Fast bowlers or seam-bowling allrounders were not central to that identity. Then came Azmatullah Omarzai, bringing with him something different. Swing with the new ball, control at the death, clean striking with the bat and an assured presence that suggested Afghanistan’s cricket was beginning to imagine itself differently.
Over the last few years, the Nangarhar-born allrounder has quietly moved from promise to presence. It was at the 2023 ODI World Cup in India where Omarzai announced himself on the global stage, scoring 353 runs in a breakthrough campaign marked by composure under pressure and the range to adapt across situations.
Recognition followed quickly. A contract with Gujarat Titans in the 2024 IPL and in the same year he was named the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year — the first Afghanistan cricketer to receive the honour. That season reflected his growing influence. He scored 417 runs at an average of 52.12 and took 17 wickets at an economy rate under five in ODIs, contributions that powered Afghanistan to series wins over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
His emergence has also altered Afghanistan’s team balance. Initially seen as a batting prospect who could offer a few overs, Omarzai steadily refined his seam bowling. In doing so, he rose past the experienced Gulbadin Naib in the national pecking order to become Afghanistan’s leading pace-bowling allrounder.
Naib, who has watched Omarzai’s growth closely, speaks of him with admiration.
“Azmat is no doubt one of the best allrounders in the world. He is the best in our team,” Gulbadin Naib said on Monday. “The way Azmat dominates the opposition team, not only in bowling and batting, but he also dominates while fielding as well. He is performing for us whether it is 50 overs or 20 overs; he is something different. He can walk into any international team, even the top sides.”
The confidence teammates place in him is telling. Naib recalled a moment during Afghanistan’s T20 World Cup win over UAE on Monday that captures the expectations Omarzai now carries.
“In the morning when we were talking, I told him that I want five wickets from him today. When he was bowling, he took a wicket in the first over. Then I went up to him and I told him that one is down, I need four more.”
“If you look at his (Omarzai) style, the way he is bowling, out swing, in swing, with the new ball, with the old ball, he has done it all and a lot of that for the team. He has always delivered,” Naib added.
In 2024, Omarzai played a key role in Afghanistan’s historic run to their first T20 World Cup semifinal, claiming seven wickets across the competition. In the 2025 Champions Trophy, he delivered another defining performance, scoring 41 off 31 balls and claiming his maiden ODI five-wicket haul (5/58) to script an eight-run victory over England.
Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott sees Omarzai’s rise as the result of sustained development and global exposure. “We’ve seen his development over the last couple of years. From a very young player to now being known across the world. Winning the ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year award was a big boost for him. That doesn’t happen by accident.
“His development with the national side has been huge, but he has also been aided due to the experience he has gained by playing so many franchise leagues around the world. Certainly, in this format (T20), that (playing in franchise leagues) has sped up his growth,” Trott said.
Opposition players, too, recognise his growing stature. UAE captain Muhammad Waseem said, “He is a very good cricketer, very good allrounder. If anyone wants to see a world-class allrounder, it is Azmatullah Omarzai.”
