Azmatullah Omarzai in action© AFP
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai, known for his dynamic pace bowling and powerful batting, was on Monday named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024. The 24-year-old built on an impressive 2023 to become one of the world’s leading One-Day International performers last year. Omarzai also enjoyed a strong year in T20Is and franchise cricket, but it was in ODIs where he proved most influential. He finished the year as his national team’s second-highest run scorer behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz and second-highest wicket-taker behind AM Ghazanfar, with Afghanistan winning four of their five ODI series in 2024.
He scored 417 runs while taking 17 wickets in 14 matches last year.
His consistent performances powered Afghanistan to four consecutive series wins over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.
The Afghanistan all-rounder was a standout performer with bat and ball throughout the year, scoring his runs at an average of 52.12 and bagging his wickets at 20.47.
Omarzai’s brilliance lay not just in the overall numbers but in his individual performances, starting off in his very first ODI of the year, where he smashed an unbeaten 149 in a remarkable rearguard effort in the defeat against Sri Lanka.
A destructive 86 not out from just 50 deliveries against South Africa was another memorable performance, with his rapid scoring helping set up a crushing win in the second ODI to win the series.
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