In Pictures: The Greatest Sporting Moments of 2015

Another exciting season of sports comes to an end. 2015 had a full package of joy and heartbreak.

Michael Clarke (left), R Ashwin (centre) and Usain Bolt (right). (Photo: Reuters/Ron Gaunt / BCCI / SPORTZPICS)

Another exciting season of sports comes to an end. 2015, like all other years, had a full package of jubilation, heartbreak, drama and suspense.

The Quint takes a look at the top ten sporting moments in 2015 – from Australia winning the cricket World Cup to football administrator Sepp Blatter getting suspended.

R Ashwin was India’s premier bowler in Tests in 2015. He was the highest wicket-taker this year with 55 wickets at an average of 17.81.

(Photo: Ron Gaunt / BCCI / SPORTZPICS)

Barcelona star Lionel Messi kisses the Champions League trophy after his team beat Juventus 3-1 in the finals at the Olympic stadium in Berlin in June.

(Photo: AP)

Former Australian captain Michael Clarke lifts the World Cup after beating New Zealand in the final at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in March.

(Photo: AP)

Novak Djokovic throws his racquet at a ball which was impossible to reach against France’s Richard Gasquet at Wimbledon in July. He managed to get a lot of other things right in the year.

(Photo: AP)

Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton celebrates after clinching the Formula One world championship after his win at the US Grand Prix race at the Circuit of the Americas, in Texas.

(Photo: AP)

Japan’s Kensuke Hatakeyama celebrates after his team’s extraordinary victory over South Africa in a pool match in the Rugby World Cup in Brighton, England.

Japan’s 34-32 win over the two-time world champion is arguably the biggest upset in rugby history. Despite the victory, Japan failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.

(Photo: AP)

Serena Williams hugs the French Open tennis trophy after beating Lucie Safarova of the Czech Republic in three sets. She came close to being the first player to win a grand slam since Steffi Graf in 1988 after she won the first three majors of the year. Unfortunately, she lost in the semi-finals of the US Open.

(Photo: AP)

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt (right) wins the gold medal in the men’s 100m ahead of United States’ Justin Gatlin (left) at the World Athletics Championships in Beijing in August.

(Photo: AP)

Prince Of Penzance jockey, Michelle Payne, celebrates after winning the Melbourne Cup. Payne’s win on the 100-1 outsider made her the first female jockey to win the Melbourne Cup.

(Photo: AP)

FIFA President Sepp Blatter arrives for a news conference in Zurich, Switzerland after he was banned for 8 years from all football-related activities over a $2 million payment by FIFA to Michel Platini, the UEFA president.

(Photo: AP)