Former Afghanistan pacer battles rare life-threatening condition in Delhi hospital

Former Afghanistan pacer Shapoor Zadran is fighting a rare and serious illness called Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and is currently in critical condition in the intensive care unit of a hospital in New Delhi.

Zadran diagnosed with stage four HLH

Zadran, who was admitted in January this year, has now reached a critical stage after being diagnosed with Stage Four HLH. This advanced form of the disease mostly affects children but can also strike adults, especially those with weak immunity or a history of infections and cancer. It causes severe hyperinflammation as the immune system starts attacking the body’s own tissues.

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How the illness started

Zadran first started feeling unwell last October, as shared by his younger brother Ghamai Zadran. He was advised to seek better treatment in India. With help from Rashid Khan and Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Mirwais Ashraf, Zadran managed to get his Indian visa. While Ashraf contacted ICC chairman Jay Shah, Rashid used his IPL connections, including Gujarat Titans and Mumbai Indians-linked teams, to support him.

Zadran reached New Delhi on January 18 along with his wife and former teammate Asghar Afghan. Ghamai joined them 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.”

Condition worsens after brief improvement

After a few weeks of treatment, Zadran was discharged from the hospital. However, his condition worsened again after three weeks when he complained of severe 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.

Zadran’s current condition

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.”