Azmatullah Omarzai hammers his second ODI fifty versus India: Stats
What's the story
Star Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai scored a vital half-century against India in the third and final ODI at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Batting at six, the dasher scored exactly 50 runs, helping Afghanistan recover from early setbacks. This was Omarzai's ninth half-century in ODIs and a second one against India. On this note, let's look at his performance and stats.
Knock
Omarzai and Shahidi's rescue operation
Prasidh Krishna wreaked havoc on Afghanistan's top order after they chose to bat first. He struck four times in the powerplay, reducing the batting team to 36/4. Then arrived Omarzai and played an innings of character. He formed a crucial fifth-wicket partnership with captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, adding 105 runs in 114 balls. The former batted with great intent as the scoring rate remained healthy. Omarzai eventually fell to Prince Yadav in the 29th over.
Stats
Here are his ODI numbers
Omarzai struck five fours and two sixes en route to his 56-ball 50. Playing his 44th ODI, Omarzai has raced to 1,169 runs at an average of 43.29 (SR: 97.90). The tally now includes nine fifties besides a ton, as per ESPNcricinfo. Omarzai's three outings against India have resulted in 138 runs at 46 (50s: 2). In addition to his batting exploits, Omarzai has also been effective with the ball in ODIs, claiming a total of 44 wickets at 27.88.
Honor
ICC ODI Cricket of the Year
It is worth noting that Omarzai was named the ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Year 2024. His right-arm seam-bowling and handy batting skills played a key role in Afghanistan's success that year. He scored 417 runs at an average of 52.12 besides scalping 17 wickets at 20.47. His individual brilliance was instrumental in Afghanistan's four consecutive ODI series victories.