Azmatullah Omarzai showcased an al-round performance as Afghanistan beat England in Champions Trophy.
All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai stole the show as Afghanistan stunned England by eight runs in their Champions Trophy 2025 Group B encounter in Lahore on Wednesday. Omarzai played vital roles with both bat and ball as he made a case for his inclusion in the playing XI for Punjab Kings (PBKS), his franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL)
Punjab Kings had acquired Azmatullah Omarzai for INR 2.40 crore at the IPL 2025 mega auction last year. With his all-round display against England on Wednesday, Omarzai would have already pleased his IPL employers. Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to bat in their must-win clash against England.
The Afghans found themselves at 37/3 at one stage but skipper Hasmatullah Shahidi (40) and Ibrahim Zadran (177) forged a 103-run stand for the fourth wicket. And once Shahidi was dismissed in the 30th over, Omarzai came to bat in at number six . Omarzai’s innings was short but impactful, as he slammed 41 runs from 31 deliveries, hitting one four and three sixes to take the Afghans to 325/7. His contribution with the ball was even more impactful.
The right-arm medium pacer finished with figures of 5/58, which went a long way in restricting England to 317. Omarzai struck very early on in the contest, in the fourth over to be precise when he cleaned up opener Phil Salt. Omarzai then struck only towards the latter half of the game, but he stuck to disciplined lines and lengths without giving away too many freebies. He struck in the 37th over with the dismissal of England skipper Jos Buttler.
It was a short ball from Omarzai and Buttler got a top-edge off the bat towards Rahmat Shah at deep square leg. England were in a spot of bother of 216/5 at one stage but soon fell to 287/7 following the dismissals of Liam Livingstone and Joe Root. Azmatullah was the one who removed the centurion Root (120) as he found an edge off the bat towards Rahmanullah Gurbaz at third man.
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Root’s dismissal was like the final nail in the coffin. But, such was the intensity of the game that the game wasn’t decided until the penultimate ball. England needed nine runs to win from two balls. Adil Rashid was on strike. Rashid went for a maximum, going down the ground, only to find Ibrahim Zadran at long-on. England were thus all-out for 317.
Omarzai is likely to be in a direct competition with New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson and even South Africa’s Marco Jansen for a spot in the Punjab Kings playing XI. While it’s difficult at the moment as to who would make the playing XI, it’s safe to say that Omarzai has made an excellent impression with this performance against England.
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