January 31, New Delhi Shapoor Zadran, a bowler for Afghanistan, announced his retirement from international cricket after a stellar career spanning over a decade.

Afghanistan Cricket said, “ACB thank Shapoor Zadran for his contributions to the rise of Afghanistan cricket and wish him the best of luck for the future,” on X.

Zadran played in 80 international appearances for Afghanistan and has taken 43 wickets in ODI matches and 37 more in T20I matches.

“Today is the day I never wanted to face, but every player must eventually face it.” I hereby announce my retirement from international cricket after 22 years of dedication, effort, and passion for the game. Since cricket has been more than just a game to me—it has been my passion, identity, and purpose—this has been one of the hardest choices of my life,” he stated in a Facebook post.

“I have dreamed of representing Afghanistan since I was a young child, and now that I look back, I am proud to have contributed to raising our country’s flag on the international scene,” he said.

“My dedication to cricket is unwavering, even if I am leaving the national team. If Allah wills it, I will keep using my knowledge to assist the next Afghan cricket players succeed,” the message said.

Before declaring his retirement this afternoon, Zadran played his last international match in 2020 after making his debut in 2009.

The 37-year-old played in three ICC Men’s T20 World Cup campaigns. In 2015, he scored the game-winning runs against Scotland in Dunedin, which led to the team’s first-ever triumph in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.