What Happened To Shapoor Zadran? Entire Timeline Of Afghanistan Star's Health Crisis

Shapoor Zadran for Afghanistan [Source: AFP]

Afghanistan cricketer Shapoor Zadran is currently in critical condition after being diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) disease. Zadran's health has been in major turmoil since October last year, and his condition hasn't improved since then.

For the unaware, HLH is a rare and life-threatening immune disorder that has affected the veteran of Afghanistan Shapoor Zadran who played 44 ODIs and represented the country in 36 T20I games between 2009 and 2020.

Shapoor Zadran's Illness and Battle With Life: Full Timeline

In October 2025, Zadran first began to feel unwell in his home country, Afghanistan, where local doctors advised him to seek advanced treatment in a foreign country because of the severity of the infection.

As per his younger brother, Ghamai Zadran, Shapoor was advised to seek treatment in India and, after assistance from Afghanistan's Rashid Khan and the Afghanistan Cricket Board as well, his visa process was expedited soon, allowing him to be admitted to a New Delhi hospital in January.

In February 2026, initial tests in the hospital revealed a massive outbreak of infection in his body, including tuberculosis that spread to his brain.

“It was a very serious infection. His whole body was affected, including TB, which even spread to his brain. This was revealed through MRI and CT scans,” Ghamai told ESPNCricinfo.

After that, in late February, he showed signs of improvement and was briefly discharged as he began to recover.

Shapoor Zadran's Health Worsened After Brief Recovery

However, soon after a span of 20 days, his condition worsened and relapsed, where he suffered a sharp drop in red blood cell count and tested positive for dengue.

On April 20, he was confirmed for the HLH disease, where Shapoor Zadran's illness reached its peak because of the stage 4 disease that was confirmed from a bone marrow test in the hospital in India.

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Notably, HLH is a condition that causes severe hyperinflammation and can lead to the damage of multiple vital organs such as the bone marrow, liver, spleen, and lymph nodes, effectively becoming fatal.

As of April 21, Zadran’s health is at risk with him being placed on life support with doctors not so hopeful of his recovery because of the dangerously low white blood cell counts.

Is Recovery From Stage 4 HLH Disease Possible?

Fortunately, recovery from stage 4 HLH disease is possible. However, it requires timely and aggressive medical intervention. Currently, Shapoor Zadran's health is at a stage that typically refers to stage 3 CNS, (central nervous system) involvement, where the most advanced level of brain and spinal cord infiltration by immune cells has happened.

While the mortality rate for HLH in adults can be between 50% to 80%, recent research has shown that 60% of critically ill patients can be rescued if treated quickly.

Will Zadran Recover From HLH?

With no timeline of Zadran's recovery yet, Zadran's brother added that the steroids he has been given recently are working and he's responding to them slightly, which can be taken as a positive sign.

“We are hopeful he will improve gradually. The steroids he has been given recently seem to be working and that has given us some hope,” Ghamai added.

Nevertheless, the recovery from this stage will be an uphill battle for the Afghanistan cricketer Shapoor Zadran, and it will only depend on his ability to withstand the heavy medications and whether the damage to the brain and organs is still reversible or not.

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