Azmatullah Omarzai Archives

Asia Cup 2025: Azmatullah Omarzai slams fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan

ABU DHABI: All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai etched his name into Afghanistan’s history books by slamming the fastest half-century in the Asia Cup 2025 opener against Hong Kong here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai etched his name into Afghanistan’s history books by smashing the fastest half-century in the Asia Cup 2025 opener against Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Afghanistan chalked up 188 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs, courtesy of some fine batting from Azmatullah Omarzai and Sediqullah Atal.

Omarzai, who had a lean run before heading into the Asia Cup 2025, lit up the stadium with a powerful knock.

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The right-handed batter came in at a time just when Afghanistan were reeling at 95-4 in 12.4 overs.

He paired up with Atal for a brisk partnership that not only took his team out of trouble but also took them to a strong total. Azmatullah Omarzai made 53 off 21 balls, striking five sixes and two fours.

The 25-year-old recorded the feat of fastest fifty for Afghanistan in the 19th over with three sixes and a four of Ayush Shukla.

Earlier, Mohammad Nabi held the record for the fastest half-century. The veteran batter had scored fifty off 21 balls against Ireland at Greater Noida in 2017.

Fastest T20I fifty by Afghanistan batters:

Azmatullah Omarzai* 20 balls vs Hong Kong 2025
Mohammad Nabi 21 balls vs Ireland 2017
Hazratullah Zazai 22 balls vs Ireland 2018
Najibullah Zadran 22 balls vs Zimbabwe 2019

At the time of filing this story, Afghanistan were in a dominant position as Hong Kong were reeling with 22-4 in only 4.3 overs.

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Major blow For MI as Afghanistan duo set to to miss MLC 2025

The MI New York team in the Major League Cricket (MLC) have suffered a major blow as their key Afghanistan players, Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai, are unlikely to participate in the upcoming tournament.

According to a report, Rashid and Azmatullah have opted out of the tournament, citing a break from cricket.

Rashid Khan was pivotal for Mumbai in the last MLC season, where he bagged 10 wickets at an average of 6.15, despite his team finishing fourth with just two wins in seven matches.

Rashid and Omarzai last participated in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2025, representing the Gujarat Titans and Punjab Kings, respectively.

In addition, three Afghan players—Naveen-ul-Haq (MI New York), Noor Ahmed (Texas Super Kings), and Waqar Salamkheil (Seattle Orcas)—have joined their teams for the upcoming MLC 2025, set to start on Friday.

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Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi, two Afghan players contracted with the Seattle Orcas, are still awaiting their visas, as reported.

The uncertainty surrounding Afghan players’ involvement in the league is due to a recent travel ban imposed by the United States.

This ban does, however, contain an exemption for “any athlete or member of an athletic team travelling for the World Cup, Olympics, or other significant sporting events as determined by the Secretary of State.”

Consequently, tournament organisers remain optimistic about the participation of Afghan players.

It’s worth noting that the third season of the MLC is set to kick off on June 12, featuring last year’s finalists, the Washington Freedom and San Francisco, going head-to-head at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, California.

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Seifert’s ton goes in vain as Jaffna Kings ease past Galle Marvels

DAMBULLA: Azmatullah Omarzai backed his two wickets with a match-winning cameo and powered Jaffna Kings to a five-wicket victory over Galle Marvels in the sixth match of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) 2024 here on Friday.

The Kings, while chasing a daunting 188-run target, were in a state of bother when their set-batter Rilee Rossouw perished in the 17th over with his side still requiring 46 off 21 deliveries.

The Marvels were sensing a comeback with Rossouw’s breakthrough but Omarzai, who came out to bat at No.7, denied them any chance to crawl their way back with belligerent hitting.

The right-handed batter smashed four fours and two sixes on his way to an unbeaten 35 off 13 deliveries and took the Kings home with two balls to spare.

He added an unbeaten 49 runs for the sixth wicket with skipper Charith Assalanka, who made 14 not out from eight balls.

Earlier, Rilee Rossouw, who came out to bat after three overs, played a pivotal role in the successful pursuit with a well-crafted half-century.

He top-scored for the Kings with an anchoring 67. His 42-ball featured eight fours and three sixes.

Opening batter Kusal Mendis also made a notable contribution for the Kings with a quick 30 up the order.

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Zahoor Khan was the standout bowler for the Marvels with two wickets for just 33 runs in his quota of four overs.

Put into bat first, the Marvels registered a massive total of 187/5 on the board in their allotted overs.

Leading the way was right-handed batter Tim Seifert, who dominated the Kings bowlers and struck a magnificent century.

The New Zealand international smashed 12 fours and six sixes to score 104 off just 63 deliveries and carried his bat all the way through.

Besides him, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (28) and Alex Hales (23) made significant contributions.

Azmatullah Omarzai was the pick of the bowlers for Jaffna Kings with 2/33 in his four overs, followed by Pramod Madushan and Fabian Allen, who chipped in with a wicket apiece.

The five-wicket victory powered Jaffna Kings to the top of the LPL 2024 standings with four points in three matches while Galle Marvels remained second with the same record but an inferior net run rate.

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