The 25-year-old from Afghanistan has a rich resume in white-ball cricket.
March 1, 2014: This day brought a lot of joy to Afghanistan fans. Facing Bangladesh for the first time in ODIs, they managed to win by 32 runs. Asghar Afghan was the hero with the bat, while skipper Mohammad Nabi shone with the ball. As the action unfolded, a father asked his 14-year-old son about his ambitions. ‘To be a cricketer’ was the answer without hesitation. Safe to say, he became one. At just 25, Azmatullah Omarzai is being hailed as the potential best all-rounder in ODIs at the moment.
As a kid, Omarzai played cricket on the streets of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province. But due to security issues, a lot of restrictions were in place. As a result, movement outside the house was restricted for him and his cousins post sunset.
But with just 41 matches under his belt in the 50-over format, Omarzai has established himself as an all-rounder in white-ball cricket. His hard-hitting, coupled with the bowling prowess, makes him stand out against all odds.
If we take a recent example of the two ODIs played in the ongoing series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan, the all-rounder has left clear imprints of his class in both games. In the first ODI on October 8, Azmatullah Omarzai shone in both departments. He picked three wickets for 40 runs in nine overs. To add to that, he scored a gritty 40 to help Afghanistan over the line.
Though he failed to impress with the bat in the second ODI, Azmatullah Omarzai was once again the star with the ball in hand. He picked up three wickets, conceding just 27 runs in his seven overs. To add to that, he has shown superb skills with the new ball in hand as well. All three wickets were well earned, and he sent shockwaves in the Bangladesh dugout right from the first over.
However, Azmatullah Omarzai’s case was a bit different from the other all-rounders in the game. He had a stronger footing for batting in his initial days. But over a period of time, he worked hard on his bowling (mainly pace), which added more zip to his bowling.
A sign of a great all-rounder is the ability to contribute when the team is in a dire situation. And Azmatullah Omarzai has been doing exactly that. His unbeaten knock of 149 against Sri Lanka came at a time when the team was in trouble. Being reduced to 19/3, chasing 382 would be the last thing on their mind. Though they lost the match by 42 runs, Omarzai’s 149* gave them hope.
Following a fantastic ICC Champions Trophy 2025 campaign, Omarzai climbed up the ICC Men’s ODI rankings for all-rounders, taking the top spot by dethroning teammate Mohammad Nabi. Though Afghanistan couldn’t make it to the semi-final of the coveted tournament earlier this year, Azmatullah Omarzai had a brilliant tournament.
He scored 146 runs in three games with an average of 42 and a strike-rate of just above the 100-mark. Moreover, he also scalped seven wickets in three games, including a five-wicket haul against England to end with figures of 5/58. What was also pleasing to see was his ability to take the team through tricky times batting with the lower-middle order.
Though he has lost the spot to Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza (as of October 13, 2025), Azmatullah Omarzai sits second in the list with impressive performances. To add to that, the 25-year-old was also recognised as the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year in 2024. With this, he became the first player from Afghanistan to hold the honour.
He has scored 1,073 runs in the ODI format so far, with a solitary hundred and eight fifties. An average of 44.70 and a strike-rate of 97.45 put him in good standing. In as many games in terms of bowling, he has picked 43 wickets at an average of 27.41. His economy is under six as well, which is impressive for someone who takes the new ball.
To put things in perspective, since 2024, Omarzai has averaged 44.84 with the bat in hand and striking at 103.55. To add to that, he has become more potent with the ball, with an average of 18.5 for his 30 wickets. His economy speaks a lot about his control and ability with the new ball. The fact that he can swing the ball both ways also works in his favour.
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At the end of just 41 matches, it is really difficult to say or compare Azmatullah Omarzai with the greatest all-rounders in history. Jacques Kallis ended his ODI career with a batting average of 44.36, while his bowling average was placed at 31.79. But the catch is that Kallis played the game for 19 years for South Africa.
Omarzai will have to be consistent with his skills over a period of time to enter the league of greats. It is a known fact that many great all-rounders have not posted numbers as good as Omarzai at an early stage of their career. So the youngster from Afghanistan does have an advantage here.
After looking at his numbers currently, as compared to Hardik Pandya, his batting average is far superior to the Indian player’s 32.82. Pandya has featured in 94 ODIs to date, which is more than half of Omarzai’s tally. Additionally, Pandya averages 35.50 with the ball in ODIs, in comparison to Omarzai’s 27.41. These data sets give us an insight into the quality which the Afghan all-rounder possesses.
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