![Phillies Release Rene Pinto After Signing Payton Henry to Replace Him Behind Plate]](https://i0.wp.com/imageio.forbes.com/specials-images/imageserve/6a4e7b3c97716afa808c1d9f/0x0.jpg?format=jpg&crop=1469,826,x1297,y96,safe&height=900&width=1600&fit=bounds&w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "Phillies Release Rene Pinto After Signing Payton Henry to Replace Him Behind Plate]")
.jpeg?ssl=1)
The Afghanistan cricket community gathered in mourning for former fast bowler Shapoor Zadran during an emotional farewell ceremony at Kabul International Airport, with several current and former players overcome with grief as they paid their final respects to one of the nation’s cricket pioneers.
A deeply moving video from the airport went viral on social media, capturing Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmat Shah, Hamid Hassan, Nawroz Mangal, former captain Asghar Afghan, and other cricket figures waiting to receive Zadran’s mortal remains. Many players were visibly overcome as the coffin was brought out of the aircraft.
Seeing Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmat Shah, Hamid Hassan, Nawroz Mangal, and so many other Afghan cricketers in tears as they waited for the late Shapoor Zadran’s coffin to be brought out of the… pic.twitter.com/bPSf2tI6Hw
— Fazal Afghan (@fhzadran) July 8, 2026
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) confirmed that Zadran passed away in India on Tuesday, July 07 following a prolonged illness. The former left-arm pacer had been undergoing treatment in New Delhi after being diagnosed with stage four haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening condition that causes severe inflammation and can affect multiple organs including the bone marrow, liver, and spleen. He had been receiving treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) since May.
According to reports, Zadran’s health issues began in October of the previous year, prior to his travel to India for advanced treatment. His medical visa was expedited with the support of Rashid Khan and ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf, enabling his admission to a hospital in New Delhi in January.
Zadran represented Afghanistan in 44 ODIs and 36 T20Is between 2009 and 2020, claiming 80 international wickets. He was among the key figures in Afghanistan’s rise on the international stage and finished as the team’s leading wicket-taker at the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup.
