, built around fearless batting, faltered in Perth and Brisbane, leaving their Ashes campaign in disarray. -Reporting by Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; editing by Christian Radnedge/Reuters