Azmatullah Omarzai vs ENG: The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore perfectly captured the tension between Afghanistan and England during the 9th match of the Champions Trophy 2025. England needed 27 runs from 20 balls when Jamie Overton tapped a full toss to sweeper cover, as the fielder fumbled. He tried once, failed, then tried again. Watching it all unfold was Azmatullah Omarzai, who knew he would bowl the next over—and that he couldn’t afford such mishaps.
In a see-sawing Champions Trophy clash, where both teams had to win to stay alive in the tournament, Omarzai delivered a match-winning performance, finishing with figures of 3.5-0-26-3. When he came on to bowl in the final phase, Joe Root was still at the crease, unbeaten on 114, seemingly steering England to victory. But Omarzai delivered a game-changing ball that rose sharply off a lifeless pitch, bouncing out the set batter.
Root, who rarely gets caught off guard, misjudged an uppercut, likely expecting another off-cutter. Earlier in the over, he had been deceived by the same but still managed to hit it for four.
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‘The perfect utility allrounder for Afghanistan’ – Urooj Mumtaz Extolls Azmatullah Omarzai for his spell against England
“Omarzai is one who just flies under the radar,” former Pakistan captain Urooj Mumtaz said on ESPNcricinfo Match Day. “He is so effective with both bat and ball. He’s a very smart cricketer. I think he bowls the harder overs, the tougher overs, and what he did so well was obviously change the pace and continue to hammer down that length, and length on such placid flat tracks is the key. I think he’s got the makings of being one of those Hardik Pandyas or Azhar Mahmoods, the perfect utility allrounder for Afghanistan.”
“To outfox somebody of the calibre of Joe at the position of the game, batting well across a hundred, when he had the measure of the other bowlers, that is what [sets him apart],” Mumtaz added.
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Notably, Omarzai had already given Afghanistan an early breakthrough by dismissing Phil Salt in the fourth over of England’s chase of 326. He then dismissed Jos Buttler in the middle overs, making an equation of 110 off 79 balls even tougher for England. Later, he dismissed Overton, effectively turning the match in Afghanistan’s favour.
Omarzai, once a boy celebrating Afghanistan’s first-ever ODI win against a Full Member, is now the one becoming others’ inspiration. His team will next face Australia on Friday in a rematch of their ICC ODI World Cup 2023 thriller.
