Ex-Afghanistan Pacer Shapoor Zadran Battles For Life, Admitted To ICU In Delhi Hospital

Former Afghanistan pacer Shapoor Zadran is battling for his life after being diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), a rare and life-threatening disease. The 38-year-old left-arm pacer is currently admitted to the intensive care unit of a New Delhi hospital, where he has been undergoing treatment since January. HLH, which mainly affects children, is a condition in which the immune system becomes severely impaired. The patient suffers from hyperinflammation triggered by an overactive immune response, leading to damage to the body's tissues, including the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes.

According to ESPNcricinfo, Ghamai revealed that Shapoor was able to get his Indian visa expedited after Afghanistan's T20I team captain, Rashid Khan, and Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) chairman Mirwais Ashraf stepped in to help through their contacts in India.

Ashraf reached out to the International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah, while Rashid contacted his connections in the franchise circuit, including his association with the Gujarat Titans and teams owned by the Mumbai Indians in other leagues. Shapoor arrived in India on January 18 and was subsequently admitted to a hospital.

His younger brother, Ghamai Zadran, said Shapoor first felt unwell last October, and doctors in Afghanistan later advised him to travel to India for treatment. Shapoor Zadran, who represented Afghanistan in 80 international matches (44 ODIs and 36 T20Is) between 2009 and 2020, began feeling unwell last October, according to his brother. 

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Ghamai said that Shapoor was suffering from a severe, widespread infection that affected his entire body, including Tuberculosis, and had also spread to his brain, as confirmed by MRI and CT scans.

"It was a very serious infection," Ghamai told ESPNcricinfo.

"His whole body was affected by the infection, including TB (tuberculosis). It also spread to his brain, which was revealed after an MRI and CT scan." Shapoor initially responded well to treatment and was discharged from the hospital, but suffered a relapse after 20 days.

"The doctor said we could come in frequently for check-ups. He (Shapoor) was feeling good for about 20 days before he got the infection again. Then we admitted him to the hospital again," Ghamai said.

"He developed a fever and later tested positive for dengue. His immunity was very weak, as his red blood cell count had dropped severely," Ghamai added.

With ANI inputs

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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Shapoor Zadran Rashid Khan Afghanistan Cricket