Cricket thrives on pressure, and every year delivers moments where players rise above the chaos to change the course of a match.
These clutch performances don’t just showcase skill, they reveal composure, grit and the ability to deliver when everything is on the line. From nerve-shredding chases to game-saving spells and explosive counterattacks, these are the instances that define careers and shift narratives.
In 2025, fans witnessed several such standout displays across formats and tournaments, as players stepped up in the tensest passages of play to tilt games single-handedly.
Here, we take a look at the top 3 most clutch performances in cricket from 2025, celebrating the players who delivered when it mattered most.
Most Clutch Cricket Innings From 2025
1) Travis Head: Ashes 1st Test
The first Ashes 2025/26 Test, held in Perth, saw 30 wickets falls within 2 days of play, with neither side able to breach the 200-run mark.
Nevertheless, a 205-run target was set for Australia to chase, which seemed like trouble. However, Travis Head completely changed the run of play, striking back with a blazing 123 off 83.
England were left bamboozled, as the Aussies sealed a historic 8-wicket victory.
2) Tilak Varma - Asia Cup Final
Abhishek Sharma's explosive innings had helped India beat Pakistan twice in this year's Asia Cup, once in the group stage and then in the Super 4s. However, his bat failed to fire in the final against the arch rivals.
India were in a spot of major concern, despite having to chase a modest T20 score. In came 22-year old Tilak Varma, and batted like a veteran. He held the fort early on, slowly building his presence and keeping the score board ticking, and then started firing at the right moments, to which Pakistan had no answer.
His 69 off 53, remaining unbeaten, and unsurprisingly, was crowned Player of the Match for this clutch innings that no one will forget in a long-long time.
3) Ibrahim Zardan - ICC Champions Trophy
Afghanistan are a rising force in the world of cricket, and they caused a major upset at the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year.
Facing England, they were certainly not the favorites, but a fighting 177 off 146 from Ibrahim Zadran, as other fell on low scores saw them reach a total of 325, which turned out to be a winning one in the end.