Former Afghanistan fast bowler Shapoor Zadran is battling a rare, life-threatening condition, Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), and is currently in the intensive care unit of a New Delhi hospital. Zadran, who was admitted in January this year, is now in a critical stage after being diagnosed with Stage Four HLH.
This advanced form of HLH predominantly affects children but can also occur in adults, particularly those vulnerable to infections or with a history of cancer. Zadran is suffering from severe hyperinflammation caused by an overactive immune system, which can lead to extensive damage to the body’s tissues.
Zadran first felt unwell last October, as revealed by his younger brother, Ghamai Zadran, and was advised to seek medical treatment in India. With assistance from Rashid Khan and Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Mirwais Ashraf, Zadran secured his Indian visa. While Ashraf reached out to ICC chairman Jay Shah, Rashid leveraged his IPL connections, including his franchise Gujarat Titans and contacts within Mumbai Indians-owned teams across global leagues.
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Zadran arrived in New Delhi on January 18, accompanied by his wife and former Afghanistan teammate Asghar Afghan, and was admitted to hospital. Ghamai joined him a week later.
“It was a very serious infection,” Ghamai told ESPNcricinfo. “His whole body was affected, including tuberculosis (TB). It also spread to his brain, which was revealed after MRI and CT scans.”
Ghamai revealed that after a few weeks of treatment, Zadran was discharged, but his condition deteriorated again after three weeks when he complained of stomach pain and had to be readmitted.
“The doctor said we could come in for regular check-ups,” Ghamai said. “He was feeling good for about 20 days before the infection returned. Then he developed a fever and tested positive for dengue. His immunity was very weak as his red blood cell count had dropped significantly.”
Last month, the left-arm pacer — who represented Afghanistan in 80 internationals (44 ODIs and 36 T20Is) between 2009 and 2020 — underwent a bone marrow test, which confirmed Stage Four HLH.
Currently, Zadran, who retired from international cricket last year, speaks very little and spends most of his time sleeping. Ghamai revealed that he has lost nearly 14 kilograms.
“We have hope that he will improve day by day,” Ghamai said. “The steroids he has been given recently seem to be working, and that has given us hope.”