Why is Azmatullah Omarzai Not Playing? Mystery Surrounds His Absence

 Kabul, April 1, 2025: In his absence, Omarzai has stirred controversy for his lack of appearances, while cricket aides and fans have had a field day theorizing his head scratching absence. It is still unclear why the omnipresent ACB has not released a statement in regards to Omarzai’s absence when it is clear he played so well throughout the year of 2024.  

Omarzai is expected to be awarded the ICC Men's ODI cricketer of the year after he single handedly and multiple times exceeded brand ROI with his 4.3 million USD magical 2024 global ODI season. On top of his national squad calamitous performances, Omarzai led the offense with two dozen plus fours and a dozen sixes in a match against Ireland and batted South Africa and Bangladesh into submission where he single handily scored 417 runs with a whopping average of 52.12. He also took 17 wickets with his world record ever claiming them at staggering proportion of 14 matches which aided his team to win during magic times. 

Where is the ACB or the fans? The followers are yet to receive any valid reports on the absence and it has been a persisting mystery why. The guesswork behind such takes have resembled that he might be on the sidelines with an injury, but others noting a link does not exist lean to champion Omarzai’s past disciplinary issues. As it looks, ACB is morbidly obscured and hiding Omarzai in turn everybody in riding clad is glued to the thought.

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Azmatullah Omarzai not in playing XI for LSG vs PBKS match

Azmatullah Omarzai is not part of Punjab Kings playing XI as New Zealand’s Lockie Ferguson plays his first match of the season. Ferguson had missed Punjab Kings’ match against Gujarat Titans due to a foot injury he sustained during the Pakistan vs New Zealand clash in the 2025 Champions Trophy in February. He has recovered from the injury and thus features in the Punjab Kings playing XI against Lucknow Super Giants.

Another reason for Azmatullah Omarzai’s omission is because Punjab Kings already have plenty of all-rounders in the playing XI. In the current playing XI against Lucknow Super Giants, Punjab Kings have Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge as their all-rounders. As a result, the Punjab Kings were probably looking to balance between all-rounders, batters and bowlers.

Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings (LSG vs PBKS) has been scheduled for the 13th match of the IPL 2025 on Tuesday evening (April 1), while Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium (Lucknow) will host it. Let's check the Dream11 top captains and vice-captains of the match. 

IPL 2025, Match 13: LSG vs PBKS Probable XIs

Performances in batting, particularly in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, have been outstanding, such as in the hitting of sixes. Numerous contestants were aggressive in their hitting and contributed greatly to the success of their teams by hitting the ball out of the stadium. Let's analyze the best performers in hitting sixes in the tournament to date.

Most Sixes in Champions Trophy 2025

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The tournament in question of Champions Trophy 2025 has seen some amazing astounding aggression in batting from all the teams. With many matches still to be played, this could change as batters are attempting to take bigger and bigger shots. Get ready for even more powerful glaring sixes and great performances, as we are in for a treat!

Indian Team lifted the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 after defeating New Zealand in the final at the Dubai International Stadium. The tournament was played in a hybrid format India’s matches, including the semifinal and final, were held in Dubai, while the rest of the games took place in Pakistan across Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi. Meanwhile, the ICC picked Mitchell Santner as the captain of their Team of the Tournament for his brilliant captaincy in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

Pakistan, the defending champions and hosts, had a tough time in the tournament, failing to win a single game. They lost their first two matches to New Zealand and India, while their last group-stage game against Bangladesh was abandoned due to rain. Pakistan has a tough time in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

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ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Team of the Tournament

1. Rachin Ravindra (New Zealand)
   Rachin Ravindra had an outstanding tournament, scoring 251 runs at an average of 62.75, including two centuries. His brilliant performances earned him the Player of the Tournament award.

2. Ibrahim Zadran (Afghanistan)
   Ibrahim Zadran was Afghanistan’s standout batter, scoring 216 runs at an average of 72, including a century. Unfortunately, Afghanistan’s journey ended early after their last group-stage match against Australia was washed out.

3. Virat Kohli (India)
   Virat Kohli once again showed his class, scoring an unbeaten century against Pakistan. He finished the tournament with 218 runs at an average of 54.5.

4. Shreyas Iyer (India)
   Shreyas Iyer was solid in India’s middle order, scoring 243 runs at an average of 48.6, with two crucial fifties and helping India to win the Crucial final against New Zealand.

5. KL Rahul (wk) (India)
   KL Rahul made valuable contributions both with the bat and behind the stumps. He scored 140 runs at an incredible average of 140, with his highest score being 42*. His unbeaten knock in the final against New Zealand played a big role in India’s victory.

6. Glenn Phillips (New Zealand)
   Glenn Phillips was one of the best fielders in the tournament, taking five catches. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 177 runs at an average of 59, and even took two wickets.

7. Azmatullah Omarzai (Afghanistan)
   Azmatullah Omarzai was impressive with both bat and ball. He scored 126 runs at an average of 42 and picked up seven wickets, including a brilliant five-wicket haul.

8. Mitchell Santner (c) (New Zealand)
   Mitchell Santner was chosen as the captain after leading New Zealand to the final. He had a solid tournament with the ball, taking nine wickets at an average of 26.6 and an economy rate of 4.80.

9. Mohammed Shami (India)
   Mohammed Shami played a key role in India's bowling attack, picking up nine wickets in the tournament. He made a strong start with a five-wicket haul in India's opening match against Bangladesh.

10. Matt Henry (New Zealand)
    Matt Henry was one of the standout bowlers of the tournament, taking 10 wickets at an average of 16.7 with an economy of 5.32. Unfortunately, he was ruled out of the final beacuse of injury.

11. Varun Chakaravarthy (India)
    Varun Chakaravarthy was one of the brilliant spinners in the tournament. He picked up nine wickets at an average of 15.1 while keeping his economy rate at just 4.53.

    12: Axar Patel (India)
          Axar Patel was among the top all-rounders in the tournament. He took five wickets at an average of 39.2 with an economy of 4.35. He also made valuable                contributions with the bat, scoring 109 runs, including a crucial 29-run knock in the final in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.

ICC squad of Champions Trophy

Rachin Ravindra, Ibrahim Zadran, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, Glenn Phillips, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mitchell Santner (c), Mohammed Shami, Matt Henry, Varun Chakaravarthy, 12th player: Axar Patel

Afghanistan's cricketing star Azmatullah Omarzai has surged to the number one position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings creating a record for the emerging star The 24-year-old who turns 25 later this month put up a superlative performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 taking him to the No.1 position

Omarzai’s breakthrough campaign included a match-winning five-wicket haul against England and a crucial half-century against Australia showcasing his prowess with both bat and ball His efforts saw him leap two places in the rankings amassing a career-best 296 rating points and dethroning fellow Afghan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi who now sits in second place

AZMATULLAH OMARZAI BECOMES THE NUMBER 1 ALL-ROUNDER IN ODIs. 🇦🇫 pic.twitter.com/lNCDHPazBw

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) March 5, 2025

Afghanistan’s Stars Shine in Champions Trophy

Omarzai was not the sole Afghan player to take huge leaps in the rankings His teammate Ibrahim Zadran had an incredible tournament, especially with a stunning 177-run innings against England in Lahore The 23-year-old moved up 13 places to reach the top 10 of the ODI batting rankings taking 10th spot with 676 rating points

In bowling, New Zealand's Matt Henry also made a name for himself for his excellent Champions Trophy outing shifting three spots to sit in third position on the ICC ODI bowling rankings The Kiwi quick is now only behind Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana and South Africa's Keshav Maharaj who sit first and second respectively

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Major Movements Elsewhere in the Rankings

India's Axar Patel also had a stunning climb of 17 places to reach 13th position among ODI all-rounders with a career-best 194 rating points Meanwhile experienced batsmen Steve Smith and Kane Williamson demonstrated their class rising to 16th and 29th in the batting rankings respectively

The return of Indian fast bowler Mohammed Shami was another feature as he climbed three spots to 11th with 609 rating points England's Jofra Archer climbed 13 spots to 19th and South Africa's Marco Jansen climbed nine spots to 18th also making notable gains in the bowler rankings

India's Batting Dominance Continues

At the ODI batting rankings table India's Shubman Gill held on to his No 1 ranking and veteran superstar Virat Kohli moved up to fourth after his Player of the Match effort in the Champions Trophy semi-final vs Australia in Dubai

With Afghanistan’s rise in world cricket gaining momentum Omarzai’s ascension to the No.1 all-rounder spot signals a new era for the team As they continue their journey on the international stage the young all-rounder’s performances will be crucial in shaping Afghanistan’s future in the sport

Afghanistan Team did an impossible thing once again by beating England with 8 runs of margin. Earlier too they beat England in ICC World Cup 2023 which was held in India, In that too they beat England by 69 runs. It has been a great growth of the Afghanistan team not only challenging big teams but beating them convincingly. This is not just a one-day process but took a year of preserving. 

They were great in associate nation matches and performed extremely well to attain this position at what they are today. Some players are not associated with it today but have been a part of this process and would be extremely happy today with what their team has achieved. It was a do-or-die situation for both teams but in the end, it was Afghanistan who held their nerves to pull off a massive victory. 

Read More: Afghanistan Beats England Once Again In An Thrilling Encounter

Ibrahim Zadran And Azmatullah Omarzai Heroics

Both England and Afghanistan were in a do-or-die situation if they had to qualify anyone would have to win the game, the game had all the elements of twists and turns that a cricket fan would enjoy a lot. Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat first though the wickets were crumbling at one end but Ibrahim Zadran was in his zone he just blasted the runs flow with boundaries and sixes. He faced 146 balls scoring 177 runs which is equally half of the score attained by Afghanistan in his innings he has hit 12 fours and 6 sixes. 

 With the support of his innings, Afghanistan gave England the target of 326 runs which was quite achievable in the modern era and with the type of form English batters had attained it would be a slicer. But sometimes an unusual thing happens in cricket.

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 Azmatullah Omarzai came in between of England's victory. England too had a cozy start at the score of 30 runs they lost 2 wickets. But it was Joe Root who kept one end ticking but the other end became a path hole where batsmen get digging. They never had an answer to Omarzai deliveries even Root after completing his century became the victim of Omarzai itself. He took 5 wickets haul giving only 58 runs in his quota. 

Sachin Tendulkar Couldn't Hold On

After the victory of Afghanistan even God of Cricket Sachin Tendulkar couldn't control his emotions he even tweeted in his account and congratulated the whole team and said Now Afghanistan steady and constent rise is truly inspiring and they can't be considered as upsets anymore. 

Afghanistan’s steady and consistent rise in international cricket has been inspiring! You can’t term their wins as upsets any more, they’ve made this a habit now.

A superb century by @IZadran18 and a wonderful five-for by @AzmatOmarzay, sealed another memorable win for Afghanistan.… pic.twitter.com/J1MVULDtKC

— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) February 26, 2025

 TThe way Afghanistan team and their cricket has been evolved is truly remarkable now it is a gate opener for them at their given day they can be heavy on any team. 

It was an epic encounter between England and Afghanistan it was a do-or-die match for both team where they entered this match with a loss, where Afghanistan was beaten by South Africa and England was beaten by Australia so it was a quarter-final between both of these teams, the one who wins the game stays and the other has to go home. 

England had the advantage where they had beaten Afghanistan 2 times in this format but Afghanistan is a team that can't be written off they can beat any team on a given day. Afghanistan have also beaten England once that too in the 2023 World Cup which happened in India. So underestimating Afghanistan is at your own risk. 

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Zadran Brilliant Century Made A Base 

This was much anticipated match where both the teams were entering with a loss. Afghanistan won the toss and Captain Sahidi choose to bat first. At the start of innings they had a thought whether they committed a mistake. But Zadran kept the things go on. Because they lost the wicket of Gurbaaz who went cheaply and rest of few too went early but partnership between Zadran and Sahidi went on. 

Afghanistan was back on track soon where Zadran was looking in elite touch dispatching bad balls to the boundary and rotating the strike as well so the scoreboard stood ticking. Soon Sahidi got out then Azmatullah joined the party with Zadran it was no stopping for him. Zadran scored a brilliant century which was his first but he didn't stop there after his century he rolled over English bowlers more aggressively. He scored a brilliant 177 runs facing 146 balls. He was well supported by Nabi too. With a collective effort Afghanistan scored 325 runs with a loss of 7 wickets. 

Azmatullah Omarzai The Warrior For Afghanistan

IIn the previous match it was England bowling who costed them the match though scoring a mamoth total of 350 above runs they lost the match against Australia, Thanks to the innings of Josh Inglis who just not scored a quick century but ensured Australia seal the match. So here England too had a dangerous batting and it was chasable total in Lahore. But things were looking differently for England here. 

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They lost 2 wickets at the score of 30 pressure started to mount on for England as Omarzai started the damage. Though Joe Root was batting beautifully at one the other wickets were piling up. Before reaching 150 England lost 4 wickets., then a steady partnership between Root and Butler came where they developed an 83-run partnership where Root too completed his brilliant century. Soon Butler departed for 38 and Livingston came to rebuild the damage a 53-run partnership between them gave England solidity. But Azmatullah took root off and it was the nail in the coffin. 

Root departed for 120 runs then it was no stopping for Afghanistan they took the wickets quickly and even England too was nearing the chase so it was on a stage who did it first either Afghanistan would all out England or England's batsman would make a, steal. In the end, Jofra Archer tried too hard too but it was too late it seemed as if England were bowled out at the end with 8 runs remaining to score last 20 minutes were an absolute thriller either who would win and Afghanistan players held their nerves and won the match and pushed their chances forward. Azmatullah  Omarzai took 5 wickets and was the leader of the bowling pack. With this England had been out of Champions Trophy 2025, Where Ibrahim Zadran was awarded with Man Of The Match award. 

Afghanistan eliminated England from the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 and have stayed in the competition after a thrilling victory in the high-scoring Group B match on Wednesday (February 26) at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. 

It was a must-win game for both teams to stay in the tournament, as a defeat means elimination for both teams. Afghanistan's captain chose to bat first after winning the toss. While Afghanistan scored 325/7 in 50 overs, England were all out for 317 runs.

Ibrahim Zadran recorded highest score in ICC Champions Trophy history

England took Afghans' first three wickets in the first powerplay, as Jofra Archer got all those three wickets, and Afghanistan ended the first powerplay at 39/3. However, the opener Ibrahim Zadran played one of the most memorable innings of the tournament, while the captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (40), Azmatullah Omarzai (41), and Mohammad Nabi (40) provided strong support to Zadran. 

Zadran completed his sixth ODI century in 106 balls and 150 runs in 134 balls. After scoring 177 off 146 balls with the help of 12 fours and six sixes, Zadran was out in the final over. With that knock, the Afghan opener broke the highest individual score record in ICC Champions Trophy history, which the English opener Ben Duckett (165) recorded this tournament in their previous game against Australia.  Before his dismissal, Zadran had a 103-run partnership with the skipper Shahidi, a 72-run partnership with Omarzai, and a 111-run partnership with Nabi for the fourth, fifth, and sixth wickets, respectively. 

Among the English bowlers, Jofra Archer scalped three wickets (3/64), while Liam Livingstone (2/28) got two crucial wickets in the last over of the innings, where he dismissed set batters Zadran and Nabi. 

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Joe Root's fighting century went in vain; Azmatullah Omarzai dominated with fifer

In reply, England were losing wickets at regular intervals. At powerplay, England scored 60/2. Ben Duckett scored 38 off 45 balls and had a crucial 68-run third-wicket partnership with Joe Root before losing his wicket. Harry Brook (25) and captain Jos Buttler (38) had some useful contributions, while Root had a 35-run partnership with Brook and another 83-run partnership with Buttler for the fourth and fifth wickets, respectively, but both the batters lost wickets when the English team was in the line to dominate as Root had to watch the tough scenes from the other end. 

In the last moment, Root had a crucial 54-run partnership with Jamie Overton for the seventh wicket, which helped the England team to return to the game. Root completed his 17th ODI century in 98 balls and was dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai in the crucial 46th over. Before his dismissal, Root, who recorded his first ODI century since the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2019, scored 120 off 111 balls with 11 fours and one six. 

Jamie Overton had a valuable contribution with 32 off 28 balls but the English side just fell short of the target, as they were all out for 317 runs. 

Among the Afghan bowlers, Azmatullah Omarzai claimed a fifer as he had bowling figures of 9.5-0-58-5. Also, Mohammad Nabi had an important role like the other supporting bowlers as the off-spinner recorded the bowling figures of 8-0-57-2. 

Azmatullah Omarzai Named ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year

Azmatullah Omarzai from Afghanistan , Omarzai plays as allrounder and does wonderful things when he plays. In 2024, he did very good all the time, and he helped Afghanistan win many games against other big countries. Omarzai's age is only 24 and he achieved just won the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year.

Omarzai built upon an impressive 2023 to establish himself as one of the world's leading One Day International performers in 2024. His right-arm pace bowling and versatile batting capabilities were instrumental in propelling Afghanistan to new heights in the format. The all-rounder concluded the year as Afghanistan's second-highest run-scorer, behind Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and the second-highest wicket-taker, trailing only AM Ghazanfar. Despite an early setback in Sri Lanka, where Afghanistan fell short of securing a series win, Omarzai was central to the team's four successive ODI series victories. Afghanistan triumphed over Ireland, South Africa, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe, solidifying their reputation as a formidable force in the 50 over format.

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

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Azmatullah Omarzai's outstanding performances have cemented his place as a key figure in Afghanistan's cricketing future. His ability to contribute with both bat and ball makes him a valuable asset in all formats of the game. With his ICC recognition, the young all rounder is set to achieve even greater heights in the years to come. Afghanistan's cricket fans will be eager to see how Omarzai continues to evolve and contribute to the national team's success, with his recent achievements marking the beginning of what promises to be a stellar career.

Azmatullah Omarzai Career Stats

Batting & Fielding

Bowling