MI CAPE TOWN'S AZMATULLAH OMARZAI'S FIVE-STAR PERFORMANCE ELIMINATES ENGLAND

MI Cape Town’s championship-winning feeling continues to permeate through its squad.

The latest to be given the Midas touch is star allrounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

The ICC ODI Player of the Year delivered a five-star performance, claiming 5/58 to help Afghanistan claim a thrilling eight-run victory over England in the ICC Champions Trophy clash in Lahore on Wednesday.

Afghanistan’s win eliminated England from the competition.

Omarzai struck in the opening Powerplay when he clean bowled former Pretoria Capitals opener Phil Salt.

But it was incisive breakthroughs during the middle overs and at the death that proved critical to Afghanistan’s cause.

He brought an end to a threatening partnership between Paarl Royals superstar Joe Root and Jos Buttler in the 37th over.

The fifth-wicket partnership had yielded 83 runs off 91 balls and seemed to set England on track in their pursuit of 326 for victory.

But Omarzai dug one in short which forced Buttler to haul out the pull shot, but the England captain only managed to sky the ball into the deep.

In a match where fortunes fluctuated throughout, England seemed to be well on track when Root and Craig Overton combined for a 53-run partnership.

Again Omarzai stepped up to create the crucial breakthrough for his team when he claimed the massive wicket of Root, who gloved behind for a superb 120.

From thereon it was simply Omarzai’s irrepressible will to take his team over the line as he dismissed both Overton and last man Adil Rashid to set off sensational scenes in Lahore.

Omarzai had also struck a crucial 41 off 31 balls earlier in the day to maintain the momentum created by opener Ibrahim Zadran’s marvellous 177.

Former India batter Mohammad Kaif believed Omarzai’s allround performance was deserving of the Player of the Match award, which went to Zadran.

“My Man of the Match is Azmatullah Omarzai. He took five wickets on a pitch that had nothing for the fast bowlers,” Kaif said.

“England almost won the game and he proved to be the difference in the end. Omarzai also scored runs for the team.

“Five wickets are more important than the runs posted by Zadran.”