Sport
Afghanistan’s Omarzai rises to top ICC Men’s ODI All-Rounders Rankings
Omarzai recently delivered exceptional all-round performances against Australia and England during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore.
Sensational Afghan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has risen to the top of the ICC Men’s ODI All-Rounders Rankings after delivering phenomenal all-round performances in the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
He overtakes Mohammad Nabi who now sits at No. 2.
Rashid Khan remains in the Top 10 at No. 6 among all-rounders.
Omarzai recently delivered exceptional all-round performances against Australia and England during the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy in Lahore.
Omarzai became the number one ranked all-rounder in ODI cricket as per the latest rankings issued by the ICC on Wednesday, March 5.
Last week, he scored a cracking 41 against England, and also picked up a sensational five-wicket haul in a winning cause for Afghanistan. A couple of days later, he belted 67 runs from just 63 deliveries against the Australians at the iconic Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore.
With 296 rating points, he is currently four points clear of second-ranked and fellow Afghanistan international Mohammad Nabi.
Both Nabi and Zimbabwe cricketer Sikandar Raza lost a rung each to slip to number two and number three respectively on the rankings.
Bangladesh and New Zealand spin bowling all-rounders, Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Mitchell Santner constitute the top five all-rounders as per the updated table.
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan slipped from five to six, and he is followed by Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Scotland’s Brandon McMullen.
Legendary spinner Ravindra Jadeja is the lone Indian cricketer to feature in the top 10 rankings by finding himself at number nine with 213 rating points.
Namibia’s Gerhard Erasmus rounds up the top 10 list at number 10.
Afghanistan’s cricket stars Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai have maintained their positions at the top of the latest ICC Men’s ODI rankings.
Rashid Khan remains the No. 1 ODI bowler in the world with 714 rating points.
Pakistan’s Abrar Ahmed is second with 675 points, while South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj has moved up to third with 667 points.
New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner is fourth with 644 points, followed by India’s Kuldeep Yadav on 623.
Meanwhile, Azmatullah Omarzai continues to hold the top position in the ICC ODI all-rounder rankings with 337 points, giving Afghanistan two players at No. 1 in different ODI categories. Sikandar Raza of Zimbabwe and Mehidy Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh follow him in the list.
Abu Muslim Farah beat Omar Zawak Herat 4-0 in the 30th match of the sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League, delivering an impressive performance.
The match was played today (Wednesday) at the Afghanistan Football Federation Stadium.
Samiullah Naderi scored Abu Muslim Farah’s opening goal in the final minutes of the first half.
Abu Muslim Farah continued their attacking play in the second half, with Aman Sardari scoring the team’s second goal in the 69th minute with a spectacular header.
Omid Rajabi and Mirois Ghafouri then added two more goals to complete a 4-0 victory for Abu Muslim Farah.
Amanullah Sardari, captain of Abu Muslim Farah, was named Player of the Match against Omar Zawak Herat.
Abu Muslim Farah will face Ariana Khost in their next match on October 2, while Omar Zawak Herat will take on Istiqlal Kabul on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board’s High Performance Center is set to launch a nationwide fast-bowling talent identification program, titled “Afghan Thunder,” across several provinces throughout October.
According to the ACB, the program will begin in Kunduz on October 4, with assessments continuing in Herat, Kandahar, Kabul, Khost, Paktia and Kunar before concluding in Nangarhar on October 27.
The board says eligible participants must be between 19 and 26 years old, at least 180 centimeters tall, hold a valid electronic National ID (e-Tazkira) and be capable of bowling at speeds of at least 140 kilometers per hour.
The assessment schedule is as follows: Kunduz on October 4–5, Herat on October 9–10, Kandahar on October 12, Kabul on October 14–15, Khost on October 19, Paktia on October 21, Kunar on October 25 and Nangarhar on October 27.
The ACB has encouraged eligible players who believe they have the potential to develop into high-level fast bowlers to take part in the Afghan Thunder Fast-Bowling Talent Hunt Program on the designated dates.
The board says the initiative aims to identify promising fast-bowling talent from across Afghanistan and provide talented players with a pathway into the country’s high-performance cricket system.
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