According to the ICC Cricket website, Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai was named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year at the ICC Awards on Monday.
The 24-year-old had a successful season in franchise cricket and T20Is as well, but his greatest impact came in ODIs. With Afghanistan won four of their five ODI series in 2024, he concluded the season as his country’s second-highest run scorer (after Rahmanullah Gurbaz) and second-highest wicket-taker (after AM Ghazanfar).
He played a key role in Afghanistan’s four consecutive ODI series victories over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, but his individual brilliance was unable to secure the team a series victory away in Sri Lanka at the beginning of the year.
Throughout the year, the Afghanistan all-rounder was a remarkable player with both bat and ball, averaging 52.12 runs and taking 20.47 wickets.
The 24-year-old’s excellence was evident in both his individual and team achievements. He began the year with a remarkable rearguard effort against Sri Lanka in his debut ODI, smashing an undefeated 149*.
Another standout performance was his devastating 86* from only 50 deliveries against South Africa, which helped set up a decisive victory in the second ODI to clinch the series.
There are few finer instances than Azmatullah’s series-defining effort in the third ODI against Bangladesh in Sharjah in November, but he has consistently stepped up when Afghanistan required significant contributions.
Azmatullah, who finished with stats of 4/37 from seven overs, bowled efficiently with the series on the line before providing a masterpiece in the last overs to deny the Tigers the powerful finish they were seeking. Among his three late wickets was set batsman Mehidy Hasan Miraz.
Afghanistan struggled through the first 20 overs, losing three of their top four wickets cheaply, and when Azmatullah got to the bat, the score was 84/3. Afghanistan needed to reach 245 to win the match and series.
However, after establishing a century partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the right-hander accelerated when the opener was removed, striking the game-winning six to finish undefeated on 70* from 77 balls and securing the victory with ten deliveries remaining.