2025 is having its last leg, full of first-time winners and backlashes. When 205 marked "the first for so many teams in cricket and otherwise," it also marked a year of backlashes and controversies. From the RCB stampede to South Africa reviving "grovel," this year will jot down several controversial and sometimes insulting things done in the year. Here we are listing top five controversial events that happened in cricket history in 2025: 1: The handshake saga, feat. India and Pakistan The archrivals of the subcontinent, India and Pakistan, have a long-standing geopolitical issue over the borders, due to which India, in most cases, has denied travel to the country. The controversy started during the Champions Trophy when India refused to tour Pakistan. ICC had to undertake a hybrid mode, where India was stagnant at Dubai, and other countries had a hectic travel schedule just to play against India. However, the situation escalated when India met Pakistan again In the Asia Cup 2025. Even though the situation was poised, the uproar in the country followed by the ingenious Phalagm attack and Operation Sindoor that followed, the Indian team was suggested not to shake hands and discouraged from any kind of informal conversations. The match referee Andy Pycroft was summoned after Salman Agha was left stranded following the match, and the teams came to an understanding, but not until Haris Rauf, the Pakistani pacer, imitated a "plane crash" moment to hype the Pakistani fans in the crowd. Even Sahibzada Farhan had made a gun celebration after his half century in a match, as both were fined and banned for a few matches. Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who did the same to answer Rauf and the Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav were warned by the ICC for making political gestures and remarks. Following cricket, several other sports, including women's cricket, decided to follow the no-handshake policy. 2 | Afghanistan T20 Series Withdrawal: After the chaos of India-Pakistan, Afghanistan was the first one to show the guts to withdraw from the tri-series involving Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to Pakistan's military operations against Afghanistan. It happened in October 2025, when three Afghanistan cricketers, namely Kabir Agha, Sibghatullah and haroon were killed by Pakistan air strikes in the Urgun district of Paktika province on October 17, 2025. Notably, the players were coming back home from a friendly practice match at Sharana. 10 civilians were killed in the airstrike, as ACB condemned the act and pulled out from the series. Even the team's captain Rashid Khan, supported ACB's decision stating "national dignity must come before all else." The tri-series was played from November 17 to 29, and Zimbabwe participated as a replacement for Afghanistan. 3 | Jadeja and Washington refused handshake from Ben Stokes Ah, how can someone decline a white! Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja had really gotten on some nerves and had even been tagged as selfish when they denied to shake hands with the England captain, Ben Stokes. Fourth Test match, Old Trafford, August: knowing the draw was inevitable, the England captain extended their hands, standing stunned with his teammates Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett chirping as Radeja sheepishly said that he has nothing to do unless India captain Shubman Gill agrees with Stokes. Notably, both Washi and Jadeja were nearing their centuries—Jadeja had grilled on the pitch even though it was flat, while Washi was getting his maiden ton. From England's point of view, Stokes didn't want to get his bowlers tired for the next match, but as many critics said, why didn't they work on getting Jadeja and Washi's wickets? Well, England was then forced to continue bowling part-time "farce" overs while the two batters secured their centuries and then the India duo immediately declared. 4 | Jahana Alam shocking claims of BD captain and board In November 2025, former Bangladesh women’s captain Jahanara Alam made explosive allegations that shook the country’s cricketing ecosystem. Her claims were split between accusations against current captain Nigar Sultana Joty and serious charges of sexual harassment against senior board officials, triggering widespread debate around leadership, power, and player safety. Alam accused Joty of fostering a toxic dressing-room culture, alleging physical abuse and bullying of junior players. She claimed that Joty slapped a junior teammate during a tour of Dubai and ran a “syndicate” with senior players to dominate the squad and marginalize others. Joty denied the allegations outright, dismissing them as personal vendetta, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board termed the claims fabricated. Separately, Alam accused former selector Manjurul Islam and others of sexual harassment, including inappropriate physical contact and lewd questioning. Unlike the captaincy claims, the BCB ordered a formal investigation into these allegations, marking a rare institutional response. 5 | Australian cricketers harassed in Indore The 2025 ICC Women's World Cup has been one of the most beautifully engraved moments for the Indian fans, as the Indian girls won their first ICC trophy after years of heartbreak. However, the same tournament, saw the Australian players getting harassed on the streets of Indore. On October 23, two players were walking from the Radisson Blue hotel towards a cafe on Khajrana Road. A man named Aqueel Khan (30) was found tracking them on a motorcycle. The players immediately sent SOS signal and their live location to the security manager, Danny Simmons. Cricket Australia had posted the incident on their X handle. But had to delete it due to indecent comments on the post. Police identified the perpetrator as Aqueel Khan (30), who initially claimed he only wanted a selfie before later admitting to the harassment. Khan was arrested within six hours and charged under Sections 74 (outraging modesty) and 78 (stalking) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). He was subsequently remanded to 15 days of judicial custody Without victim blaming, cuch incidents often stay incomplete in India. And as expected, state minister Kailash Vijavargia commented that the he incident was a "lesson" for players to inform authorities before leaving unescorted. Nevertheles, both boards, BCCI and CA condemned the act, and all rounder Ellyse Perry publicly expressed the team's shock, noting that harassment now extends from the streets into players' personal phones through online hate