Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai has been named as ICC ODI Cricketer of the year for 2024.
The talented player has emerged with the prestigious award and is the first Afghan to achieve this magnificent milestone. Omarzai had a fantastic outing in last calendar year.

Azmatullah Omarzai scored 417 runs with the bat in 14 ODIs last year. He batted with a strike rate of 105 and scored 1 century and 3 fifties. An unbeaten 149 against Sri Lanka was also is maiden ODI century. Omarzai was excellent with the ball as well, picking 17 wickets in the process. His best bowling of last year came against Zimbabwe when he picked up 4 wickets for just 18 runs.
Babar Azam emerged as a top-tier ODI batsman in 2021, scoring 405 runs in just six matches at an average of 67.50. His performances included two centuries, and his leadership as Pakistan's captain added to his contributions.
Babar Azam continued his dominance in 2022, scoring 679 runs at an average of 84.87.
After a brief dip in form, Virat Kohli returned to his best in 2023, scoring 1,377 runs at an average of 72.47.
Azmatullah Omarzai winning the award means Afghanistan is the 7th country to receive the ICC award. New Zealand, Bangladesh, West Indies are among the teams whose players are yet to win the award.
| Year | Cricketer | Country |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Andrew Flintoff | England |
| 2005 | Kevin Pietersen | England |
| 2006 | Michael Hussey | Australia |
| 2007 | Matthew Hayden | Australia |
| 2008 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | India |
| 2009 | Mahendra Singh Dhoni | India |
| 2010 | AB de Villiers | South Africa |
| 2011 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka |
| 2012 | Virat Kohli | India |
| 2013 | Kumar Sangakkara | Sri Lanka |
| 2014 | AB de Villiers | South Africa |
| 2015 | AB de Villiers | South Africa |
| 2016 | Quinton de Kock | South Africa |
| 2017 | Virat Kohli | India |
| 2018 | Virat Kohli | India |
| 2019 | Rohit Sharma | India |
| 2020 | Not Awarded | N/A |
| 2021 | Babar Azam | Pakistan |
| 2022 | Babar Azam | Pakistan |
| 2023 | Virat Kohli | India |
| 2024 | Azmatullah Omarzai | Afghanistan |