Afghan cricket's pioneer pacer Shapur Zadran is no more

Former Afghan left-arm pacer Shapur Zadran has passed away. He died in India on Tuesday after a long illness. He was 38 years old at the time of his death.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board has expressed deep sorrow over his death. The board said that Shapur Zadran's contribution to the development of Afghan cricket will be remembered for a long time.

Zadran had been suffering from a rare disease, hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, for a long time. He went to India for better treatment and was undergoing treatment in a hospital there.

After making his ODI debut in 2009, he played 44 ODIs and 36 T20 matches for Afghanistan. He was known to the fans for his speed, aggressive bowling and long run-ups.

Zadran was one of the key figures in the early rise of Afghanistan cricket. His winning boundary in Afghanistan's first World Cup win against Scotland in the 2015 World Cup also holds a special place in the hearts of cricket fans.

His death has cast a shadow of mourning over the cricketing scene in Afghanistan.