As 2024 bids farewell and 2025 takes over, we look back on a year that gifted us memories to treasure and milestones to celebrate. From clinching our first-ever individual Olympic gold to creating a groundbreaking superhero film in Urdu, from reviving the cricketing spirit after hitting rock bottom to witnessing the successful defence of a new-age title, 2024 was nothing short of extraordinary.

Sports flashback

The year also saw the exit of a legendary champion, Rafael Nadal, from tennis. Just two years after his on-field rival and friends off it, Roger Federer exited the tennis courts, Nadal does the same. His 30 Grand Slam singles finals place him third in the men’s all-time rankings, behind Serbia’s Novak Djokovic (37) and Swiss Roger Federer (31), respectively, while he was second on the list of Most Grand Slams with 22, Djokovic leading by 24. Nadal also has won 14 French Open titles, a record.

Pakistan, in 2024, witnessed a unique blend of challenges and triumphs. Many expected victories did not materialise in cricket, where the performance did not meet fan hopes. On the other hand, triumphs came in places no one had anticipated: surprising individual performances, unforeseen victories in lesser-followed sports, and breakthroughs in entertainment that defied the odds.

It was also a challenging year for Pakistan cricket, filled with unexpected losses and the disappointment of early exits from major tournaments. While the team showed glimpses of promise with individual performances, the overall results indicated a need for deeper reflection and change to regain international competitiveness. The Pakistan Super League was held in Feb-Mar 2024, with Islamabad United winning it for the third time.

Pakistan entered the T20 World Cup in June to have a go at the title, but sadly, they were the first to exit the tournament, played for the first time in the USA. After losing to the hosts, Pakistan let the victory slip against India. The return of fast bowler Muhammad Amir and all-rounder Emad Wasim for the tournament was meant to ‘boost’ the side, but only Amir showed his class; the latter was a total flop. Before the tournament, Pakistan lost a T20 international against Ireland, and later in the year, it lost a Test series against Bangladesh, which was also at home.

Sanity prevailed, and with the return of Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, Pakistan managed to win the Test series against England. The spinning duo captured 39 wickets in just two matches, making history. Test wins boosted the team’s performance, and which was followed by the ODI series wins in Australia. South Africa followed. By winning the third ODI series in South Africa, Pakistan rose to third in the ICC ODI rankings. Saim Ayub, who had a not-so-good ten months in 2024, came into form striking hundreds at will. He scored an unbeaten 98 against South Africa, followed by two hundred in the series against them.

For the unexpected, Pakistan won its first-ever individual Gold medal at the Olympics. Arshad Nadeem’s 92.97m throw in the men’s javelin throw final secured the Gold for Pakistan and created a new Olympic record.

Arsalan Aish, who successfully defended his Tekken title in Las Vegas in July, preceded Arshad’s win in August. Arsalan won his fifth EVO Tekken title and defeated compatriot Atif Butt 3-1 in the grand finals.

In international football, Pakistan Women’s football team climbed one spot to reach 157th in the latest FIFA Women’s Rankings. Their best match was played in Doha, Qatar, where they held Saudi Arabia to a hard-fought 1-1 draw in a friendly on December 7.

In the ‘already qualified’ football world, Argentina successfully defended its Copa America 2024 Title by beating Columbia 1-0 in the extra time. Lionel Messi surpassed Dani Alves as the player with the most trophies in history when he received his 45th football trophy. Spain won the UEFA Euro Championship for the fourth time, beating England in the final.

In sports, the most lethal battle was held off the field when India’s media and Cricket Board were all trying to take the Champions Trophy out of Pakistan and play in a country they liked. However, it was shrewd planning by Mohsin Naqvi, the Chairman of PCB, who took ICC and BCCI head-on, ensuring that if India has problems with Pakistan, they cannot influence others to boycott. Pakistan did agree on a hybrid model, but not after they got hold of an additional ICC event and a similar ‘not-to-play-in-India’ card.

Movies in 2024 and beyond

One of the most extraordinary achievements in Pakistani cinema in 2024 was the production of The Glass Worker, an anti-war animated film that made history. Directed by the multi-talented Usman Riaz, this film marked a significant milestone as Pakistan’s first 2D hand-drawn animated feature. It garnered international recognition when selected as Pakistan’s official submission for the 2025 Academy Awards.

The local non-animated movie Umro Ayyar — A New Beginning tapped into the country’s rich cultural heritage, introducing the current generation to Umro Ayyar. Pakistani filmmaker Azfar Jafri revisited the classical character of Hamzanama, a thief and legendary Tilism-e-Hoshruba warrior.

Featuring the character’s adventures in a magical realm, the film offered a mix of action, adventure, and fantasy that appealed to younger viewers and adults nostalgic for the tales from their childhood. With Hollywood star Faran Tahir and Usman Mukhtar in pivotal roles, the film gained attention not just in Pakistan but also internationally.

In 2025, Pakistanis could watch My Daddy, My Superhero, a Pakistani 3D animated film from the same team that gave Donkey King.

At the same time, Hollywood’s dominance in family entertainment continued with hits like Kung Fu Panda 4 and Sonic 3, making the year exciting for both local and international audiences. Panda and the Hedgehog edged out Garfield and Mufasa, the cat family from the picture, as both films were good, but not as entertaining as they were.

Inside Out 2 was also liked by the audience, who could easily relate to the movie, while Despicable Me 4brought smiles back to the faces of those who loved the minions. Issues like noise pollution and climate change were addressed in Doraemon: Nobita’s Earth Symphony and The Wild Robot, encouraging the younger generation to consider making the World more livable than it is today.

Moving on to 2025, superhero movies are abundant in Hollywood. In mid-December, the Superman trailer broke the internet where a ‘new’ actor was teased. James Gunn, former director for Marvel, has announced that he will revamp DC, and with films like Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad to his credit, he seems very interested.

Marvel is also getting ready for the next phase, as Sam Wilson appears as Captain America in the Brave New World, set to release in February. Screen legend Harrison Ford is the antagonist in the film, which would or would not have Chris Evans. Evans’s other popular Marvel character was Johnny the Human Torch, who appeared in Deadpool & Wolverine in 2024 and would appear in Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps, but Joseph Quinn would take over. Set to release on July 25, 2025, two weeks after DC’s Superman, the movie follows the story of Reed Richards’ Mister Fantastic, Sue Storm’s The Invisible Woman, Johnny The Human Torch, and Ben Grimm’s The Thing.

Sadly, Sony Pictures Animation has postponed its 2025 release date for Spider-Man Beyond The Spider-Verse, which will now be released in theatres in 2026. Paddington in Peru, slated for November 2023 release, will be released in January. Similarly, the sixth Karate Kid film, set to release in 2024, will now hit theatres in May 2025. The movie will bring together the first Karate Kid and the second Master, played by Ralph Macchio and Jackie Chan.

Live-action of Snow White, Lilo & Stitch and How to Train Your Dragon are also set to release in theatres (the last two releasing on the same date), while all eyes would be on A Minecraft Movie in April, which features Jack Black, an all-time favourite for kids. Black has been the voice of Panda Po and Bowser in Super Mario Bros the Movie (2023). He appeared in Jumanji movies, bringing the kids to fit with his wit and comedy.

If you do not know about Minecraft, that’s your bad. The upcoming film is based on the game, which is played by hundreds of millions of people around the world. The Smurfs and another Spongebob movie will also be coming to theatres in 2025 for more comedy. Sequels of Bad Guys and Zootopia are also slated for release in 2025, while Dog Man is all set to save the day in January.

What to watch out for in sports in 2025

Pakistan will defend its title in cricket when the Champions Trophy is held in February. It’s the biggest event for cricket in 2025, and it’s been nearly three decades since such a huge competition has been played in Pakistan.

Pakistan is also scheduled to hold a tri-nation series before the Champions Trophy, featuring South Africa and New Zealand. Usually held in February to March, the 10th edition of PSL will probably be played in April and May. The Women’s World Cup is scheduled for September in India.

Many are hoping that Olympic Gold winner Arshad Nadeem will manage to break the world record when he participates in the World Athletics Championship, which will be held in Tokyo in September. The Championships are one of the biggest sporting events, after the Olympics, for track and field stars.

As for tennis, with Nadal gone, The French Open is up for the taking. Former World No.1 Carlos Alcaraz could be the best replacement for his compatriot, as he has all but the Australian Open in his kitty. World No.1 Jannik Sinner of Italy could be the numero uno for Alcaraz and revive the Federer-Nadal-Djokovic rivalry memories.

The year 2025 could be the last year for Novak Djokovic, who plans to win as many grand slams in 2025 as possible, but if his health allows him to do so. Currently No.7, Djokovic, with one Grand Slam win, could become the first tennis player ever to grab 25 Grand Slam titles. I hope the year becomes remarkable for him and everyone else.

Published in Dawn, Young World, December 28th, 2024