Death of Shapoor Zadran, a Lasting Figure in Afghanistan Cricket

Shapoor Zadran, former bowler for Afghanistan’s national cricket team and one of the pioneering figures of the sport’s golden generation, died on Tuesday (7 July) in New Delhi, India, at the age of 38. He died one day before his 39th birthday after a long battle with a rare immune system disease, HLH.

Zadran was among the players whose name is linked to the early years of Afghanistan cricket’s rise, a generation that emerged from refugee camps and limited resources and took Afghanistan to global cricket arenas.

At the time of his death, he was receiving treatment at a hospital in New Delhi. HLH dangerously activates the body’s immune system and can damage the body’s organs. Zadran had been in India for treatment for several months.

Shapoor Zadran played for Afghanistan’s national team between 2009 and 2020. He appeared in 80 international matches, including 44 one day internationals and 36 Twenty20 matches.

The International Cricket Council, ICC, wrote that Zadran took 43 wickets in one day internationals and 37 wickets in Twenty20 matches during his international career. With these figures, he was recognised as one of the important bowlers of the formative years of Afghanistan’s national team.

The most important moment of his career came at the 2015 World Cup, when Afghanistan secured its first ever World Cup victory against Scotland. Zadran hit the final winning shot in that match, and the image of him running with his arms open became one of the most memorable scenes in Afghanistan cricket.

The ICC wrote that Zadran also performed strongly at the 2015 World Cup, taking 10 wickets and becoming Afghanistan’s best bowler in the tournament.

In response to his death, the Afghanistan Cricket Board said Shapoor Zadran was one of the founding figures of Afghanistan cricket and that his commitment and efforts played an important role in the growth of the sport.

Zadran’s death drew widespread reaction from Afghanistan’s sporting community. His funeral was held on Thursday (9 July) at Eidgah Mosque in Kabul, and his body was later buried at Tapa-e-Maranjan.

A number of well known figures in Afghanistan cricket, including Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, attended the ceremony. Thousands of his fans also gathered to bid farewell to the former national team bowler.

Shapoor Zadran was not only a cricket player. He was part of a generation that created moments of pride for Afghanistan. He reached the national team through hardship and showed many young Afghans that sport can create hope and national identity from deprivation.

His death is not only the loss of a sporting figure for Afghanistan cricket, but the end of part of the memory of a generation that took Afghanistan cricket from the margins to the world stage. Shapoor Zadran’s memory will remain alive for Afghanistan cricket fans through that historic moment at the 2015 World Cup, the moment Afghanistan won and he ran across the field with his arms open.