Afghan Cricket Community Gathers in Kabul to Receive Shapoor Zadran’s Remains

Afghanistan’s cricketers gathered at Kabul International Airport to receive the body of Shapoor Zadran, in an emotional farewell to one of the country’s pioneering fast bowlers.

Scenes at the airport

Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmat Shah, Hamid Hassan, Nawroz Mangal and former captain Asghar Afghan were among those present. Many players were visibly in tears as the coffin was taken from the aircraft.

Illness

The Afghanistan Cricket Board confirmed that Zadran died in India on Tuesday after a long illness. The former left-arm pacer had been treated in New Delhi after a diagnosis of stage four haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening disorder that causes severe inflammation and can harm organs including the bone marrow, liver and spleen.

He had been in intensive care since May after his condition worsened. Reports say his health problems started last October, before he went to India for advanced treatment. Rashid Khan and ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf helped speed up his medical visa, allowing him to be admitted to a New Delhi hospital in January.

Legacy

Between 2009 and 2020 Zadran played 44 ODIs and 36 T20Is for Afghanistan, taking 80 international wickets. He was also the team’s leading wicket-taker at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, leaving behind a legacy that inspired a generation of Afghan players.

The farewell from team-mates and friends underlined his lasting influence on and off the field.