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As 2025 draws to an end, it’s time to take a look back on the year to see which players have shone on the field in their respective formats.
As we dust off the scorecards from throughout the year, it is time to take a look at who makes our best eleven for each of cricket’s three different formats.
We start with T20I which is a tricky one due to the volume of cricket played by associate nations.
If sheer volume of runs and wickets is the sole criteria, then this team would be dominated by players from nations like Austria, Namibia, Norway and Malaysia.
But we have not based this on volume alone as we also factor in things like averages, strike rates and the quality of the opposition involved. It might not be a perfect formula, but this is who we have picked for our team of the year.
1. Tim Seifert (New Zealand)
- Runs: 559
- Strike rate: 164.41
- Average: 50.81
No other opener came close to matching Tim Seifert’s volume of runs and consistency against top-tier opposition in 2025.
His numbers are not inflated against weaker attacks and his ability to fly out of the blocks set New Zealand up repeatedly for match-winning totals.
A strike rate north of 160 combined with an average over 50 is a rare combination in T20Is and reflects a year in which he found the perfect tempo. He dominated pace, punished spin and showcased the sort of clarity of role that makes an opener indispensable in this format.
When the powerplay needed exploiting, Seifert did it better than anyone else. Seifert and Jos Buttler have the ability to keep wicket and will share the gloves in this team.
2. Abhishek Sharma (India)
- Runs: 773
- Strike rate: 194.71
- Average: 45.47
If 2024 was the year Abhishek Sharma announced himself in franchise cricket, then 2025 was the year he stamped his authority on the international stage.
His strike rate of nearly 195 is outrageous in isolation, but when paired with 773 runs it becomes one of the great T20I returns of recent years – it is no surprise that he is the number one ranked batsman in the format.
Sharma took on pace with audacity, targeted spin with fearless intent and evolved into the sort of opener around whom India could build an entire strategic identity.
He often outscored his partners inside the first six overs and maintained that pressure through the middle phase. Very few players worldwide matched his impact per ball. He is one of the easiest selections in this XI.
3. Jos Buttler (England, wicketkeeper)
- Runs: 311
- Strike rate: 147.39
- Average: 38.87
England’s former white-ball captain might not have piled up the sheer volume of runs seen elsewhere on this list, but quality of opposition and match context give him a comfortable place in this side.
Buttler played several innings that dragged England over the line in tense chases or revived faltering starts.
A strike rate approaching 150 shows he still has one of the cleanest hitting arcs in the game and, crucially, his wicketkeeping remains reliable and sharp. In a year when many teams experimented behind the stumps, Buttler continued to offer stability and experience.
His calmness in high-pressure situations makes him an invaluable number three.
4. Dewald Brevis (South Africa)
- Runs: 297
- Strike rate: 173.68
- Average: 33.00
Brevis, still only 22, enjoyed the breakthrough international year South Africa had been hoping for. Even though his aggregate is modest compared to others in the XI, his impact was enormous.
A strike rate of 173.68 highlights his explosiveness and his ability to turn middling starts into imposing totals. South Africa frequently used him as a catalyst in the middle overs, and he excelled against both pace and spin.
What stood out was his willingness to impose himself from ball one, something not always common among young players adjusting to international attacks.
His promise is now being matched by tangible output, with his undefeated knock of 125 against Australia (the highest ever score by a South African in T20I cricket) a genuine breakthrough moment.
For Brevis, who is also an outstanding fielder, 2025 felt like the first chapter of a long T20I career.
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5. Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand)
- Runs: 164
- Strike rate: 149.09
- Average: 32.80
Mitchell’s numbers do not leap off the page, yet his value to New Zealand throughout the year was immense. Batting in the trickiest portion of a T20 innings, often walking in after a quick wicket or during a rebuild, he played the role of glue without sacrificing intent.
His strike rate of 149 underlines his ability to maintain tempo even when the situation demanded stability.
Mitchell’s presence gives the middle order flexibility and his calm temperament in tight moments was a hallmark of New Zealand’s most composed performances. He remains one of the format’s most underrated players.
6. Rovman Powell (West Indies)
- Runs: 188
- Strike rate: 172.47
- Average: 37.60
Few players strike a cricket ball as brutally and cleanly as Rovman Powell. The former West Indies captain remains one of the world’s most threatening finishers and 2025 saw him refine his shot selection without losing any of his trademark aggression.
His average above 37 is impressive for someone who typically faces few deliveries per innings, and a strike rate above 170 reflects his late-overs dominance.
Powell regularly transformed West Indies totals, exploding at the death in ways that put opponents under severe pressure during the chase. When the game demanded a surge, he delivered it.
7. Michael Bracewell (New Zealand)
Bowling
- Wickets: 7
- Strike rate: 28.20
- Average: 41.28
Batting
- Runs: 90
- Strike rate: 173.07
- Average: 30.00
Bracewell’s return to full international cricket has been one of the most heartening stories of the year. Used as a floating option, he provided finishing power, middle-overs invention and left-arm spin to balance the XI.
His strike rate above 170 is further proof of his versatility. With the ball he often delivered tight overs that allowed New Zealand to regain control when matches threatened to drift.
Bracewell’s all-round skills make him an ideal modern T20 cricket player and his adaptability across phases earns him a well-deserved place in this XI.
8. Sikandar Raza (Zimbabwe, captain)
Bowling
- Wickets: 23
- Strike rate: 22.00
- Average: 23.43
Batting
- Runs: 536
- Strike rate: 127.61
- Average: 24.36
A mainstay of Zimbabwean cricket for nearly a decade, Sikandar Raza continues to produce performances that transcend his team’s fortunes. His 23 wickets in the year came against a wide range of opposition and his economy often kept Zimbabwe afloat.
Raza bowled with intelligence, changed his pace smartly and used angles to force batters into mistakes. What elevates his selection is his ability to impact games in moments that matter.
Whether breaking a dangerous stand or tightening the screws during the middle overs, Raza once again showed why he is among the best off-spinners in the T20I arena.
Raza isn’t just a good bowler, he is also a very good batsman and is currently ranked number two on the ICC’s list of T20I all-rounders.
9. Corbin Bosch (South Africa)
Bowling
- Wickets: 18
- Strike rate: 13.60
- Average: 17.00
Batting
- Runs: 89
- Strike rate: 109.87
- Average: 12.71
Bosch is the only selection whose numbers might raise eyebrows at first glance. His batting figures are negligible and hide the real reason for his inclusion: his emergence as one of the most effective seam-bowling all-rounders of the year.
His aggressive lengths, deceptive cutters and skiddy bounce proved difficult for sides attempting to accelerate. While not a frontline wicket-taker in volume, Bosch was consistently used in high-pressure overs and delivered more often than not.
He held South Africa’s attack together during injury disruptions and offered crucial balance at number eight. A late arrival on the international stage, Bosch is the kind of player who ticks all the boxes and who you want playing with you and not against you.
10. Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan)
- Wickets: 26
- Strike rate: 17.20
- Average: 21.38
Another year, another T20I masterclass from Shaheen Afridi. With the new ball he remained lethal, bending deliveries into right-handers with trademark menace.
But what made 2025 stand out was his improvement at the death, an area he had worked to refine after criticism in previous seasons. His 26 wickets included breakthroughs in powerplays, middle overs and final overs alike.
Afridi remains one of the few bowlers in world cricket capable of changing a match with a two-ball burst. His numbers reflect sustained excellence and an expanded role in Pakistan’s strategy.
11. Varun Chakravarthy (India)
- Wickets: 28
- Strike rate: 11.70
- Average: 13.64
No spinner in 2025 could match Varun Chakravarthy’s impact. His 28 wickets came at a scarcely believable strike rate of 11.7, underlining the frequency with which he struck.
His average of 13.64 highlights just how difficult batters found it to pick and play him. Chakravarthy’s variations, especially his disguised googly and skidder, caused havoc across conditions.
India frequently turned to him for breakthroughs and he delivered. In a format that increasingly favours batters, Chakravarthy was the anomaly: a bowler who dominated the narrative.
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The post Rated: Cricket365’s Best T20I XI of 2025 – big inclusions and even bigger exclusions appeared first on Cricket365.
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