It is with profound sorrow and deep sadness that we announce the passing of Shapoor Zadran, former Afghanistan national cricket team star and one of the country’s most iconic cricketers. After months of battling a serious illness, he passed away, leaving behind a remarkable legacy. His death is a great loss to Afghan sports and the international cricket community.

In recent months, Shapoor Zadran had been suffering from the rare and life-threatening disease Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a condition that severely affects the immune system. He had been struggling with health complications since late last year and was transferred to New Delhi, India, in January for specialized treatment. Despite the dedicated efforts of doctors, multiple stays in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and complications including severe infections, tuberculosis, and later dengue fever, his condition gradually deteriorated.

Shapoor Zadran was born on 8 July 1987 in Logar Province, Afghanistan. During his family’s years in exile in Peshawar, Pakistan, he developed a passion for cricket and went on to become one of the pioneering figures of Afghanistan’s golden generation of cricketers.

He represented Afghanistan for more than a decade and played around 80 international matches between 2009 and 2020. As a left-arm fast bowler, his height, pace, and fighting spirit played a vital role in Afghanistan’s historic rise to the highest level of international cricket. He featured in three ICC T20 World Cups and was part of Afghanistan’s squad at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup, where Afghanistan secured its first-ever World Cup victory against Scotland, with Shapoor contributing the winning runs.

Throughout his illness, the Afghan and international cricket communities stood firmly by his side. Prominent cricketers, including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Asghar Afghan, and officials of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, supported his treatment and repeatedly urged people to pray for his recovery.

The passing of Shapoor Zadran marks the end of the life of one of Afghanistan’s cricket pioneers—an athlete whose dedication, courage, and achievements helped bring Afghanistan onto the global cricket stage and inspired millions of fans around the world.

May he rest in peace, and may his legacy live on forever.