Azmatullah Omarzai emerges as ‘the perfect utility allrounder for Afghanistan’

There was a moment that captured the tension beautifully in Lahore on Wednesday. With England needing 27 runs to get in 20 balls, Jamie Overton tapped a full toss to sweeper cover and the fielder just couldn’t pick it up. He tried once, didn’t work, he tried again, it was fumbled. Azmatullah Omarzai was watching it all, knowing he would be bowling the next over, knowing he couldn’t afford missteps like that.

In a wildly see-sawing Champions Trophy game, where both teams had to win to stay alive, Omarzai produced a death-overs performance of 3.5-0-26-3. When he came on to bowl in this unforgiving phase of play, Joe Root was still out there, 114 not out, and it seemed like he had tilted the contest in England’s favour. Omarzai conjured an incredible effort ball that defied a lifeless pitch, got big on a set batter and bounced him out.

“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.”