Afghanistan's Ibrahim Zadran Named Best Batsman of 2025 in CricInfo Awards

Afghanistan national cricketer Ibrahim Zadran has been awarded the Best Batsman of 2025 by CricInfo, following his standout performance in the Cricket Champions Cup hosted by Pakistan.

In a match against England at the Lahore stadium, Zadran scored 177 runs off 146 balls, setting the highest score in the tournament's history. Afghanistan's team, known as the Blue Tigers, had lost three wickets for 14 runs early in the innings, but Zadran's innings turned the game, leading to victory. He currently captains Afghanistan's national Twenty20 team.

The 2025 CricInfo Awards recognized eight players from India, three from Australia, two from South Africa, and one each from Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

In men's Test cricket, South Africa's Aiden Markram earned Best Batsman for a match-winning century in the World Test Championship final against Australia. Australia's Mitchell Starc won Best Bowler for seven wickets in an Ashes series match against England.

For international Twenty20, England's Phil Salt took Best Batsman with 141 runs against South Africa, while India's Kuldeep Yadav was Best Bowler with four wickets against Pakistan.

Indian players dominated the women's categories. Jemimah Rodrigues won Best One-Day Batsman for 127 runs against Australia in the Women's World Cup. Deepti Sharma received Best One-Day Bowler for five wickets in the final against South Africa. Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of India's women's team, was named Best Captain after winning the World Cup.

Other awards went to Bangladesh's Taskin Ahmed for seven wickets in the Bangladesh Premier League and Australia's Mitchell Owen for a century in the Big Bash League.

The awards are selected annually by a panel of cricket experts and former players, including Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander.