The Afghanistan cricket team has strengthened its stature on the global stage in the last few years. Earlier this team was considered a strong T20 team, but now this team has performed brilliantly in ODIs as well. A glimpse of this was seen in the ODI World Cup-2023 where this team made many upsets. Now a player from Afghanistan has created history.
Azmatullah Omarzai has asserted himself as one of the most versatile white-ball players in the world by taking out 2024's ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year ? pic.twitter.com/vjCPBIMFDC
— ICC (@ICC) January 27, 2025
Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has been selected by the ICC as the best ODI cricketer of the year 2024. The ICC announced this on Monday. With this, Omarzai has become the first player to win this award for his country. Before him, no player from Afghanistan was selected as an ICC ODI cricketer.
Umarzai has done wonders with both his bowling and batting. He was second in the list of highest run scorers for his country last year. He was also second in terms of taking wickets. Afghanistan won four out of five ODI series last year and Umarzai played an important role in it. Umarzai scored 417 runs and took 17 wickets in 14 matches in the year 2024. He scored runs at an average of 52.12 and took wickets at an average of 20.47. The ICC has also given him a place in the ODI team of the year. He played an unbeaten innings of 149 runs against Sri Lanka.
Umarzai has defeated three players in this race. In this race, he was competing with Kusal Mendis of Sri Lanka, Wanindu Hasaranga and Sherfane Rutherford of West Indies. Hasaranga took a total of 26 wickets in ODIs last year. Mendis scored 742 runs in 17 innings at an average of 53. Windies' Rutherford scored 425 runs. There was not a single Indian player in this race and neither did the ICC select a single Indian player in its ODI team. India played only three ODI matches in the year 2024.
Also Read: ICC announces Mens T20I Team of Year for 2024
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