Azmatullah Omarzai Named ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year

Azmatullah Omarzai has been named the ICC Men's ODI Player of the Year, becoming the first Afghan cricketer to achieve this honor. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced Omarzai as the winner on Monday.

Omarzai finished the year as Afghanistan's second-highest run-scorer and second-highest wicket-taker. He accumulated 417 runs in 14 matches, with an impressive average of 52.12. With the ball, he took 17 wickets during the year.

Afghanistan played five ODI series in 2024, winning four of them. Omarzai played a crucial role in Afghanistan’s victories over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe.

Among his notable performances, Omarzai played an unbeaten knock of 149 runs against Sri Lanka and scored 86 runs off 50 balls against South Africa. Against Bangladesh, he delivered a brilliant bowling performance in the death overs, taking 4 wickets for just 37 runs in 7 overs.

In a memorable game against Bangladesh, Afghanistan had lost 3 wickets for just 84 runs. However, Omarzai came to the rescue with a composed, unbeaten 70 off 77 balls, leading his team to a crucial victory.