A striking image of India captain Harmanpreet Kaur from the ICC Women’s World Cup final has been named the Wisden Photograph of the Year 2025, celebrating a defining moment in India’s historic triumph.
The photograph, captured by Getty Images photographer Matthew Lewis, shows Harmanpreet collecting the ball during the final against the South Africa women’s national cricket team at the DY Patil Stadium. India went on to secure a memorable 52-run victory, clinching their maiden senior ICC women’s global title.
Lewis, who has now won the prestigious award three times after earlier successes in 2014 and 2022, said the image was born out of a spontaneous creative idea during the match.
“During the final, the DJ asked spectators to turn on their phone torches,” Lewis said. “I noticed Harmanpreet calling for the ball and thought it would be fun to create the illusion that there were more cricket balls than the actual one.”
The result was a visually engaging photograph that plays on perspective, resembling a ‘spot the ball’ puzzle while capturing the energy and atmosphere of a modern, floodlit final.
IMAGE CAPTURES UNIQUE MOMENT
The photograph stood out among this year’s entries for its blend of technical quality and creativity. It was adjudged the best across categories that included men’s professional cricket, women’s professional cricket and recreational cricket.
Renowned cricket photographer Patrick Eagar, who was part of the judging panel, praised the image for its originality and emotional appeal.
“This year’s winner qualified on the first two points but had that extra element of humour,” Eagar said. “It’s a contemporary photograph from a modern game and it just makes you smile. It’s a bit of a puzzle too.”
Lewis’s entry had already won the women’s professional cricket category before being selected as the overall winner.
OTHER WINNERS ALSO RECOGNISED
In the men’s professional category, Andrew Boyers was honoured for his photograph of Australia captain Pat Cummins taking a sharp return catch to dismiss South Africa’s Marco Jansen during the World Test Championship final.
The recreational cricket award went to Jed Leicester for his image of the Overstone Park Under-13s girls celebrating at Lord’s despite losing to Bexley in the ECB Junior National Championship final.
All winning photographs will be featured in the 2026 edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, which is scheduled for publication on April 16.
The recognition of Harmanpreet’s image not only highlights a creative photographic moment but also immortalises a landmark achievement in Indian women’s cricket.
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