Afghanistan cricket has lost one of its early legends with the passing of former fast bowler Shapoor Zadran. The Afghanistan Cricket Board announced that the former medium-pacer passed away on Tuesday after a long battle with illness. He was just a day away from celebrating his 39th birthday. Zadran had been receiving treatment at a hospital in New Delhi for several months. His death has cast a shadow over the Afghanistan cricket community, with players, officials, and fans reflecting on his significant contributions to the national team during its early days on the international scene.
According to Afghanistan Cricket Board’s latest statement, “With profound grief and deep sorrow, the Afghanistan Cricket Board mourns the passing of former Afghanistan fast bowler Shapoor Zadran. He was among the proud cricketers who stood at the heart of Afghanistan’s early cricket journey and helped build the path that brought Afghan cricket to the international stage.”
Zadran was battling Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening condition in which the body’s immune system becomes dangerously overactive. He was suffering from an advanced stage of the disease and had been receiving intensive care at a hospital in New Delhi after travelling to India for treatment in January. Despite months of medical care, he could not recover from the illness.
Shapoor Zadran’s Contribution to Afghanistan Cricket
Shapoor Zadran was a prominent figure for Afghanistan from 2009 to 2020, playing a vital role in the nation’s ascent in international cricket. Over his career, he participated in 80 international matches, which included 44 One-Day Internationals and 36 Twenty20 Internationals, where he took a total of 80 wickets. He made his ODI debut against the Netherlands in August 2009, impressively recording his best figures of 4 for 24. His T20I debut came a bit later, against Ireland in February 2010, and his standout performance in this format was 3 for 40 against Bangladesh in Dehradun in 2018. Notably, he was Afghanistan’s top wicket-taker at the 2015 ODI World Cup, claiming 10 wickets, and he also played in four T20 World Cups from 2010 to 2016.
On another note, Zadran’s struggle with illness brought to light the incredible support he received from the cricket community. His younger brother, Ghamai Zadran, shared that the former fast bowler was able to secure a fast-tracked Indian visa thanks to the efforts of Rashid Khan and Mirwais Ashraf, who reached out through their connections in India. Ashraf contacted Jay Shah for help, while Rashid leveraged his cricketing network from his time with the Gujarat Titans in the IPL and other T20 leagues. During Afghanistan’s tour of India, captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, head coach Richard Pybus, and his teammates made a point to visit him in the hospital.
