The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has decided to postpone two days of matches in the ongoing 11th season of the Shpageeza Cricket League in remembrance of former fast bowler Shapoor Zadran, who died on Tuesday at the age of 38 after a prolonged battle with illness. The board officially announced that the planned games on Wednesday, July 8, and Thursday, July 9, would not take place in honor of one of the founders of Afghan cricket.
The ACB declared in an official statement that the choice was made ‘as a mark of respect and in tribute to the late Shapoor Zadran’. In due course, a revised schedule for the remaining T20 tournament will be revealed.
“As a mark of respect and in tribute to the late Shapoor Zadran, the scheduled matches for Wednesday, July 8, and Thursday, July 9, in the 11th edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League 2026, have been postponed,” the ACB wrote in a statement.
Funeral In Kabul
The plans for Zadran’s funeral were also confirmed by the ACB. His remains were to be transported to his family’s home in Sadr-e-Azam Township in the Bagrami district after arriving at Kabul International Airport on Wednesday. He will be buried at Maranjan Hill on Thursday morning after the funeral prayers at Kabul’s famous Eidgah Mosque.
In order to pay their last respects to the former left-arm pacer, the board announced that its representatives and members of the Afghanistan national team would be present at the funeral. Zadran was highly respected in Afghanistan’s cricket community, as seen by the postponement of the nation’s top domestic T20 tournament.
“The mortal remains of the late Shapoor Zadran will arrive at Kabul International Airport today, Wednesday, at 4:00 PM and will then be taken to his family residence in Sadr-e-Azam Township in Bagrami District,” another ACB statement read.
“The funeral prayer will be offered on Thursday at 10:00 AM at Eidgah Mosque, Kabul. Following the prayer, the late Shapoor Zadran will be laid to rest during a special burial ceremony at Maranjan Hill, Kabul.”
