Azmatullah Omarzai is an Afghan cricketer from Nurgal District in Kunar province, eastern Afghanistan. He started playing cricket when he was 14 years old. He made his international debut for Afghanistan in January 2021. Omarzai was part of Afghanistan’s squad for the 2023 Cricket World Cup.
In domestic cricket, he made his List A debut for Mis Ainak Region on 10 August 2017 in the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Regional One Day Tournament. He made his first-class debut for Speen Ghar Region on 25 March 2018 in the Ahmad Shah Abdali 4-day Tournament.
In September 2018, he was selected in Paktia’s squad for the first Afghanistan Premier League. Omarzai made his T20 debut for Paktia Panthers on 7 October 2018 in the 2018–19 Afghanistan Premier League. In 2024, he won the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award. He received this honour in the 2024 ICC Awards.
Azmatullah Omarzai Records and Achievement
Azmatullah made his ODI debut in January 2021 and played his first T20I about a year later. He had a successful Bangladesh Premier League season, where he took 15 wickets in 2023. He was then signed by Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL and took 10 wickets in the six matches he played.
Omarzai was also part of Afghanistan’s historic run to their first T20 World Cup semi-final, where he took seven wickets. In ODIs that year, he scored 417 runs at an average of 52.12 and took 17 wickets with an economy rate under five. This earned him the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award, becoming the first Afghanistan player to win it.
In the 2025 Champions Trophy, he produced a historic all-round match against England, scoring 41 off 31 balls and taking his first ODI five-wicket haul. He then scored 67 off 63 against Australia, helping Afghanistan reach 273.
Azmatullah Omarzai Career Stats
In ODIs, Azmatullah has played 42 matches and scored 1093 runs, including 1 century and 8 fifties. With the ball in ODIs, he has taken 44 wickets, with his best figures being 5/58. He has also taken one 5-wicket haul and two 4-wicket hauls.
In T20Is, he has played 64 matches and scored 755 runs, with 1 fifty. As a bowler in T20Is, he has taken 49 wickets, with best figures of 4/9. He also has two 4-wicket hauls.
In Tests, Omarzai has played 1 match. He has scored 0 runs, and with the ball, he has taken 1 wicket, with best bowling figures of 1/66.
| Batting | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Runs | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Tests | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 42 | 1093 | 1 | 8 | 78 | 46 |
| T20Is | 64 | 755 | 0 | 1 | 47 | 35 |
| Bowling | ||||||
| Format | Mat | Wkts | BBI | 4w | 5w | 10w |
| Tests | 1 | 1 | 1/66 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ODIs | 42 | 44 | 5/58 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| T20Is | 64 | 49 | 4/9 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Azmatullah Omarzai Personal Life
Azmatullah Omarzai was born in the Nurgal district of Afghanistan’s Kunar Province, a place where life was tough and opportunities were limited. He grew up in a simple environment, and most of his early cricket came from playing on the streets.
He first seriously got into cricket when he was 14 years old in 2014. While watching Afghanistan defeat Bangladesh in the Asia Cup, his father asked him if he wanted to pursue cricket properly. Azmatullah immediately said yes, because he had already loved the game for years and had been improving by playing street matches with his elder brothers.
Omarzai has said that his biggest motivation is giving happiness to the people of Afghanistan, and that idea stays in his mind every time he plays. His bowling also gained attention, with Sachin Tendulkar praising his wrist position and comparing it to bowlers like Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Praveen Kumar.
Azmatullah Omarzai Contract
Azmatullah Omarzai is part of the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) Central Contract list for 2025. He has been placed in the Grade A category. He is part of the contract alongside major names like Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Hashmatullah Shahidi.
FAQs
Q. When was Azmatullah Omarzai born?
A. Azmatullah Omarzai was born on 24 March 2000.
Q. When did Azmatullah Omarzai start playing cricket?
A. Azmatullah Omarzai started playing cricket when he was 14 years old.
Q. What major ICC award did Azmatullah Omarzai win?
A. In 2024, Azmatullah Omarzai won the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award.
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