Former Afghanistan pacer Shapoor Zadran is battling for his life after being diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening condition. The 38-year-old is currently admitted to the intensive care unit of a New Delhi hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment since January.
The development has raised concern across the cricketing fraternity, given Zadran’s long-standing contribution to Afghanistan cricket. “It was a very serious infection,” his younger brother Ghamai Zadran told ESPNcricinfo. “His whole body was full of the infection, including TB (tuberculosis). It also spread to his brain, which was revealed after an MRI and CT scan.”
HLH is a severe 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. Though it primarily affects children, it can also occur in adults and often requires prolonged, intensive treatment.
“The doctor said we could drop in for check-ups frequently. He (Shapoor) was feeling good for about 20 days before he got the infection again. Then we admitted him to the hospital again,” he added.
Zadran first felt unwell in October last year, and doctors in Afghanistan later advised him to travel to India for specialised treatment. He initially responded well and was discharged, but suffered a relapse within 20 days, leading to his current admission in intensive care.
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 at the ICC ODI World Cup, becoming a cult-hero for the team’s rise. In that same game, the fast-bowler ended with a figure of 4/38 and finished as the top wicket-taker for his nation at the World Cup.
Zadran last played for Afghanistan in 2019 on March 10 in Dehradun during a five match series against Ireland.
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