Former Afghan pacemaker Shapoor Zadran is fighting for his life after being diagnosed with hemophagocytic lymphocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening condition. The 38-year-old man is currently admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital in New Delhi, where he has been receiving treatment since January.
The development has raised concerns across the cricketing fraternity Zadran’s long-term contribution to Afghanistan cricket. “It was a very serious infection,” his younger brother Ghamai Zadran told ESPNcricinfo. “His entire body was full of infection, including TB (tuberculosis). It had also spread to the brain, which was revealed after an MRI and CT scan.”
HLH is a serious condition in which the immune system becomes dangerously overactive, leading to hyperinflammation and damage to vital organs such as the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes. Although it primarily affects children, it can also occur in adults and often requires long-term intensive treatment.
“The doctor said we can go for check-ups frequently. He (Shapoor) felt fine for about 20 days before he got the infection again. Then we admitted him to the hospital again,” he added. Former Afghanistan pacer Shapoor Zadran in a hospital in New Delhi (Screenshot from X)
CAREER AND DISEASE TIMELINE
Zadran first felt unwell in October last year and doctors in Afghanistan later advised him to travel to India for specialized treatment. He initially responded well and was discharged, but relapsed within 20 days, leading to his current admission to the intensive care unit.
The left-arm pacer represented Afghanistan in 44 ODIs and 36 T20Is between 2009 and 2020, taking 80 international wickets and playing a key role during the team’s rise in international cricket. However, his most important moment in the Afghan jersey came in 2015, when he scored the winning runs in his nation’s first ever victory in the ICC ODI World Cup and became a cult hero for the team’s rise. In the same game, the fast bowler finished with figures of 4/38 to finish as the top wicket-taker for his nation in the World Cup.
Zadran last played for Afghanistan in 2019 on 10 March in Dehradun during the five-match series against Ireland.
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Published on:
20 Apr 2026 18:10 IST
