| Personal information | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batting style | Left-hand bat | |||
| Bowling style | Slow left-arm orthodox | |||
| International information | ||||
| National side | Indian | |||
| Career statistics | ||||
| Competition | Tests | First-class | ||
| Matches | 29 | 170 | ||
| Runs scored | 1202 | 8545 | ||
| Batting average | 25.04 | 33.37 | ||
| 100s/50s | 1/7 | 14/45 | ||
| Top score | 104 | 137* | ||
| Balls bowled | 6446 | 28130 | ||
| Wickets | 75 | 484 | ||
| Bowling average | 35.42 | 26.09 | ||
| 5 wickets in innings | 3 | 21 | ||
| 10 wickets in match | 1 | 2 | ||
| Best bowling | 6/73 | 8/99 | ||
| Catches/stumpings | 14/- | 144/4 | ||
| Source: [1], | ||||
Salim Aziz Durani (born December 11, 1934, Kabul, Afghanistan) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 29 Tests from 1960 to 1973. An allrounder, Durani was a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and a big hitting left-handed batsman and famous for his six hitting prowess. He is the only Test cricketer to have been born in Afghanistan[1].
Durani was the hero of India's series victory against England in 1961-62. He took 8 and 10 wickets in their wins at Calcutta and Madras respectively. Also, a decade later he was instrumental in India's victory against West Indies at Port of Spain having taken wickets of Clive Lloyd and Gary Sobers.[2]
In his 50 Test innings he only made just the one century, 104 against the West Indies in 1962. He played for teams Gujarat, Rajasthan and Saurashtra in first class cricket. He made 14 hundreds in first class cricket in which he managed 8545 runs at 33.37. He has the distinction of the only cricketer that will respond and deliver with consistency, a demand of hitting a six from the crowd. The crowd would cheer "We want Sixer " and Durrani would hit one. Durrani had a special rapport with the spectators, who once agitated, when he was inexplicably dropped from the team for Kanpur Test in 1973, with placards and slogans like ``No Durrani, no Test.
Popular with the public, he appeared in a film "Charithra" with Parveen Babi in 1973.[3] He was the first crickter to win Arjuna award. He was awarded the C K Nayadu Lifetime Achievement Award by the BCCI in 2011.[4]