Shapoor Zadran, 38, died after a prolonged illness, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said Tuesday, mourning the former fast bowler who helped shape Afghanistan cricket.
The Afghanistan Cricket Board said Zadran had battled Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis, a rare immune system disorder that can cause severe inflammation and organ damage.
Media reports said the former left-arm pacer had received specialised treatment in India’s Delhi-NCR region for several months.
Zadran first fell ill in October last year and travelled to India after doctors in Afghanistan advised advanced care. His condition improved at first, but he suffered a relapse about three weeks after discharge.
Zadran became one of Afghanistan’s leading bowlers during the country’s rise from Associate Member status to full membership of the International Cricket Council.
Born on July 8, 1987, in Logar Province, he made his One-Day International debut against the Netherlands in 2009, taking 4-24.
He played 44 ODIs and 36 Twenty20 Internationals for Afghanistan. He took 43 wickets in ODIs and 37 wickets in T20Is. Zadran appeared in the 2010, 2012 and 2016 ICC Men’s T20 World Cups.
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At the 2010 T20 World Cup, he dismissed Indian openers Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir.
His best-known World Cup moment came in 2015, when he finished as Afghanistan’s leading wicket-taker with 10 wickets and hit the winning runs against Scotland for the country’s first Cricket World Cup victory.
