Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Intriguingly no Australian and only one Englishman has qualified for this eclectic club which has a dozen members: England - J.M.Parks (2 hundreds, 1 wicket, 11 stumpings); South Africa - M.V.Boucher (5, 1, 2), A.B.de Villiers (7, 2, 1); West Indies - R.J.Christiani (1, 3, 2), C.L.Walcott (15, 11, 11); New Zealand - J.R.Reid (6, 85, 1); India - S.M.H.Kirmani (2, 1, 38), V.L.Manjrekar (7, 1, 2); Pakistan - Aamer Malik (2, 1, 1), Javed Miandad (23, 17, 1), Taslim Arif (1, 1, 3); Zimbabwe - Tatenda Taibu (1, 1, 4). Clyde Walcott is alone in reaching double figures in all three categories.

Q. Has anybody apart from Andrew Strauss been on the losing side despite scoring a century in both innings of a Test match?
Jez229

Bearders' Answer: Strauss is the eighth batsman to join this list:
H.Sutcliffe 176 127 E v A Melbourne Jan 1925
G.A.Headley 106 107 WI v E Lord's Jun 1939
V.S.Hazare 116 145 I v A Adelaide Jan 1948
C.L.Walcott 155 110 WI v A Kingston Jun 1955
S.M.Gavaskar 111 137 I v P Karachi Nov 1978
A.Flower 142 199* Z v SA Harare Sep 2001
B.C.Lara 221 130 WI v SL Colombo Nov 2001
A.J.Strauss 123 108 E v I Madras Dec 2008

Q. In Tests, what is the highest first innings total posted by a team batting first, only to go on to lose the match?
devonFRATTONiser

Bearders' Answer: Australia's 586 all out at Sydney in December 1894 remains the highest losing total for the opening innings of a Test match. England replied with 325 and, following on, scored 437 before the left-arm spin of Bobby Peel (6-67) and Johnny Briggs (3-25) snatched victory by ten runs on a 'sticky' pitch. The first Test to involve a sixth playing day, it was also the first to be won by a team following on. Spare a thought for George Giffen, Australia's champion all-rounder, who contributed 202 runs and eight wickets to a losing cause.

Q. Greetings from the US where we have one, real turf wicket! I was wondering (surprisingly hard to find) how many sides have won a Test series in Australia. If you subtract West Indies (1970-2000) and England (1877-1900), it must be only a handful?
CowCornerCathedral

Bearders' Answer: In fact it is two handfuls! Discounting the seasons you list, England have won eight series in Australia (1903-04, 1911-12, 1928-29, 1932-33, 1954-55, 1970-71, 1978-79, 1986-87), New Zealand one (1985-86) and now South Africa one (2008-09).
Presumably your turf wicket is on the Woodley Complex in Los Angeles where I had the privilege of playing for the MCC in 1991. Only last week I received an invitation from the Corinthians Cricket Club to speak at their 75th Anniversary Dinner in October and play for the Occasionals at Woodley the following day. I will look out for you at Cow Corner!

Q. I have a question about Greek Cricketers. Now I know that ex-Aussie fast bowler Jason Gillespie is half Greek and Hampshire's South African keeper, Nic Pothas, is also of Greek descent - but are these the only "Greeks" to have played international cricket? By the way, we have a new ground in Athens which, fingers crossed, will herald the rise of the Minotaurs on the world cricket scene.
ElGrecoAthens

Bearders' Answer: No Test cricketer was actually born in Greece. Zenophon Constantine Balaskas, a thickset leg-spinner and a lower-order batsman skilled enough to score two first-class double centuries, had Greek parents. Born in Johannesburg in 1910 and known as 'Bally' or 'Saxophone', he appeared for no fewer than five first-class provincial teams as well as in nine Tests. Notably, at Lord's in 1935, he contributed nine wickets to South Africa's first victory in England.
One Test cricketer, L.J. (Leonard) Moon, died in Greece. His 96 first-class matches, mainly for Cambridge University and Middlesex, included four Tests for England in South Africa in 1905-06. An aggressive opening batsman who scored 138 against the 1899 Australians, he could also keep wicket. As a 2nd Lieutenant with the Devon Regiment during the First World War, he died of wounds near Karasouli, Salonica, in 1916.
Congratulations on acquiring your new ground in Athens. As Patron of their Cricket Board, I will advise Germany to tour there.

Q. How many times has a Test side scored 400+ runs and lost all 10 wickets in one day? I think it happened in 2005 between England and Australia. sleepingkerrps

Bearders' Answer: Your instance was in that epic match at Edgbaston when Ricky Ponting ignored the loss of key bowler Glenn McGrath through a freak training accident shortly before the start, put England in and bowled them out for 407 in 79.2 overs just before stumps. England eventually scraped to victory by two runs - the narrowest runs margin in Ashes Tests.
I have found five other instances (match day in brackets):-
South Africa 451 (2nd) v New Zealand Christchurch 1931-32
Australia 450 (1st) v South Africa Johannesburg 1921-22
Australia 448 (1st) v South Africa Manchester 1912
England 428 (1st) v South Africa Lord's 1907
Australia 407 (1st) v England Leeds 1921

Q. I notice that you often refer to the method or location of death of cricketers. Is this an interest? What is the most unusual method of death for a first-class cricketer?
sirianblog

Bearders' Answer: When I compiled my Index of Test Cricketers for 'The Wisden Book of Test Cricket' series, I included their places of birth and, where appropriate, death. In researching my 'England Test Cricketers' I found that fate had dealt a surprising number with bizarre and unusual ends. My favourites include: crushed by a crane loading sugar aboard the SS Muriel (Charlie Absolom); in a mud hut after falling off a cart and being interred in a coffin made from whisky cases (Monty Bowden); as he was putting on his boots to go to work (Johnny Tyldesley); from pneumonia contracted while watching Yorkshire play at Sheffield (George Ulyett); from septicaemia after falling on a dance floor ('Dodger' Whysall).

Q. I think England win more Tests when Hoggard plays and lose more Tests when Anderson plays. How many of Hoggard's 67 Tests have England won? How many of Anderson's 31 Tests have England lost?
COMMONSENSECRICKET

Bearders' Answer: Only because Matthew Hoggard has played more than double the number of Tests enjoyed by James Anderson your statement is basically correct! Expressed as a percentage the difference is a mere 1.11%. England have won 31 (46.27%), lost 18 and drawn 18 of Hoggard's 67 Tests. Anderson's 31 appearances have resulted in 14 wins (45.16%), 11 defeats and six draws. Their nine joint appearances began with a sequence of six wins but ended with three defeats.

Q. Bangladesh recently scored 413 in the fourth innings in their attempt to score 521 to beat Sri Lanka. Aside from the fact that this shows they can make a big score, what is the highest ever fourth innings score in Test and first-class cricket?
aarongeordie

Bearders' Answer: The record fourth innings score in all first-class matches is the 654-5 amassed by England in the timeless Test at Durban in March 1939. Beginning on the day I was born, it was abandoned as a draw 11 days later (when rain ended play at tea with England just 42 runs short of victory), because the tourists had to begin a two-day train journey to catch their ship in Cape Town.

Q. During a recent Australia v South Africa Test match I noticed that four leg-byes were scored in an over yet no other runs. When they showed the bowling stats later, that over was considered a maiden. Why don't leg-byes count towards a bowler's stats?
copperspa

Bearders' Answer: Simply because neither byes nor leg-byes result from bowling errors whereas no-balls and wides do. Not until 1983-84 were penalties and runs scored off no-balls and wides debited to a bowler's analysis. Before that season, maiden overs could include no-balls and wides.

Q. Recently you have been referring to ODI's as "internationals", where you used to call them LOI's. Is there any reason for this? Do you include 20-20 games in this classification?
Aaron (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)

Bearders' Answer: I have always referred to them by the correct nomenclature of Limited-Overs Internationals. That was their original title and it was the only one used when, in the mid-Eighties, the then ICC Secretary Jack Bailey commissioned me to compile a list of all such internationals commencing with their accidental conception at Melbourne in January 1971. They are not 'One-Day Internationals' because a substantial number have involved more than a single day's play. In these blogs I use the term 'internationals' in deference to BBC Online's instruction to avoid the abbreviation 'LOI'. Twenty-over matches are Very Limited-Overs Internationals. Their statistics are a separate entity and do not qualify for inclusion in List A records

Q. Which England players have scored a hundred in both innings of a Test on tour apart from Strauss and Compton in Adelaide in 1947?
Paul Hawkins (Dubai)

Bearders' Answer: Thank you for your question, 'Hawkeye'. I hope to see you when I am over there with the Lord's Taverners later this week.
Five others have scored hundreds in both innings for England overseas: C.A.G. 'Jack' Russell (Durban 1922-23); Herbert Sutcliffe (Melbourne 1924-25); Wally Hammond (Adelaide 1928-29); Eddie Paynter (Johannesburg 1938-39); and Alec Stewart (Bridgetown 1993-94).

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Anderson (44 innings) is level with Australia's J.W. ('Jim') Burke (1950-51 to 1958-59) but one behind Pakistan's Yasir Hamid.

De Villiers enjoyed a record 78 innings before his first duck. Your Jones statement is correct; he batted 51 times before bagging a pair in his final two innings.

Q. I was surprised to see that Brett Lee's match analysis of 9 for 171 was the best of his Test career. Is his career total of 308 wickets (before Boxing Day Test) the most by a bowler who has never taken ten wickets in a Test match? Richie76

Bearders' Answer: No, but only England's R.G.D. ('Bob') Willis with 325 wickets has taken more without claiming ten in a match.

Q. Which bowler has the most caught and bowled in Tests and limited-overs internationals? MidmorningWarning

Bearders' Answer: The Test record is currently held by India's Anil Kumble with 35 catches off his own bowling but Muthiah Muralitharan (32 before Sri Lanka's current rubber in Bangladesh) is close behind. No other bowler has held more than 21.

Murali (29) shares the record in internationals with New Zealand's Chris Harris. Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq (20) is the only other bowler to exceed 18.

Murali (61) holds the combined Test/international record ahead of Kumble (53).

Q. How often has England lost a Test having declared in their second innings and set their opponents a target in the fourth innings of the match? Before Madras recently, when was the last time this happened? Censura

Bearders' Answer: England has now lost three matches after declaring their second innings, the others being against Australia at Leeds in 1948 and against West Indies at Lord's in 1984.

Ignoring the infamous Cronje forfeiture of 1999-2000, there have been 11 instances, the most recent before Madras being South Africa's against Australia at Sydney in 2005-06.

Q. Sachin Tendulkar recently broke Brian Lara's aggregate record for Test runs but a West Indian friend of mine said the vast majority of these were made at home on India's flat batting tracks. His underlying assertion is that Lara's record was greater given that he scored more runs abroad (even though his 400 and 375 were made at home). What are the stats for the number of runs made by the two respectively on home soil? James, Trinidad and Tobago

Bearders' Answer: The figures below show that your friend is wrong. Notably Lara's away average is 10 runs lighter than his home one whereas Tendulkar's differs by just one run.

Lara
At Home:

Inns Runs Avge 100

111 6217 58.65 17

Away:

Inns Runs Avge 100

119 5695 48.26 17

Tendulkar
At Home:

Inns Runs Avge 100

115 5608 54.98 18

Away:

Inns Runs Avge 100

141 6821 53.71 23

Q. I know that Shane Warne has scored the most Test runs (3,142) without ever getting a century (his nearest challengers, Vaas and Kumble, both got centuries recently), but which batsman has scored the most runs without ever getting a fifty? Jonathan Ellis

Bearders' Answer: Waqar Younis is your man. He scored 1,010 runs, average 10.20, in 120 innings, with a top score of 45. His nearest challenger is Fred Trueman with 981 runs, average 13.82, from 85 innings and a highest score of only 39 not out.

Q. Is the length of a cricket pitch called a "run" (we have a 50/50 split at work)? ncollyer

Bearders' Answer: The 50 who said it wasn't called a run were correct! Nor has it ever been. The pitch is the distance (22 yards or one chain - the latter being a linear unit for measuring land) between the two sets of stumps. The distance necessary to score a run is only that between the inside of the two popping creases which are set four feet in front of the stumps.

Q. I have been wondering about Ian Botham's record when playing for Queensland in the late Eighties. Did he score any hundreds or claim any five-wicket hauls? What were his averages? Did he play for them for just one season? David Gunner

Bearders' Answer: Wonder no more. Sir Ian appeared in 11 first-class matches for Queensland, all in 1987-88, scoring 646 runs (avge 34.00) and taking 29 wickets (avge 27.75). He failed to score a hundred or to take five wickets in an innings. The highest of his seven fifties was 70 against Western Australia at Perth and his best bowling analysis was 3 for 12.

Q. Allan Border once had scores of 98 not out and 100 in the same Test against West Indies. Is this the only instance of a batsman scoring a hundred and remaining unbeaten in the 90s in the same Test? Prashant, New York

Bearders' Answer: Border (at Port-of-Spain in 1983-84) is the only Australian to do this but four other batsmen (two apiece from England and West Indies) have achieved this unusual double: Gary Sobers (Georgetown 1967-68), Mike Atherton (Christchurch 1996-97), Shiv Chanderpaul (Lord's 2004) and Andrew Strauss (Port Elizabeth 2004-05).

Q. With the recent call up to the England squad of Kent's Amjad Khan, has there ever been a Danish-born Test player? Alan Glaum

Bearders' Answer: No Test cricketer has been born in Denmark and only one has died near there. J.W.H.T. (Johnny) Douglas was drowned at sea attempting to save his father after their ship collided with another in fog seven miles south of the Laeso Trindel lightship in December 1930.

Q. How do the methods of dismissal of the current top three Test wicket-takers (Muralitharan, Warne and Kumble) differ from each other? Sirianblog

Bearders' Answer: Before Murali's appearances in the current Bangladesh v Sri Lanka series, their dismissals were as follows:

Tests Wickets B Ct LBW St Hit Wkt

Muralitharan 122 751 160 403 143 44 1

Warne 145 708 116 418 138 36 0

Kumble 132 619 94 345 156 24 0

Q. My great-grandmother (aged 98) claims that her brother played cricket for Surrey, possibly as a wicket-keeper. His name was Jack Brown. Can you find him in your records? Isaac Dunn, England

Bearders' Answer: Sadly, I cannot find a Jack Brown who played for Surrey. A grand total of 38 players are listed as 'J.Brown' on the Cricket Archive website but none played for Surrey. The county's own register of first-class cricketers includes only one Brown who played in the first half of the 20th century - F.R. ('Freddie') Brown who appeared for Surrey (1931-48) before captaining Northamptonshire and England.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: There is no limit to the number of overthrows that can be run from a single delivery.

Eight could well be the Test record for the most runs scored off one ball. Seven is the most I have recorded in the 375 Tests I have scored to date. That instance occurred during the fourth West Indies Test at Headingley in 1976 when Alan Knott took a quick single to extra-cover where Bernard Julien fielded and overthrew the wicket-keeper. The batsmen ran two overthrows before Andy Roberts at square-leg retrieved the ball. His throw eluded the stumps at the bowler's end and crossed the long-off boundary.

The most in first-class cricket is 10 by S.H.Wood for Derbyshire v MCC at Lord's in 1900. There have been 14 recorded instances of nine, the most recent, also at Lord's, in 1949.

Q. Seeing that Jason Krejza was dropped after his Test debut, albeit tactically, I was wondering, if he never plays again for Australia, would he have the best 'single Test' figures ever?
Stuart, West Bromwich

Bearders' Answer: Yes, he would but it would be a major surprise if he were not to appear shortly against South Africa. No other bowler has taken 12 wickets in a single-Test career.

Charles Stowell ('Father') Marriott, who took 11 for 96 (5-37 and 6-59) for England against West Indies at The Oval in August 1933, is the only other one-Test wonder to have taken more than seven wickets. Marriott, a tall right-arm leg-break and googly bowler, began his goose-stepping run at mid-off. He turned the ball sharply from a high action, his delivery arm starting its swing from behind his back like Jeff Thomson.

Although his solitary appearance, when nearing his 38th birthday, scuppered West Indies by an innings in two days and 10 minutes, Marriott was an appalling fielder and batsman (574 runs as opposed to 711 wickets in 159 first-class matches for Lancashire, Cambridge University and Kent). He was unlikely to have inflicted too much damage on the enemy during his Second World War duties as a Home Guard anti-aircraft gunner.

Q. Charles Marriott's bowling average in his one Test was 8.72. Is this the best Test bowling average for a bowler who has taken more then 10 wickets?
captainschoice

Bearders' Answer: Yes, it is. The only other bowlers to have taken ten or more wickets at an average under 12.60 also represented England. Kent's Fred ('Nutty') Martin (14 wickets for 141 runs in two Tests) was a left-arm bowler very similar in pace and style to Derek Underwood. Surrey's George Lohmann (112 wickets for 1205 runs in 18 Tests) was a brisk-medium right-hander who has the strongest statistical claim to be considered as the greatest Test-match bowler of all time.

Q. In a limited overs international that is curtailed by rain such that there is no result, do the runs scored/wickets taken and other details of play still count as part of a batsman's/bowler's/team's record in that format?
bigfluffylemon

Bearders' Answer: Yes

Q. Following Yuvraj Singh's recent heroics against England, I was wondering what is the highest number of runs scored in an innings by a batsman while using a runner?
harry8611

Bearders' Answer: There have been at least 30 instances of batsmen scoring hundreds in first-class cricket using a runner for a major part of their innings, 12 of them throughout its entirety. The first was by Alfred Mynn who scored 125 not out for the South v the North at Leicester in 1836. He injured his leg during pre-match practice and it became sufficiently serious for amputation to be considered. He didn't play again until 1838.

Scores where a runner was summoned in mid-innings are not available in many cases. The highest number of runs in a single innings made with a runner that I have on record is 155 by Paul Prichard during his 224 for Essex v Kent at Canterbury in 1997. He acquired a runner after scoring 69. The highest complete innings with a runner is 150 not out by D.J. (Danny) Buckingham for Tasmania v Western Australia at Perth in 1986-87.

The only batsman to score two complete hundreds in a match with the aid of a runner is Graeme Fowler of Lancashire, Durham, England and Test Match Special. Playing for Lancashire at Southport in 1982, he strained his thigh while fielding on the first day during Warwickshire's innings of 523-4 declared, but batted without a runner to score 26 not out at stumps. He then scored exactly 100 before lunch on the second day with David Lloyd as his runner. In the second innings, Ian Folley ran for him (and acknowledged the crowd's applause for the century) when 'Foxy' scored 128 not out on the third day.

Q. I am an Englishman currently playing cricket in Australia, and I was shocked last week when a local came up and told me I was filling in my scorebook incorrectly.

I am told that Australians mark a wicket with an X, and wides with a W - whereas I was always taught the other way round in England. What is the 'accepted' international convention - and why has/when did this difference arise?
ausbantam

Bearders' Answer: Stick to W for wicket and a plus sign for wides. Never heard such nonsense! Australians do tend to be confused through having to spend their lives the wrong way up.

Q. Adam Gilchrist used to wear a squash ball in his batting gloves. Is that legal?
slowerball

Bearders' Answer: There is nothing in the Laws of Cricket to prevent you putting anything inside your batting glove and you can wear as many pairs of gloves as you like. The same applies to wicket-keeping gloves - many of the old-timers used to put steaks inside the palms of the gloves before inners were invented. Probably an extra bionic hand, giving a three-handed grip on the bat, would be considered against the spirit of cricket though.

Q. When scoring, do you mark recent innovations such as powerplays? I wondered, as during England's recent internationals, Swann's figures outside the powerplay overs were very respectable. In future, comparing the career of someone whose figures were achieved before such changes with someone afterwards might be unfair.
Adrian Worley

Bearders' Answer: I did record them when I scored limited-overs matches, simply be ruling off those sections of the linear scoresheet. Someone may feel the urge to compile the stats you suggest but it won't be me!

Q. In the recent NZ v Bangladesh Test match Danny Vettori produced an amazing set of figures with bat and ball - even allowing for the fact that Bangladesh are not one of the major opposition teams. He scored 55 and 76 as well as taking 5 for 59 and 4 for 74.

One more wicket in the second innings and he would have achieved two "five fors" and two half centuries. Has anybody ever managed this feat or is Vettori the closest?
Graham, Cheshire

Bearders' Answer: No one has scored two fifties and taken five wickets twice in a Test. Alan Davidson was just six runs short when he scored 44 and 80 in addition to taking 5-135 and 6-87 for Australia v West Indies in the tied Test at Brisbane in 1960-61.

Ian Botham and Imran Khan are alone in scoring a century as well as taking five or more wickets in each innings of a Test.

Q. Has anyone ever scored a Test match century that did not include any boundaries?
littletel1

Bearders' Answer: No, the fewest is one by Graham Thorpe for England against Pakistan at Lahore on November 2000. It also involved the most scoring strokes: 71 - a four, 7 threes, 12 twos and 51 singles. He did add a second boundary before being out for 118 off 301 balls in 430 minutes.

Q. Iain O'Brien's 38-ball duck in a partnership of 50 in the recent second Test in Adelaide must be some sort of superlative but may have been beaten. When and by whom?
RobinP63

Bearders' Answer: It may well be the first 50 partnership in which one partner failed to score but preparations for a probable departure to India allow scant time for research. The nearest I have spotted is Shahadat Hossain's contribution of 3 not out to a tenth-wicket stand of 69 with Mohammad Rafique for Bangladesh against Australia at Chittagong in 2005-06.

The longest duck in Test cricket took 101 minutes (77 balls) and was the work of New Zealand's Geoff Allott against South Africa at Auckland in 1998-99 but his last-wicket stand with Chris Harris added only 32.

Q. At the start of a match we, as the bowling side, waited to see which batsman was facing and then chose our bowler. The batsmen then changed over so that the other batsman was to face the first ball. So we changed our bowler. The impasse was only resolved by our giving in and naming our opening bowler before letting the opposition choose which of their opening batsmen faced first. Who really should choose first?
Chrisnicolbeyond

Bearders' Answer: There is nothing in the Laws to deal with such nonsense apart from it contravening the Spirit of Cricket. The fielding captain, usually after discussing preference of ends with his opening bowlers, decides from which end play will begin and advises the umpires. The batsmen then go to their chosen ends. Normally they would choose who wanted to face the first ball - not which bowler they didn't want to face.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Krejza's analysis has established a new record for the most expensive eight-wicket haul. The full list that you requested includes a few surprises:-
0-259 Khan Mohammad P v WI Kingston 1957-58
1-298 L.O.Fleetwood-Smith A v E The Oval 1938
2-247 Fazal Mahmood P v WI Kingston 1957-58
3-237 Saqlain Mushtaq P v SA Cape Town 2002-03
4-201 B.Lee A v I Sydney 2003-04
5-266 O.C.Scott WI v E Kingston 1929-30
6-226 B.S.Bedi I v E Lord's 1974
7-220 Kapil Dev I v P Faisalabad 1982-83
8-215 J.J.Krejza A v I Nagpur 2008-09
9-121 A.A.Mailey A v E Melbourne 1920-21
10- 74 A.Kumble I v P Delhi 1998-99

Q. In the recent Fourth Test between India and Australia, Jason Krejza went for 358 runs in the match - this can't be far off being a record!
SlowFatMikey

Bearders' Answer: Krejza's tally is the runner-up. Only West Indian leg-break bowler O.C. ('Tommy') Scott, with match figures of 9 for 374 at Kingston in 1929-30, has conceded more. The bulk of those runs were scored off him in the first innings when he returned the remarkable figures of 80.2 overs, 13 maidens, 266 runs and 5 wickets as England amassed 849 runs at the start of a timeless Test. Andy Sandham was chiefly responsible as he posted the first international triple century in what turned out to be his final Test.

Q. What is the lowest score made by a team winning a Test match by an innings - batting first and second?
sirianblog

Bearders' Answer: Both those lowest innings-winning totals were made on vicious 'sticky' pitches as they dried after heavy rain.
The lowest such first-innings score is 172 by England against Australia (81 and 70) at Manchester in 1888 when a record 18 (Australian) wickets fell before lunch on the second day in the shortest completed Test match in England - 6 hours 34 minutes. The tourists were compelled to follow on as the margin in 1888 was a mere 80 runs.
Australia's 153 against South Africa (36 and 45) at Melbourne in 1931-32 is the lowest to gain an innings victory batting second.

Q. I am sure that all three Chappell brothers played Test cricket for Australia together at some point. Has this feat been equalled or surpassed?
magnaMortonfan

Bearders' Answer: Oh, no, they didn't! In fact Trevor did not appear in the same Test as either of his brothers. His three appearances, all against England in 1981, were made after Ian had retired and when Greg was unavailable.
The three Grace brethren, E.M., G.F. and W.G., are alone in appearing for the same side in a Test match. They all made their debuts against Australia at The Oval in 1880 in the first Test to be staged in England.
Three Hearne brothers appeared in the Cape Town Test of March 1892 when Alec and George made their debuts for England and Frank appeared for South Africa after playing twice for England. Their cousin, John Thomas, also made his debut in that match.

Q. When one says 'a batsman was out without troubling the scorers', how much trouble does the batsman really cause?
Aaron van Geordieland

Bearders' Answer: Frequently I have publicly threatened to throttle any commentator who uses that hackneyed and erroneous expression. The fall of a wicket produces pressure points in any scoring system. If wickets fall in swift succession that pressure is dramatically increased.
The linear method I have designed for TMS commentaries involves three A4 sheets: the Ball-by-Ball Record of Play, the Innings Scorecard and the Cumulative Bowling Analyses. Only the first two are immediately affected by the fall of a wicket. First I stop the watch recording the length of his innings and zero it for the new batsman.
Record of Play: I enter 'W' in the dismissed batsman's column to show which ball took his wicket and the time of his dismissal on the next line of the 'time' column. I complete all totals in the 'End-of-Over' section and the outgoing batsman's balls and boundaries columns. Then I rule off that batsman's section and his column in the 'Totals' section. The new batsman's name is then entered on the next line of the batting column.
Innings Scorecard: I enter details of that batsman's dismissal (time out, minutes batted, how out, runs, fall-of-wicket, fours, sixes and balls faced) and his partnership details (runs, minutes and balls). Finally I add the new batsman's name and enter the time he went in.
In Test matches there would normally be a two-minute hiatus before play is resumed but it is far shorter in limited-overs games and virtually non-existent in the 20-over format.

Q. Gordon Greenidge scored 134 out of 211 for West Indies v England in the Third Test at Old Trafford in 1976. I think he actually scored 134 out of 192 runs scored while he was at the wicket, as he was ninth man out, after opening. I'll leave Bearders to do the maths but does this come very close to Bannerman's highest percentage of runs by one batsman out of a team's overall total, before Slater's innings?
NickElthorne

Bearders' Answer: Greenidge did indeed score 134 of his side's 211 runs in that innings - 63.5% of the total - and at the time only Charles Bannerman (67.35) had bettered it. Subsequently Michael Slater (66.6% in 1998-99) and V.V.S.Laxman (63.9% in 1999-2000) have demoted him to fourth place. Greenidge actually scored 134 out of 193-9 - 69.4%.

Q. In what year was the first Test match between Australia and England at Melbourne in March 1877 recognised as an official Test match? What would its designation have been until then?
aarongeordie

Bearders' Answer: Arranged at short notice following successful odds matches between James Lillywhite's team of English professionals and sides representing New South Wales and Victoria, the inaugural Test match was billed as 'A Grand Combined Melbourne and Sydney Eleven v James Lillywhite's Professional Touring Team'. It was the first match played on level terms (the same number of players on each side) by an English team abroad.
It's anointment as the first 'Test' match came initially at the hands of contemporary cricket historians/statisticians. In 1894 Melbourne's Clarence Percival Moody produced a 98-page publication entitled 'Australian Cricket and Cricketers 1856-1893/4'. It listed, with brief résumés, averages, records and curiosities, Australia's earliest intercolonial and international matches. Then, in 1895, John Nix Pentelow's 'England v. Australia - The Story of Test Matches' was published as Vol LXIV of Arrowsmith's Bristol Library. It included the full scores of the first 43 Anglo-Australian Tests (1877-95), together with match reports and a brief records section with full names and birthdates for most of players involved.

Q. When Ireland played England in Belfast in June 2006, brothers Dominic and Ed Joyce played against each other. Both were also making their limited-overs international debuts. Surely these are both firsts?
Irish75

Bearders' Answer: Probably the only comparable instance occurred at Cape Town in March 1892 when Alec and George Hearne made their debuts for England and their brother, Frank, appeared for the opposing South Africa team after playing twice for England.

Q. Sid Barnes and Don Bradman both scored 234 in the same innings for Australia against England at Sydney in 1946-47. Is this the joint highest score made by two batsmen in Tests? What about in all first-class cricket?
GeordieDom

Bearders' Answer: Their score of 234 is the highest jointly recorded in any first-class innings. Bradman dropped himself down the order because of a leg injury and gastric problems, joining Barnes, who had opened the batting, when he had scored 71 out of 159-4 in 244 minutes. Their partnership of 405 in 393 minutes remained the Test record for any wicket until 1990-91. Bradman was trapped lbw immediately after scoring 16 off an over from Denis Compton. Four minutes later, Barnes, after batting for 642 minutes, the longest innings for Australia until R.B.Simpson scored 311 in 762 minutes in 1964, gave a tame catch to mid-on at the same total (564). Later Barnes confessed to having thrown away his wicket so that he would finish with the same score as his captain.

Q. When was the option of taking the new ball after 80 overs introduced in Tests? What is the largest number of overs that a side has continued with the old ball?
Marcus (UK)

Bearders' Answer: Playing conditions governing the availability of a new ball have varied considerably even since the Second World War. The Ashes series of 1948 was played under an experimental law that allowed a new ball after only 55 overs. The limit had risen to 85 overs when I began my stint with Test Match Special in 1966. A lengthy trawl of my scoresheets has revealed that the 80-over edict was introduced in 1996.
The highest recorded number of overs for which the original ball has been retained in Test cricket is 177. Bereft of the services of two of his key bowlers (Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding) and hampered by one of Wellington's notorious northerly winds in February 1987, West Indies captain Viv Richards countered with this tactic throughout New Zealand's second innings as they amassed 386 for five.

Q. If a batsman is stumped off a wide, how do you score it and how do you enter it in the book?
Mr J. Morrall

Bearders' Answer: I use my own A4 loose-leaf sheet scoring system. In the dismissed batsmen's space for that over, on the main scoresheet, I would enter a plus sign with a dot in the top left sector to denote the wide. Above that I would put a red 'W' denoting the fall of his wicket. On the innings scorecard I would record 'stumped off a wide' in the Notes on Dismissal section.

Q. What is the record for the most consecutive innings victories by a Test team?
Buzz1989

Bearders' Answer: An intriguing question with a messy answer - scant reward for much research. The answer is three and there have been 13 instances shared by seven countries: Australia (4 times); England, South Africa and India (twice); New Zealand, Pakistan and Sri Lanka (once). The most successive innings defeats is five and no prize for guessing that the victims have been Bangladesh (twice) and Zimbabwe (once).

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Just wondering about the amazing achievement of Gambhir and Laxman in scoring double centuries against Australia. How many times has it been done? Also, has anyone ever done it against Australia before?
Tom B (Suffolk)

Bearders' Answer: As the following table shows, the Gautam Gambhir/VVS Laxman double is the 14th in Test cricket, the first for India and the first for any team against Australia:

• W.H.Ponsford (266)/D.G.Bradman (244) Australia v England, The Oval, 1934
• S.G.Barnes (234)/D.G.Bradman (234) Australia v England, Sydney, 1946-47
• C.C.Hunte (260)/G.St A.Sobers (365*) West Indies v Pakistan, Kingston, 1957-58
• W.M.Lawry (210)/R.B.Simpson (201) Australia v West Indies, Bridgetown, 1964-65
• Mudassar Nazar (231)/Javed Miandad (280*) Pakistan v India, Hyderabad, 1982-83
• G.Fowler (201)/M.W.Gatting (207) England v India, Madras, 1984-85
• Qasim Omar (206)/Javed Miandad (203*) Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Faisalabad, 1985-86
• S.T.Jayasuriya (340)/R.S.Mahanama (225) Sri Lanka v India, Colombo (RPS), 1997-98
• Ijaz Ahmed (211)/Inzamam-ul-Haq (200*) Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Dhaka, 1998-99
• M.S.Atapattu (249)/K.C.Sangakkara (270) Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Bulawayo, 2003-04
• W.W.Hinds (213)/S.Chanderpaul (203*) West Indies v South Africa, Georgetown, 2004-05
• K.C.Sangakkara (287)/D.P.M.D.Jayawardena (374) Sri Lanka v South Africa, Colombo (SSC), 2006
• N.D.McKenzie (226)/G.C.Smith (232) South Africa v Bangladesh, Chittagong, 2007-08
• G.Gambhir (206)/VVS Laxman (200*) India v Australia, Delhi, 2008-09

Q. The MCC has recommended that the ICC overturns its recent awarding of a draw instead of a forfeiture for the England-Pakistan Test at The Oval in 2006. Who you think is correct?
OverseasPlayer

Bearders' Answer: According to the Laws of Cricket, which the ICC apparently chooses to ignore for political expediency, the MCC Cricket Committee, the game's law-making body, is correct. Indeed there is no precedent for the result of a Test match being changed after the day of its completion. 'Match forfeited' was the correct result under Law 21 when Pakistan refused to take the field with the England batsmen ready to play after tea on the fourth day.
I was delighted to read that the ICC President, David Morgan, has said that reversing the result of that match was inappropriate and indicated that the ICC might reconsider their decision. Hopefully he will also turn his attention to the ICC's ludicrous award of Test status to that superfluous Australians v ICC World XI game.

Q. It would be interesting to know who has been run out least in limited-overs internationals of those players who have played a lot of them.
sirianblog

Bearders' Answer: Maurice Odumbe of Kenya holds the record for most innings in internationals without a run out with 59 in 61 matches. The only other batsmen with more than 25 such innings are Glenn Turner (New Zealand) with 40 and Misbah-ul-Haq (Pakistan) with 35.

Q. What is the maximum number of Tests in a series? How many Test series of six or more matches have taken place? When was the last six-match Test series?
Ajay Baluja (Canada)

Bearders' Answer: There is no limit. The most has been seven between Australia and England in 1970-71, although the seventh was actually a late replacement for the Third Test at Melbourne after it had been abandoned without a ball bowled because of rain.
There have been 17 six-match series, the last of which, played between West Indies and England from January to March 1998, also involved a replacement match after the First Test had been abandoned because of a dangerous pitch. The last scheduled six-match rubber took place between England and Australia in 1997.

Q. Who has the highest Test average without having made a century?
Scott (Mitcham)

Bearders' Answer: Given a qualification of eight innings, Australia's right-handed all-rounder, Alan Fairfax is alone in averaging 46 or more without a century. In 10 Tests (1928-29 to 1930-31), he averaged 51.25, scoring 410 runs in 12 innings, the highest of his four fifties being 65.

Q. The school in which I work counts one Francis Alexander MacKinnon amongst its alumni. In fact one of their houses is named after him. They claim he has the distinction of being the longest lived Test-cricketer in history, reaching the age of 98. This would mean obviously that no one who has played Test cricket has ever 'reached 100'. Is this true, and if so is there anyone currently threatening the record?
Arthurfoxache (London)

Bearders' Answer: Yes, you are absolutely correct. He was born in Paddington, London, on 9 April 1848 and died at Drumduan, Forres, Morayshire, on 27 February 1947 at the age of 98 years and 324 days. Educated at Harrow and St John's College, Cambridge, he won a blue for his right-handed batting in 1870 (in the epic 'Cobden's Match') before playing for Kent (1875-85). In 88 first-class appearances he scored 2,310 runs at 15.71 per completed innings, including two hundreds, the higher being 115. He became a magistrate and Deputy Lieutenant for Kent and was President of Kent CCC in 1889. In 1903 he succeeded his father as the Mackinnon of Mackinnon, becoming the 35th chief of that Clan. His bat is exhibited in the local museum.
His solitary Test cap was gained for Lord Harris's England team at Melbourne in January 1879 when he was dismissed twice by Fred ('The Demon') Spofforth for 0 and 5.
Eric Tindill (New Zealand) born 18 December 1910 and approaching his 98th birthday is his closest challenger, with South Africa's Norman Gordon (born 6 August 1911) also in his 98th year. Only one other Test cricketer has celebrated even a 96th birthday, New Zealand's opening batsman John Kerr notching 96 years and 150 days. The oldest England Test cricketers still on board are Surrey's Arthur McIntyre and Sir Alec Bedser who celebrated their 90th birthdays last summer.

Q. During the 2007 Headingley Test match between England and West Indies, Daren Powell was dismissed twice in the final session of the second day. I am unable to be exact about the times he was dismissed (I'm sure you can be precise on this matter), but it was at approximately 16:55 in the first innings, and 18:30 in the second innings, meaning he was dismissed twice within 95 minutes. Is this a Test record?
Rupert Merrick (UK)

Bearders' Answer: You were only a minute out, Rupert. His dismissals occurred 94 minutes apart, at 4.56pm (c Collingwood b Plunkett 8) and, as a night-watchman batting at number 3, at 6.30pm (lbw b Sidebottom 0).
This is certainly the shortest interval between dismissals in a Test match that I have on record. The closest (and the fastest 'pair' in Test cricket) of which I have a note was inflicted upon M.E.Z. ('Ebbu') Ghazali of Pakistan by England at Old Trafford on 24 July 1954. He began his first innings at 4.14pm and completed his 'pair' at 6.14pm so the dismissals would have been at least 110 minutes apart.

Q. VVS Laxman scored his second Test double century against Australia in the current series. How many other players have passed 200 against Australia more than once? I know Lara has done so three times and Hammond four, but are there any others?
Theo (Hove)

Bearders' Answer: You missed South Africa's Graeme Pollock who also scored two double hundreds against Australia - 209 at Cape Town in 1966-67 and 274 at Durban in 1969-70.

Q. I want to know if Michael Atherton, Alec Stewart, Nasser Hussain, Graeme Hick and Mark Ramprakash ever played for England together in the same Test match. If so, against who and what was the result?
Sporting-Allrounder

Bearders' Answer: They did indeed - on nine occasions (results in brackets): against Australia at The Oval (W) in 1993; against South Africa at Nottingham (W) and Leeds (W) in 1998; against Australia at Perth (L), Adelaide (L) and Melbourne (W) in 1998-99; against Zimbabwe at Lord's (W) and Nottingham (D) 1980; and against West Indies (L) in 2000. A tally of five wins, three defeats and a draw.

Q. Curious about those games where all 11 batsmen bowled, I looked up the last instance (South Africa in Antigua in 2005) and saw that Mark Boucher actually took the last West Indian wicket (Dwayne Bravo's). On how many occasions has a keeper taken a Test scalp and was Boucher the last?
BazOfTheBoleyn

Bearders' Answer: Fifteen cricketers have made a stumping and taken a wicket as a bowler during their Test careers and a good many others will have enjoyed both roles, albeit briefly. Boucher was the last keeper to take a wicket (at St John's, Antigua on 3 May 2005 - the fifth and final day - as the host's amassed 747). Almost exactly a year earlier, Tatenda Taibu had dismissed Sanath Jayasuriya at Harare. The best bowling analysis by a keeper in a match in which he kept is 4 for 19 (off 48 balls) by Alfred Lyttelton for England v Australia at The Oval in 1884 with right-arm lobs and while still wearing his pads.

Q. I have been told that the biggest percentage contribution to a team's total by one batsman in a Test match was Charles Bannerman's 165, which was 67.34% of Australia's total of 245 in the very first Test. Is that true? Has anyone got close since then?
Buzz1989

Bearders' Answer: Absolutely true and it remained Bannerman's only hundred in a first-class career involving 84 innings between 1870-71 and 1887-88. The only other batsman to contribute more than 64% of an innings total in Tests is Michael Slater (67.34%) for Australia v England at Sydney in January 1999. He should have been adjudged run out when 35 but was reprieved by inadequately positioned replay cameras.

Q. What is the lowest first-class total where one batsman has scored a century? Joe Denly scored 115* out of 199 for Kent v Hampshire at Canterbury in 2007 but I am sure there must be much lower scores than that.
Graeme (Ireland)

Bearders' Answer: Frank Woolley scored 103 of Kent's 144 against Warwickshire at Folkestone in 1931 so Denly's commendable innings is not even the county record.
Glenn Turner holds the record for the highest percentage of an innings total with 83.4%, achieved against Glamorgan at Swansea in 1977 when he carried his bat for 141 in Worcestershire's innings of 169 all out. Curiously the lowest completed total to include a 200 was achieved by Tom Graveney, then playing for Gloucestershire, against the same opponents at Newport in 1956. Tom told me recently that as he left the field, the generous host captain, Wilf Wooller, announced that it was the worst 200 he had ever seen!

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: As a bowler, captain or selector who would always pick the most reliable gloveman and leave the specialist batsman to accept their responsibility for scoring runs, I was sufficiently intrigued by your question, Rupert, to devote several hours to combing the scores of 1,888 international Test matches to compile a detailed survey - and by a distance the longest answer I have given to any question in this series.
Although virtually unheard of in modern times, it was not an uncommon policy in the Victorian era, particularly with regard to England teams. Joe Hunter (Yorkshire), against Australia at Adelaide in 1884-85 (the 17th Test match), was the first wicket-keeper to bat at number 11 in Test cricket. His international career was confined to that five-match series and he batted last in each of his seven innings.
A search of those early scores reveals that Richard Pilling (Lancashire) batted last in the final four of his 13 Test innings (1886-88), Mordecai Sherwin (Nottinghamshire), at just under 17 stone probably the heaviest Test wicket-keeper of all time, batted last in each of his six innings in 1886-87 and 1888, Harry Wood (Surrey) batted next to the roller in the first of his four innings, also in 1888, and Harry Butt (Sussex) was at 11 for three of his four innings in South Africa in 1895-96. In the same period two Australian keepers went in last: Fred Burton (twice in 1886-87) and Jack Blackham (11 times between 1891-92 and 1893).
From the turn of the century until the 1914-18 War, seven wicket-keepers batted last, including three in the 1912 Triangular Tournament: Dick Lilley (England; 1 - 1903-04); James Kelly (Australia; 4 - 1902-05); Percy Sherwell (South Africa; 3 - 1905-06); 'Sammy' Carter (Australia; 4 - 1909 to 1911-12); Tom Campbell (South Africa; 4 - 1909-10 to 1912); Tommy Ward (South Africa; 10 - 1912); William Carkeek (Australia; 3 - 1912).
Bert Strudwick, who was Surrey's scorer when I began my TMS career, was number 11 in 25 (the record by a distance) of his 42 innings between 1909-10 and 1926. George Duckworth (Lancashire; 11 - 1928-29 to 1930-31), Errol Hunte (West Indies; 2 in 1929-30), and Ken James (New Zealand; 3 - 1931 and 1931-32) provided the only other instances between the wars.
Since 1945, eighteen keepers have batted at 11 in Test cricket: Dattaram Hindlekar (India; 3 in 1946); 'Jenni' Irani (India; 3 in 1947-48); Probir Sen (India; 1 in 1951-52); Gil Langley (Australia; 6 - 1953 to 1956-57); Ian Colquhoun (New Zealand; 2 in 1954-55); Godfrey Evans (England; 2 in 1955 and 1958-59, the last England keeper to bat that low and only because he had fractured a finger); Trevor McMahon (New Zealand; 3 in 1955-56); Len Maddocks (Australia; 1 in 1956); Wally Grout (Australia; 5 in 1960-61 to 1963-64); Budhi Kunderan (India; 2 in 1961-62); Barry Jarman (Australia; 3 in 1962-63); John Ward (New Zealand; 4 in 1964-65 and 1965); Roy Harford (New Zealand: 5 in 1967-68); Barry Milburn (New Zealand; 3 in 1968-69); Wasim Bari (Pakistan; 4 in 1976-77); Syed Kirmani (India; 2 in 1983-84); Guy de Alwis (Sri Lanka; 1 in 1986-87); Nayan Mongia (India; 1 in 1999-2000).
As the last two instances involved keepers being demoted from higher first innings batting positions, it is 25 years (30 October 1983) and 923 matches since a wicket-keeper (Kirmani) batted at number 11 in the first innings of a Test. The last keeper to bat even as low as number 10 in Test cricket was Thami Tsolekile for South Africa v India at Calcutta in November/December 2004.

Q. I imagine you are not fond of all the new innovations in modern limited-overs cricket. One of those I only heard of recently, is the "free hit". When did it first appear? How do you show it in your scoring system?
Aaron (Newcastle upon Tyne - ex-Johannesburg)

Bearders' Answer: Yes, I have always favoured old innovations! The 'free hit' awarded in addition to a runs penalty for over-stepping no-balls has been with us for ten English seasons. It was introduced by the ECB in 1999 and was restricted to games in the CGU National Cricket League when the 'Sunday League' was re-invented as a 45-over two-division competition. I note it on my linear scoring system with a dagger against the runs scored off the free-hit ball and a corresponding 'FH' in notes column alongside.

Q. Has anybody played both major league baseball in the US and first-class cricket in England?
JimboRoyle

Bearders' Answer: Probably only Ed Smith who has represented Cambridge University, British Universities, Kent, Middlesex and England at first-class cricket. In 2001 he appeared for the New York Mets, primarily to research a book he was writing.
Ian Chappell represented Australia at both sports. Although he played first-class cricket in England, he never appeared in US league baseball.

Q. My partner's great-grandfather was Kent and England player Arthur Fielder. Can you tell me if any of his achievements still stand please?
Mammutoutdoors

Bearders' Answer: Arthur Fielder was an exceptionally strong right-arm fast bowler who spearheaded the Kent attack from 1900 until the Great War. Capable of sustaining his pace and accuracy over long spells, he played a major role in Kent's first four Championships (1906-09-10-13). In 287 first-class matches he took 1,277 wickets at 21.02 runs apiece, claiming five or more wickets in an innings 98 times and ten in a match on 28 occasions. He took all 10 for 90 (the second-best analysis in those fixtures) for the Players against the Gentlemen at Lord's in 1906.
A tail-end batsman who averaged 11.31, he featured in an epic one-wicket victory in the fourth of his six Tests, all in Australia. He played the innings of his life against Worcestershire at Stourbridge in July 1909. Joining Frank Woolley at 320-9, with Kent still 40 runs in arrears, he contributed an undefeated 112, his only century, to a (then) world record last-wicket stand of 235 which paved the way for an innings victory. That partnership remains the Kent tenth-wicket record and is currently the third-highest in all first-class cricket.

Q. How many times has the same county won both the County Championship and the Second XI Championship in the same season?
Ray Grace (Haltwhistle)

Bearders' Answer: Since the Second XI Championship was inaugurated in 1959, four counties have won both titles: Kent (1970), Middlesex (1993), Sussex (2007) and Durham (2008).

Q. Last season I was out for a duck six times. Most of these were quick first-ballers, but some were longer (my longest duck this year was about seven balls). Therefore, I was wondering how long a batsman has been out in the middle and still gone for 0 (in balls and/or minutes) in a Test match? I would imagine the record is an hour, or 40 balls. Also how many ducks have been recorded in Test cricket, and who has "scored" the most?
rupelikescricket (Gloucestershire)

Bearders' Answer: Geoff Allott seized the record for the longest duck in Test cricket when he batted 101 minutes and faced 77 balls for New Zealand v South Africa at Auckland on 2 March 1999. His last wicket partnership with Chris Harris added 32 runs.
As of 23 October 2008, there have been 7,157 ducks in 66,439 innings played in 1,888 international Test matches. Courtney Walsh (West Indies) acquired most (43), with Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne runners-up with 34 ducks apiece for Australia.

Q. My question comes from the fact that my team has often had low totals where "extras" has been the highest scorer. What is the highest score in a Test innings where extras have outscored the batsmen? I doubt we'd ever beat it, but it would be interesting to know as a target!
Andy (York)

Bearders' Answer: Your target to beat is 58, Andy. Extras have been the highest contributor to a Test match innings on 13 occasions, the most recent being in England's first innings against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2004. England's total (339), the number of extras (60) and the highest individual score (58) are each the highest tallies when extras have top scored.

Q. At the start of one of our matches this season, our tall opening bowler ran in and bowled a fairly standard delivery. Immediately, the umpire ruled a no-ball, as our bowler had not stated his action to the umpire. This struck all of us as being incredibly petty, as we felt it was the role of the umpire to enquire as to the bowler's action. Having looked at Law 24 for a no-ball, it seems an umpire can give a no-ball if the bowler changes arm or side without informing the umpire, but states nothing about his first delivery.
Is it the role of the umpire or bowler to raise the issue, and therefore were we right to feel hard done by?
Paul (Surrey)

Bearders' Answer: A fascinating question, Paul. As a bowler I cannot recall not being asked what I was going to bowl. My answers have varied from right-arm over to right-arm low stealth via right-arm filth. I did take a wicket bowling slow-left arm in the Australian outback but I did warn the umpire, who was on his tenth tinnie at the time. In fact, the notes to Law 16 on page 119 of Tom Smith's 'New Cricket Umpiring and Scoring' include under 'Duties of Umpires Leading to Play Being Called': 'the bowler's end umpire should collect any items of clothing from the bowler and at the same time enquire as to his intended action'.
This is evidence that it is the umpire's duty to ascertain the bowler's action at the start of play and inform the batsman. Certainly a no-ball should not have been called.

Q. In their Fourth Test of the 1970-71 series (Sunil Gavaskar's debut series) against India at Bridgetown, West Indies employed ten bowlers in the second innings. Has there been an instance where everyone including the wicketkeeper has bowled? How often have ten or more bowlers bowled in a Test innings?
pbhawalkar

Bearders' Answer: There have been four instances of all eleven bowling in a Test match and 14 of ten bowlers being called upon - including seven since the one you mention.
The four involving the entire team were: England v Australia (551), The Oval, 1884; Australia v Pakistan (382-2), Faisalabad, 1979-80; India v West Indies (629-9 dec), St John's, 2001-02; and South Africa v West Indies (747), St John's, 2004-05.

Q. Am I correct in thinking Jason Gillespie has not played a Test since his 201* against Bangladesh? If so are there any other instances of batsmen signing off from Test cricket with a double hundred?
Arthurfoxache

Bearders' Answer: Yes, that was Gillespie's final match and innings. Two others, Seymour Nurse (258 for West Indies v New Zealand at Christchurch in 1968-89) and Aravinda de Silva (206 for Sri Lanka v Bangladesh at Colombo in 2002-03) scored double hundreds in their final Test innings. Andrew Sandham (325 and 50 for England v West Indies at Kingston in 1929-30) and Bill Ponsford (266 and 22 for Australia v England at The Oval in 1934) scored double centuries in their final Test match but had a second knock.

Q. With all this talk of run outs I was wondering which batsman had been run out on 99 most times in Test cricket?
buzz1989 (Cambs, England)

Bearders' Answer: Thirteen batsmen have been run out for 99 in Test cricket but none has suffered the fate twice.

Q. What is the difference between a run out and a stumping? In a recent match the batsman missed the ball and the keeper was standing back. The batsman went out of his crease and the keeper threw the ball and hit the stumps. Was this a run out or a stumping? The bowler wants to know if it is his wicket (stumping) or just a run out.
Oldkev

Bearders' Answer: Law 39 stipulates that only the wicket-keeper can stump a batsman. If the dismissal occurs after the ball has made contact with another member of the fielding side the dismissal is classed as run out. As the keeper can kick or throw the ball on to the stumps, or rebound it off his body or pads, the dismissal you describe was a stumping and should be credited to the bowler.

Q. When a reports states that Malinda Warnapura 'made a maiden century for Sri Lanka', is it an MC for his career or is it an MC on his very first Test appearance? How many batsmen have scored a century on their very first appearance? I remember Abbas Ali Baig and Sourav Ganguly achieving this feat.
Mahendra (Sri Lanka)

Bearders' Answer: That report would have meant that B.S.M. (Malinda) Warnapura had scored the first hundred of his Test career. It came in his third innings in Test cricket and he added another century four innings later.
A total of 81 batsmen have scored a hundred on Test debut, with Lawrence Rowe (West Indies) and Yasir Hamid (Pakistan) scoring hundreds in both innings. Six batsmen have scored their maiden hundred in first-class cricket in their first Test match.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: By an extraordinary coincidence your father-in-law and I were seated either side of their president, Tom Graveney, last weekend at the 21st Anniversary Lunch of the Cricket Memorabilia Society.
In fact John was the eleventh batsman to be run out in both innings of a Test match but he remains the only one to suffer this fate for England. He is indeed the only one to have collected three run outs in successive Test innings - a unique hat-trick.
Australians seem especially adept at this form of dismissal as they are the victims of 418 (20.4%) of the 2049 run outs in Tests. Allan Border (12) holds the record for being run out most often in a Test career. Mark Taylor and Ian Healy are alone in being run out in both innings of a Test on two occasions, while Jack Ryder was run out in both innings of his first match.

Q. Who has scored the most first-class runs and never played Test cricket? Also, who has taken the most wickets and never played a Test?
Aaron (Newcastle-upon-Tyne)

Bearders' Answer: Both those unfortunate records go to Welsh-born Glamorgan players. Alan Jones (born in Velindre), amassed the 35th highest first-class runs aggregate: 36,049 runs, average 32.89 with 56 hundreds. The only player to gain an England cap in the 1970 Rest of the World series and not play in any official Tests, he was asked by the TCCB to return it, with his blazer, when the ICC removed Test status from those five matches several years later. Curiously, both items had mysteriously disappeared.
Don Shepherd (Port Eynon) is 22nd on the first-class wickets tally with 2,218 wickets at 21.32 runs apiece. An outstanding bowler of off-spin and cutters, he has been a stalwart of Radio Wales commentaries since he retired in 1972.

Q. You mention in AB 178 that Victor Trott played for "Victoria, Middlesex, Australia and England". Did he therefore play for both countries? Was this a regular occurrence during the Victorian era?
Godfearer

Bearders' Answer: With great relief I see that I was not victim of another 'senior moment' in AB 178 and I did refer to ALBERT Trott!
Qualifications in Victorian times were far more lax than now and Trott was one of five cricketers who appeared in Tests for both England and Australia. The others were JJ (John) Ferris, WE ('Billy) Midwinter, WL ('Billy') Murdoch and SMJ (Sammy) Woods.

Q. I remember as a young boy reading about a cricket match where one side was made up entirely of players from the Edrich family. I have mentioned this to a few people and they think that I'm balmy. Can you provide any details please to confirm my sanity?
Martin Morris (Wraysbury, nr Windsor)

Bearders' Answer: It is not for me to confirm or deny your mental state, Martin, but I can assure you that the Edrich family did indeed field an entire eleven of good cricketers on several occasions in Norfolk. Some of their matches were played at Ingham and at least one, against a Norfolk XI, at Lakenham.
Harry Edrich, a cricketing farmer, sired 13 children. One of his sons (William Archer) fathered four county cricketers - Bill (Middlesex and England), Brian (Kent and Glamorgan), and Eric and Geoff (both Lancashire) - while another son (Fred) begat their cousin, John (Surrey and England). Between them those five Edriches played 1,691 first-class matches between 1934 and 1978.

Q. Is there a law that says if a batsman is given out on ball seven of an erroneous seven-ball over that if he points this out, he will be allowed to stay in?
maw501

Bearders' Answer: No.

Q. Ron and Dean Headley, father and son, played Test cricket for two different countries. Have many other such close relations done the same?
Thoult

Bearders' Answer: Apart from families split by the partition of India in 1947, plus the isolated case of one of the three Hearnes appearing for both England and South Africa, the Headleys are unique, especially when you remember that Ron's father, the highly talented George Headley, who was dubbed 'the Black Bradman', headed the first family to produce three generations of Test cricketers. The Khans subsequently emulated them with Jahangir (India), his son Majid and grandson Bazid who both represented Pakistan.

Q. Though as a Durham fan it's always nice to see our players recognised, this year's 'Wisden Cricketers of the Year' list is pretty uninspiring. Are there any notable players who haven't been Cricketer of the Year?
Steve (Manchester)

Bearders' Answer: The current editor of 'Wisden', Scyld Berry, must have read your mind because he has himself written an article entitled 'Never a Cricketer of the Year' in this year's Almanack. He points out that, as the traditional basis for selection has been their performance during an English season, many overseas players have missed out. He has selected and commissioned pieces on five such omissions: Abdul Qadir, Bishan Bedi, Wes Hall, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Jeff Thomson.
Notable England players omitted include Gubby Allen, Tom Cartwright, Phil Edmonds and Phil Tufnell.

Q. As a hardy Gloucestershire CCC supporter, I was wondering whether you knew the last time - excluding Surrey this year - when a county side went a whole season without a Championship victory. If it goes back to the 1890s I don't want to know!
Mark Kingston (Wiltshire)

Bearders' Answer: You only have to backtrack to 1996, Mark. It should provide Gloucestershire with a tad of hope to find that the county who suffered that ignominy was this year's Division I champions, Durham.
However, Gloucestershire are the first Division II team to fail to win a single match since the two-division system was introduced in 2000. They have relieved Derbyshire (2001, 2004 and 2005), Durham (2002) and Glamorgan (2007) of the record for the fewest Division II victories in a season, namely one!

Q. When were batting and bowling points introduced into the County Championship? Did there used to be ties for the title or did they draw lots or rely on the head-to-head result? Sirianblog

Bearders' Answer: Bonus points were introduced in 1957 but that version was restricted to two points for scoring the faster in the first innings. Batting and bowling bonus points arrived in 1968.
Counties finishing level on points used to share the title. This occurred on three occasions, all since World War II: 1949 (Middlesex and Yorkshire), 1950 (Lancashire and Surrey) and 1977 (Kent and Middlesex).

Q. Which bowlers had the most success against Sir Don Bradman in Test cricket? I have read that Hedley Verity got him out 10 times in all, eight of those in Tests, but can't verify that. My own research has tracked down that Sir Alec Bedser, who must be the last person alive to have dismissed him in Tests, got him six times. Did anyone else do better than them against Bradman in Tests?
Oliver Brett (BBC Sport)

Bearders' Answer: Your research is spot on, Oliver. Bradman's 70 Test match dismissals involved 29 bowlers and a run out. Headley Verity leads the bowling table with eight scalps followed by Alec Bedser (the only surviving bowler to dismiss him) with six. Three others - Bill Bowes, Harold Larwood and Maurice Tate - each gained his wicket five times.

Q. Has there ever been a left-arm bowler who batted right handed? I know there are many left-handed batsmen who bowl right-handed like James Anderson.
Ron (St Lucia)

Bearders' Answer: Just looking swiftly through a list of England Test cricketers I was surprised to find how many batted right-handed but bowled with their left arm (and I have probably missed a few): Chris Balderstone, Dick Barlow, Colin Blythe, Brian Bolus, Johnny Briggs, Hugh Bromley-Davenport, Simon Brown, Donald Carr, Denis Compton, Sam Cook, Geoff Cook, Nick Cook, Phil Edmonds, Frank Foster, Ashley Giles, Malcolm Hilton, George Hirst, Len Hopwood, John Iddon, Richard Illingworth, Jeff Jones, John Lever, Tony Lock, Brian Luckhurst, Alan Mullally, George Paine, Charlie Parker, Min Patel, Wilfred Rhodes, Fred Rumsey, A.M. (Mike) Smith, David Steele, Phil Tufnell, Derek Underwood, Hedley Verity, Bill Voce, Abe Waddington, Peter Walker, Jack White, HI 'Sailor' Young and Jack Young.

Q. Following on from the Third New Zealand v England Test, I have a question for you.
In the NZ first innings, Sidebottom and Broad shared all 10 wickets. For England, have there been any other occasions when all 10 wickets were taken by players from the same county?
Following on from this, again for England, has there even been an instance where all 20 wickets, or all the wickets to fall, were taken by bowlers from the same county?
Andy

Bearders' Answer: You should have been able to answer both questions yourself simply by recalling the Old Trafford Ashes Test of 1956 when Surrey's Jim Laker (19) and Tony Lock (1) shared all 20 wickets.

Q. What is the record victory by a side that has been enforced to follow-on in all first-class cricket? And (maybe related) what is the biggest difference between a team's first and second innings totals?
buzz1989 (Cambridgeshire)

Bearders' Answer: The answers to your questions are not related.
The biggest margin of victory by a side following on in first-class matches is 171 runs and occurred in a Test match when India (171 and 657-7 dec) beat Australia (445 and 212) at Calcutta in 2000-01.
The biggest difference between a side's totals in a first-class match (577) was also recorded in a Test between England (849 and 272-9 dec) and West Indies at Kingston in 1929-30.

Q. This season two bowlers took four wickets in four balls on my team's ground. Has there ever been an occurrence of four wickets in four balls taking place twice in a season or even twice on one ground?
Thomas

Bearders' Answer: In first-class matches there have been 35 instances of bowlers taking four wickets with consecutive balls. Bob Crisp (Rhodesia, Western Province, Worcestershire and South Africa) is the only bowler to perform this feat twice. He is also the only Test cricketer to climb Mount Kilimanjaro twice.
Three seasons (1895, 1907, 1914 and 1965-66) produced two instances but none involved the same ground. Lord's has been the venue on three occasions, while six other grounds have witnessed two.

Q. If 15 overs are taken as a minimum requirement, are there any bowlers who have conceded 0 runs in a Test match innings. If not, who has the most economical figures?
Eddie (Yorkshire)

Bearders' Answer: Taking your qualification of 15 overs (presumably six-ball ones giving 90 balls), the fewest runs conceded in an innings in Test cricket are five by RG ('Bapu') Nadkarni for India v England at the Corporation Ground in Madras in January 1964. His full analysis was 32-27-5-0.
The next most frugal analyses both involved the concession of seven runs in matches against South Africa - by HL Collins for Australia at the Old Wanderers, Johannesburg in November 1921 (15-12-7-0), and by Jim Laker for England v South Africa at Cape Town in January 1957 (14.1-9-7-2).

Q. Two questions, both related to age and prompted by our game against Coaver CC on Sunday. Our 67-year-old opening bat scored a ton on Sunday. He has now scored club cricket centuries in each of six decades, his first being in 1959. Has anyone heard of this being done before? Have any first-class players managed tons in more than three decades?
Charles Sheldrick (Cheriton Fitzpaine CC)

Bearders' Answer: I toured India in 1991-92 with a remarkable batsman, Jack Hyams, who was then 72 and, having scored hundreds every season since he began playing in his late-teens, had amassed over 60,000 runs. Apparently he still plays occasionally in his late eighties so I suspect he might have at least equalled your colleague's remarkable feat.
As Jack Hobbs scored his maiden first-class hundred in 1905 (including 137 before lunch against Essex, the county that had spurned first option on his services) and his last in 1934, his 197 centuries were gathered during four decades. He remains the oldest (46 years 82 days) to score a hundred in Test cricket.

Q. Why is AB de Villiers of South Africa always referred to as 'AB' rather than by his first name? Presumably A and B represent his first names. I think there is also someone in the Indian team who is referred to in the same manner.
Iceellie27

Bearders' Answer: Possibly because he doesn't care for either of his given names, Abraham Benjamin, but more likely because that was what he was always called at school.
There have been others, among them JJ Ferris, HD Ackerman and your Indian, VVS Laxman, whose names, Vangipurappu Venkata Sai, could be the reason.

Q. Has there been a Test match where all the wickets in one innings were caught out? Has any one fielder ever been responsible for catching all of these?
Luke (UK)

Bearders' Answer: There have been 53 instances of all ten wickets in a Test match innings falling to catches. At Brisbane in 1982-83, Australia caught 19 of England's 20 wickets, the other one being bowled.
The most catches in an innings by one fielder is five by Vic Richardson on the last of his 19 appearances for Australia, against South Africa at Durban in 1935-36.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: The Test match aggregates, courtesy of Ric Finlay, are currently (20 September 2008) 1,833,354 runs and 57,672 wickets.
Alas, unlike Test cricket's 15 March 1877, there is no specific date upon which first-class cricket can be said to have begun. The term 'first-class' was not introduced until the 1840s, Although the Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians has published a First-Class Match List starting with the 1801 season, it recognises that matches played prior to 1864 should be termed 'Important' or 'Great'. Philip Bailey has revealed that the first-class aggregates from 1864 until after play on 20 September 2008 are 39,211,720 runs and 1,462,286 wickets from 49,709 matches. If you start with the 1801 season (50,725 matches) you have 39,637,638 runs and 1,497,951 wickets. The Test match tallies are included in those figures.

Q. When Middlesex play England in the Stanford Twenty20 on 26 October 2008, will this be the first time England have played against a first-class English county team?
GavBarn

Bearders' Answer: It will certainly be the first time that an official England team has played against a major county overseas, albeit in just a truncated limited-overs thrash. Before the advent of Test cricket in 1877, unofficial England Elevens played against many of the counties, particularly Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and Sussex.

Q. Lancashire's first innings total against Kent in the County Championship at Liverpool this week was 107, top scorer being Extras (32). Just how unusual is this phenomenon in first-class cricket, and what, please, is the highest innings total in which no batsman managed to outscore Extras?
Chris, Cambridge

Bearders' Answer: It is reasonably rare, Chris. I don't have access to a full list of instances in all first-class matches. In Test cricket, extras have been the highest contributor on 13 occasions in 6,812 innings; i.e. 0.19%. The most recent instance occurred in England's first innings against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, in March 2004. England's total (339), the number of extras (60) and the highest individual score (58) are each the highest tallies when extras have top scored in Tests.

Q. Did P.G.Wodehouse name Bertie Wooster's valet, Jeeves, after a county cricketer?
Harry Webb (New York)

Bearders' Answer: Yes, Wodehouse named him after Percy Jeeves whom he saw playing for Warwickshire in 1913, two years before he introduced him to the public in 'Extricating Young Gussie'. Born in Dewsbury, Jeeves played 50 first-class matches for Warwickshire (1912-14), scoring 1,204 runs (average 16.05), the highest of his four fifties being 86 not out, and taking 199 wickets (average 20.03), including one 10-wicket haul and 12 five-wicket ones with his right-arm medium-fast bowling. He was killed in France in 1916 at the age of 28.

Q. I used to play at Chalkwell Park for Westcliff and, subsequently, for Leigh-on-Sea. I remember that the Australians were rumoured to have played there and scored a record amount of runs in one day. I have tried to use Google but to no avail. Could you confirm if this myth is true? If so, is it still the record for the most runs scored by a team in one day?
Dannymagix

Bearders' Answer: The 1948 Australians did score a record 721 runs off 129 overs against Essex on 15 May 1948. Bill Brown (153), Don Bradman (187), Sam Loxton (120) and Ron Saggers (104) were the main contributors before the last five wickets fell for 57 runs. With Trevor Bailey injured and unable to bat, Essex were dismissed for 83 and 187 on the second day to lose by an innings and 451 runs.
However, that match was not played at Westcliff. It took place a five-minute drive along the coast in Southchurch Park at Southend-on-Sea.
The Australians' 721 does indeed remain the highest score by one team in a single day of first-class cricket.

Q. I recently watched highlights of the England v South Africa world cup game in 1992 where, under the rain rule, South Africa's winning target was modified from 22 off 13 balls to 21 off 1 ball. What would the target have been under the Duckworth/Lewis rule?
philosophicalRourkey

Bearders' Answer: In that World Cup day/night semi-final at Sydney on 22 March, England scored 252-6 in an innings reduced from 50 to 45 overs because of South Africa's tardy bowling rate. The D/L Method would have set Kepler Wessels' team a revised target of 273 off 45 overs but the current rules let them off with 20 runs fewer. Having reached 231-6 after 42.5 overs, South Africa's reply was interrupted by 12 minutes of heavy rain. Under the 'rain rule' governing this tournament they initially needed 22 off seven balls but this was adjusted to 21 off one.
Using the current version of the D/L Method and ignoring the five overs lost to slow bowling, South Africa were 22 short of their initial target of 253 when the break came and were just three runs behind par. If two overs had been deducted under the D/L Method, Brian McMillan would have needed to score five runs off that final ball.

Q. Which was the 17th first-class county that Durham beat in Championship matches?
Ross Deere (Queensland)

Bearders' Answer: That distinction went to Lancashire (at the 11th attempt, in May 2005 - a month after Leicestershire had been defeated at the 14th attempt!).

Q. Is it possible to get two batsmen out in one ball (e.g. a catch, then a run out)?
James, Middlesex

Bearders' Answer: No. Under Law 23 (iii) the ball becomes dead when a batsman is dismissed. The fielding side can dismiss only one batsman from any one delivery.

Q. I've been trying to explain the idiosyncrasies of cricket to my girlfriend who seems to think they are proof that anyone who plays cricket is completely potty. I pointed out that although a Test match can last five days, it could be very short indeed. Ignoring declarations, forfeitures, retirements and absences, the shortest two innings game would be 31 balls: ten balls for each first innings, ten balls for the first side's second innings and a final ball for their opposition to score the winning run. What is the shortest ever Test match ever played?
Gareth (Kent)

Bearders' Answer: A 31-ball four-innings match would be a scorer's nightmare and involve writing with both hands. In terms of both time (5 hours 53 minutes) and balls (656), the shortest Test match took place on a vicious Melbourne 'sticky' in February 1932. South Africa, who won the toss and batted, scored 36 and 45 in 89 and 105 minutes respectively. Australia, minus Bradman who severely twisted his ankle when his studs caught in the coir matting of the dressing room as he was going out to field at the start, scored 153 in 159 minutes and won by an innings and 72 runs. South Africa's aggregate of 81 by a side losing all 20 wickets and the match aggregate of 234 remain records for Test cricket.

Q. I was playing in a match where the bowler, during his delivery stride, accidentally broke the wicket with his hand at the non-striker's end. The batsman was caught out off this delivery but the umpire signalled a no-ball because the stumps had been broken. Was this correct decision? And has ever such an incident been recorded in first-class cricket?
HawaiianExpress

Bearders' Answer: Bowlers often accidentally break the non-striker's wicket with their hand or even foot as they are delivering the ball. It certainly is not a no-ball and the batsman in your match should have been given out. In exceptional circumstances an umpire can call 'dead ball'.

Q. I see that in the Twenty20 games there is a tendency for the boundaries to be brought in to encourage more fours and sixes. Are there any rules as to the minimum and maximum distances for boundaries in any form of the game?
John (Dudley)

Bearders' Answer: The ECB's Regulations and Playing Conditions covering all domestic competitions stipulate that "The Ground Authority shall aim to provide the largest playing area, subject to no boundary exceeding a distance of 90 yards from the centre of the pitch. No boundary shall be less than 50 yards".

Q. Who was the last person to hit a six over the Lord's pavilion?
Wilmagreen

Bearders' Answer: Albert Trott (Victoria, Middlesex, Australia and England) is the only batsman who has struck a ball over top of the Lord's pavilion. He achieved this unique feat on 31 July 1899 off the bowling of Monty Noble while batting for the MCC and Ground against the Australians.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Well done for spotting that Harmison, Anderson, Flintoff, Broad and Panesar all took at least one wicket in each innings in the fourth Test against South Africa at The Oval last month. I don't think it is a well-documented record and will have occurred to very few. It is necessary only to check the scores of the first 56 Test matches played to find a similar instance. Australia's first five bowlers (Howell, Trott, Noble, Trumper and Jones) were the first to achieve this feat - against England at Melbourne in 1897-98.

Q. Is 229 still the lowest score never achieved by a batsman in Test cricket? I note it was 228 up until Gibbs scored 228. What's the lowest in limited-overs internationals? No More Sweeping PUH-LEASE!

Bearders' Answer: Yes, 229 is the lowest absentee individual Test score.

The counterpart in internationals is 155.

Q. Do you record a player's weight? If so, who (at their heaviest) was the heaviest person to play for England? Some contenders I can think of: Colin Milburn, Andrew Flintoff, Devon Malcolm, Robin Smith, Ian Botham, Graham Gooch and of course Mike Gatting. RobM1974

Bearders' Answer: Pity you've hidden your identity behind a code - is this yet another bizarre newfangled fashion that has passed me by? I'm sure that the last six names on your list would enjoy meeting you on a dark night!

No, I don't keep a record of players' weights because they tend to vary season by season. W.G.Grace and Alfred Mynn must be near the top of England's list of heavyweights. One of the heaviest Test cricketers was Australia's Warwick Armstrong whose shirt used to occupy most of a wall of the museum at the MCG. Known as 'The Big Ship' he weighed 22 stone at the end of his first-class playing career in February 1922.

Q. A rather unusual incident occurred whilst playing a league game a few Sundays ago. We were playing on a little village green in Benenden with very short straight boundaries and our fast bowler was on. On one occasion he bowled a ball with a bit of extra pace and it flew past the batsman and burst through the keeper's gloves, hitting him on the head and going for six byes! I was wondering if there is any other instance of six byes being given in first-class cricket or any other form of cricket you have records for. Dan, Kent

Bearders' Answer: Thank you Dan for revealing both your name and county - very refreshing!

It should have been signalled as four byes. You cannot score six of anything except for hits off the bat - see Law 19 (4.b).

My XI used to play an annual match at Benenden. Their sightscreens used to be stored in the adjacent vicarage during the winter months until a new incumbent, unfamiliar with cricket, grew his runner beans up them.

Q. What value of English banknote featured a cricket match? Anthony Robinson, London

Bearders' Answer: That was a £10 note (Series E) issued in 1992. It depicted Charles Dickens and a scene from All-Muggleton's home match against Dingley Dell in chapter seven of his first novel, 'The Pickwick Papers'.

Q. I note that Lord's will be staging archery at the London Olympics in 2012. I know that The Oval hosted some early FA Cup finals but have these two cricket grounds been used for any other sports over the years? David Gunner

Bearders' Answer: Lord's has staged international hockey, as well as bowls, tennis (there is a permanent real tennis court) and archery. Rugby and soccer have not been played there. During the First World War a baseball game between Canadian and American teams to raise money for Canadian widows and orphans attracted a crowd of 10,000 people.

As you point out, Kennington Oval staged 20 of the first 21 FA Cup Finals (1872 and 1874-92). Besides hosting England's first home soccer international, it has also been the venue for a rugby union international as well as for hockey and Australian rules football.

Q. The first seven Sri Lanka A batsman scored 50 or more during their innings of 749-5 declared against South Africa A in the recent first unofficial Test at Potchefstroom. What is the record for most players scoring fifties in a single innings? Is this a record for the most consecutive players in the batting order registering one? Alex, UK via Brisbane

Bearders' Answer: The most fifties in a first-class innings is eight by the 1893 Australians against Oxford & Cambridge Past & Present at Portsmouth but they were not scored by the first eight batsmen.

The Test record is seven and there have been three instances: England v Australia at Manchester in 1934; Pakistan v India at Karachi in 2005-06; and Sri Lanka v England at Lord's in 2006. The second instance, involving Pakistan, was achieved by the first seven batsmen. So the recent Sri Lanka A performance was one short of the first-class record but equalled the one involving consecutive batsmen.

Q. Ben Smith of Worcestershire has scored 1,000 first-class runs this season yet so far he has failed to notch up a century. Is it a normal occurrence for a batsman to reach 1000 runs in a season without registering a ton along the way? Dean, Leeds

Bearders' Answer: It is very unusual but not unique. For the record (as at 9 September), Ben Smith had scored 1,020 runs at an average of 46.36 from 23 innings in 15 first-class matches. The highest of his ten fifties was 99 and he had also made a 93.

The record number of runs in an English first-class season without a century, and the only instance involving an aggregate of 2,000 runs, was achieved by D.M. (David) Green of Oxford University, Lancashire and Gloucestershire. In 1965 he played in 35 matches for Lancashire, MCC and T.N.Pearce's XI, scoring 2,037 runs at an average of 32.85 in 63 innings. The highest of his 14 half-centuries was only 85.

Q. Mark Ramprakash has just scored 490 runs across consecutive innings in multiple matches before losing his wicket. Who and what are the records for this in Tests and first-class cricket? Is over 500 commonplace or as exceptional as I'd imagine? Iain

Bearders' Answer: No batsman has scored 500 runs between dismissals in Test match cricket and only eight have managed 400 or more. Sachin Tendulkar holds the record with 497 for India in four innings in 2003-04: 241* and 60* v Australia (Sydney), 194* v Pakistan (Multan) and 2 v Pakistan (Lahore).

The first-class record is 709 (218*, 36*, 234*, 77* and 144) by K.C.Ibrahim for Bombay in 1947-48. Three others (G.A.Hick 645, V.M.Merchant 634 and E.H.Hendren 630) have enjoyed an unbroken runs sequence of 600 or more.

In 1994, J.D.Carr (Middlesex) ended the season by scoring 854 runs for once out: 78*, 171*, 136, 106*, 40*, 62* and 261*.

Q. Who has hit the most centuries before lunch in Test cricket? Has anyone ever hit a century in each of the three sessions of a day of Test cricket? westcotoby

Bearders' Answer: Four batsmen have scored a hundred before lunch on the first day of a Test. Fourteen others have either added 100 runs to an overnight score or scored a fresh century on other days - Brian Lara is unique in having twice scored/added a pre-lunch century.

Sir Donald Bradman came closest to scoring a hundred in each session when he made 309 runs for Australia against England on the first day at Leeds in 1930 - 105 before lunch, 115 between lunch and tea, and 89 in the final session.

Q. In a recent limited-overs Sunday friendly match I played in, our third-change bowler was forced to abort an over after two deliveries having sustained an injury. A team-mate who had not previously bowled in the match completed the over. Had it been an international or domestic cup tie, would a bowler who had already completed his allocation of overs been allowed to complete his injured team-mate's over? Mike, Cheshire

Bearders' Answer: No, Mike. The over would have had to have been completed by someone who had not already exhausted his allocation. Whatever number of balls needed to complete the aborted over (four in your example) would count as a full over for the entitlement of the bowler who deputised.

Q. Who scored the 1,000th century in Test cricket? Ross Deere, Queensland

Bearders' Answer: That was Ian Chappell against West Indies in Australia's first innings of the second Test at Melbourne on 27 December 1968. He just pipped Bill Lawry who recorded the 1,001st later in the same (final) session of the second day. By coincidence Chappell was dismissed for 165, the same score on which Charles Bannerman was compelled to retire hurt having completed the very first hundred in the inaugural Test on the same ground in March 1877.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Kevin Pietersen is England's 78th Test captain. Middlesex has provided the most with 12: G.O.B.Allen, J.M.Brearley, J.E.Emburey, M.W.Gatting, F.G.Mann, F.T.Mann, T.C.O'Brien, R.W.V.Robins, G.T.S.Stevens, A.E.Stoddart, P.F.Warner and A.J.Strauss. Distribution for the other 17 counties is: eight - Surrey, Yorkshire; seven - Lancashire, Sussex; six - Kent ; five - Essex, four - Nottinghamshire, Warwickshire; three - Hampshire, Somerset, Worcestershire; two - Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire; one - Derbyshire, Glamorgan; none - Durham.

Q. The other day I noticed that Robert Key's one and only Test century was converted into a double. Have any other Test cricketers done this? Phil Hopton

Bearders' Answer: Nine others have registered a solitary Test century in excess of 199. Kuruppu and Lloyd failed to reach another fifty. The full list is: England - R.E.Foster (8 Tests, 14 innings, HS 287), R.W.T.Key (15, 26, 221), D.Lloyd (9, 15, 214*); Australia - J.N.Gillespie (71, 93, 201*), B.J.Hodge (6, 11, 203*); New Zealand - M.P.Donnelly (7, 12, 206); West Indies - S.F.A.F.Bacchus (19, 30, 250), D.St E. Atkinson (22, 35,219); Pakistan - Taslim Arif (6, 10, 210*); Sri Lanka - D.S.B.P.Kuruppu (4, 7, 201*).

Q. Is there a Stats site you can recommend that does not include the farcical Australians v ICC World XI match played in Australia in 2005-06? Cricinfo insists on including these figures despite the ICC definition of Test matches not being met by the match in question. Phasla

Bearders' Answer: Ric Finlay's Tastats site allows you to exclude all matches involving multinational teams (except West Indies!) from its Test and limited-overs matches. Another Australian, Charlie Wat, compiles and updates Test records excluding that match. You will not find it included in any figures published under my name. Hopefully the ICC will soon see the error of their ways and revoke its phoney status.

Q. There was a friendly between England U19 and Canada U19 in Loughborough in 2006 or 2007 - I am trying to find the scorecard for it but haven't has luck yet, please advise if you any details of that match. Baz

Bearders' Answer: Sorry, I cannot help you. The Cricket Archive website's only record of Canada U-19 playing in England was in 1989 when they were involved in an International Youth Tournament staged at Radley College, Oxford. England U-19's opponents from 2004 to 2007 were Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan. England U-19s have played only two matches in Loughborough - on the Haslegrave Ground - and neither featured Canada.

Q. A friend and I were discussing hat-tricks and the likelihood of the same batsman being dismissed twice within the same hat-trick. Has this ever occurred at first-class level? Andrew Bak (Bradford)

Bearders' Answer: I don't know of such an instance but, as hat-tricks can extend over both innings of a match (but not over successive matches), it is certainly possible.

When Australia's diminutive leg-spinner, Jimmy Matthews, took his two hat-tricks in separate innings at Old Trafford in the Triangular Tournament on the afternoon of 28 May 1912, his victims twice included wicket-keeper Tommy Ward. Apart from being the only batsman to feature in two hat-tricks on the same day, Ward is also the only Test cricketer to have been electrocuted while working in a gold mine.

Q. 'Freddie' Flintoff became the bowler with the least amount of 'five-fors' to take 200 Test wickets recently. Which player has the most Test wickets without ever having taken five wickets in an innings? Fink

Bearders' Answer: Andrew Flintoff has taken 199 wickets in his 69 Tests for England.

England's Mike Hendrick's tally of 87 wickets, average 25.83, is the highest by a bowler who never took five in an innings. His best analysis in 30 Tests was 4 for 28.

Q. There is always much discussion about how wicket-keepers hate conceding byes. Has a table of the biggest bye-conceders been produced? Could one produce a keeping average, based on byes conceded divided by the number of dismissals they have taken? Antony Hopker

Bearders' Answer: Yes, tables of byes-per-wicket-keeper are available. Mark Boucher, who has made most dismissals in Tests (447), has also conceded the most byes (771). His average of byes-per-wicket is 1.72. Adam Gilchrist (409 dismissals and 602 byes) has a superior byes-per-wicket average of 1.47.

Q. Thank you for the answer to my previous question on the number of overs bowled without a wicket in a Test match. Atkinson must have been at the other end when Sonny Ramadhin bowled all his overs at Cowdrey and May. As you may know Sonny still claims to this day he had both LBW a number of times without success from the umpires' fingers. This leads on to another question if I may. I noticed in the recent Yorkshire v Notts match that Yorkshire had 11 lbws against them in the match. Is this a record number of lbws in a match? Friarmere111

Bearders' Answer: It may be. No one has scoured nearly 50,700 first-class matches to find out.

The Test record is the ten inflicted on New Zealand by Pakistan at Lahore in 1996-97. The most involving both sides in a Test is 17 (West Indies (8) v Pakistan (9) at Port-of-Spain in 1992-93. The most in a Test match innings is seven (Zimbabwe v England at Chester-le-Street in 2003 and New Zealand v Australia at Christchurch in 2004-05).

Q. Recently Mark Ramprakash scored his 100th first-class hundred. How many players have achieved 100 limited-overs (either 40 or 50 over matches) hundreds? MontyPanesar

Bearders' Answer: None. Sachin Tendulkar has scored the most - 53. The only other batsmen to have scored 40 or more are Graham Gooch (44) and Graeme Hick (40).

Q. On which overseas ground have England won the most Test matches?
My guess would be Sydney, or another Australian ground. cabbagehead

Bearders' Answer: Your guessing ability is far superior to your choice of an alias! England's most successful overseas grounds are Sydney (21 wins) and Melbourne (19). England have played 53 Tests on each. Five of the six English grounds on which 30 or more home Tests have been played have not surprisingly produced most England victories: Lord's (43 wins, 115 Tests), The Oval (36, 91), Headingley (30, 68), Old Trafford (24, 72), Edgbaston (22, 43). The exception is Trent Bridge where England have won only 17 of their 54 Tests.

Q. A good-humoured debate with an Australian colleague as to the most logical way to quote a cricket score (wickets first or runs first) has resulted in us 'agreeing to disagree'. Is it known how or why the difference came about? Matt (Croydon)

Bearders' Answer: Apparently it came about because of the different layouts of scoreboards. Australian ones tended to have the wickets preceding the totals, whereas English one had the totals first. Commentators read the scores in those respective orders.

Q. Other than in first-ever Tests for each Test-playing nation, has any Test team been comprised of eleven uncapped players? nigel-in-upper-hutt

Bearders' Answer: No. The only instances of all eleven players making their debuts in the same match have been by Australia and England (Melbourne, March 1877), South Africa (Port Elizabeth, March 1889), West Indies (Lord's, June 1928), New Zealand (Christchurch, January 1930), India (Lord's, June 1932), Sri Lanka (Colombo, February 1982) and Bangladesh (Dhaka, November 2000).

Zimbabwe had ten debutants in their inaugural Test at Harare in October 1992, A.J.Traicos having played the last of his three Tests for South Africa some 22 years and 222 days earlier.

Pakistan had only nine debutants when they played their maiden Test at Delhi in October 1952, Amir Elahi and A.H.Kardar having previously appeared for India.

South Africa had ten debutants when they played their first Test (Bridgetown, April 1992) after being re-admitted to full ICC membership, K.C.Wessels making his debut for the country of his birth after 24 Tests for Australia.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: Yes, the umpire was correct. Law 19 covers boundaries in great detail. The boundary is part of the line or rope that is closest to the umpires. As soon as the ball touches any part of it a boundary is scored. The allowance of four or six runs depends on whether the ball touches the ground before reaching the boundary (4) or lands on or beyond it (6).

Q. What is the highest second-innings score recorded by a Test team that has followed on? Barrie Street (Canada)

Bearders' Answer: Having mustered only 171 in their first innings in reply to Australia's 445 at Calcutta in 2000-01, India claimed that record by amassing 657 for 7 declared. They then dismissed the visitors for 212 to gain a 171-run victory - only the third by a side following-on in Tests.

Q. In the first Test match v South Africa Monty Panesar bowled sixty overs without a wicket. What is the record number of overs bowled in a Test innings without taking a wicket? Friamere111

Bearders' Answer: Barbadian off-spinner, Denis Atkinson, bowled the most wicketless overs in a Test innings - 72 (72-29-137-0) for West Indies v England at Birmingham in 1957. Panesar's 60 fruitless overs ranks equal-ninth in the list, with three England bowlers above him: Jack Young (48 eight-ball overs, the equivalent of 64 six-ball ones) v South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 1948-49; Maurice Tate (62 v Australia at Melbourne in 1928-29); and John Emburey (61 v Pakistan at The Oval in 1987).

Q. I have recently finished reading a dusty copy of Wally Hammond's 'Cricket - My World'. The book is full of anecdotes and tales from back in the day, though one story towards the end was beyond my comprehension. While discussing the workload placed on bowlers at all levels, Wally speaks of his concern about individuals being over bowled and injured as a result. He then gives the example of a chap referred to only as 'Shaw', who once bowled over 100 overs in a day - as a result of this he injured his foot and never played again. Now I don't want to accuse Wally of being liberal with the truth, but how is this possible? Does any record exist of this incredible feat of bowling stamina? Unfortunately no first name or county team/fixture is given. Roland James

Bearders' Answer: Fascinating question, Roland. Hammond was referring to Alfred Shaw, the renowned right-arm slow-medium bowler who appeared in 404 first-class matches for Nottinghamshire, Sussex, the MCC and England between 1864 and 1897. His 2,027 wickets included 177 five-wicket innings hauls. On 44 occasions he took ten or more in a match. In an era of four-ball overs, he bowled a grand total of 101,967 balls - the equivalent of almost 17,000 six-ball overs. He sent down over 10,500 balls (1,750 six-ball overs) in 1876 and 1878. However, on only one occasion did he bowl 100 four-ball overs in an innings (100.1 for Sussex v Notts at Trent Bridge in 1895) but they were not all on the same day. Yet he may have sent down 100 overs when the opposition batted twice on the same day.

Q. In this summer's Twenty20 match between England and New Zealand, Ravi Bopara was making his debut in this form of the game and neither batted nor bowled. Have there been any other players that have had a similarly inactive international career, in any form of the game? I recall mention of a poor chap some years ago who was called up for his debut Test, only for rain to intervene. The match finished without him either bowling or batting and he was never called up again, can you shed any light on who this might be? William

Bearders' Answer: Bopara has hardly had an 'inactive international career'. Prior to the limited-overs phase of South Africa's current tour, he has played in three Tests and 26 fifty-overs internationals. He is likely to play in their imminent 20-overs game at Chester-le-Street.

John Crawford William ('Jack') MacBryan, a stylish Somerset and Cambridge University batsman, was the cricketer you mention. Selected for the Fourth Test against South Africa in 1924 in a contest involving just 165 minutes of play, his Test career fell victim to Manchester's notorious climate and he remains the only Test cricketer who did not bat, bowl or dismiss anyone in the field. He did field for 66.5 overs and subsequently became England's oldest surviving Test cricketer before being summoned by the Great Scorer when eight days adrift of his 91st birthday.

Q. Regarding the number ways that a batsman can be out, you didn't mention Absent. I recall poor Abdul Aziz being "retired hurt" in the first innings of a match, and "Absent Dead 0" in the second. If a batsman was Absent I would record it as such in the scorebook, or would that now be classed as Timed Out? Bill Benton (Nutley Hall CC, Surrey)

Bearders' Answer: Timed out (Law 31) applies to incoming batsmen, who must be in a position to take guard, or ready for his partner to receive the next ball, within three minutes of the fall of the previous wicket. It does not apply to a batsman who, for whatever reason, is absent from the ground, or unable to bat through injury. If a batsman is absent he cannot be out because he was never going to begin his innings. A posthumous 'absent' is just a footnote. Incidentally, 'retired hurt' counts as a 'not out' innings in batting records.

Q. What constitutes "hitting the ball twice"? In a game I played in last season, a batsman played a short ball that then began rolling back towards his stumps, he then proceeded to hit the ball away from the stumps, which we thought meant he had hit the ball twice and should have been dismissed. The umpire (one of their players), said that the batsman was not out.
Was this the correct decision? Bhav (London)

Bearders' Answer: Yes, it was correct. Law 34 allows a batsman to hit the ball a second time in order to guard his wicket or return the ball to a fielder.

Q. During the First Test of the England v South Africa series at Lord's in the final session of the first day Kevin Pietersen scored 91 runs. How rare is this? Has any batsman scored a hundred before lunch on the first day of a Test match? Tom B (Suffolk)

Bearders' Answer: Four batsmen have scored a pre-lunch first-day Test match hundred: Australians Victor Trumper, Charles Macartney and Donald Bradman, plus Pakistan's Majid Khan. There have been 15 pre-lunch hundreds on subsequent days, 20 middle-session hundreds and 27 in the final session.

Q. I am a freelance journalist in Durban currently doing a series of articles in a local newspaper on cricketers who played in the UK during the apartheid era. How can I find some data and stats for Mustupha M. Khan who played for Hampstead CC (London) and West Bromwich Dartmouth (Midlands) between 1972 and 1975? Feroz Shaik (Durban)

Bearders' Answer: Cricket Archive lists an M.M.Khan who played for Natal (1971-72 to 1988-89) but has no personal details. I suggest that you ask the secretaries of those two clubs - you should find contact details on their websites: Hampstead and West Bromwich Dartmouth.

Q. The England selectors have over the years included a long list of players born or raised in another country, including Ted Dexter (Italy), Tony Greig, Allan Lamb and Kevin Pietersen (South Africa) and the latest, Darren Pattinson (raised in Australia). Have other Test countries picked as many players born or raised beyond their shores, and which are the best known names? James R. Hobbs

Bearders' Answer: Apart from several Australians who played for their home country first and a host of recent players born in the Caribbean, you could add 'Gubby' Allen, Tim Ambrose, Jason Gallian, Adam and Ben Hollioake, and Geraint Jones (Australia), Freddie Brown (Peru), Andrew Caddick (New Zealand), Donald Carr and Paul Terry (Germany), Phil Edmonds and Neal Radford (Northern Rhodesia), Colin Cowdrey, Duleepsinhji, George Emmett, Errol Holmes, Nasser Hussain, Robin Jackman, John Jameson, Douglas Jardine, Norman Mitchell-Innes, the Nawab of Pataudi snr, Min Patel, Ranjitsinhji, Neville Tufnell, Bob Woolmer, Edward Wynyard and Richard Young (India), Graeme Hick and Paul Parker (Southern Rhodesia), Derek Pringle (Kenya), Dermot Reeve (Hong Kong), Basil D'Oliveira, Ian Greig, Chris and Robin Smith, and Andrew Strauss (South Africa), Lord Harris and Sir Pelham Warner (Trinidad).

No other country has approached this tally, although Australia's early Test teams included many players born in England and Ireland. Their most famous imported player was leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett who was born in New Zealand at Dunedin.

Q. A player at my club, Shepley CC, recently took a hat-trick where all three batsmen were out caught and bowled. How unusual is this? We can find no other instance in the record books. Townian

Bearders' Answer: It has not happened in a Test match. The closest to achieving it was T.J. ('Jimmy') Matthews who caught and bowled the last two victims of his second hat-trick (one in each innings) for Australia v South Africa on the second afternoon of the Triangular Test at Old Trafford in 1912. I have no record of a caught-and-bowled hat-trick in first-class matches.

Q. Relating to a previous question about the number of ways that a batsman may be dismissed, is there a cricket equivalent to football's "Red Card"? AsleepAtThirdMan

Bearders' Answer: In soccer, the referee's award of a red card ejects the recipient from the game and he may not be replaced. There is no equivalent in cricket. Umpires can report a player's bad conduct to his fellow umpire. They can then jointly advise his captain of the offence and instruct him to take action. In extreme cases the captain has then ordered the offending player off the field. Umpires can also report a grave offence to the Executive of the player's team and any governing body responsible for the match.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' answer: There is no precedent for the result of a Test match being changed after the day of its completion and this latest in a lengthening list of contentious and politically motivated decisions by the ICC has set an extremely dangerous precedent.

"Match forfeited" was the correct result under Law 21 when Pakistan refused to take the field with the England batsmen ready to play. The tourists' action cannot be excused by any evidence regarding the ball-tampering offence. That was not the reason for the umpires award of a forfeiture to England. Pakistan should have taken the field, completed the match, and then appealed against the ball-tampering decision through administrative channels.

Law 21 (10) states that "Once the umpires have agreed with the scorers the correctness of the scores at the conclusion of the match the result cannot thereafter be changed". In my records and in those of many other statisticians this result will remain as a forfeited victory to England.

Q. A chap in our team is currently undergoing a miserable run of form. He has two consecutive golden ducks, and we were wondering who had the record for the most number of consecutive ducks in Test cricket? Blaggers12

Bearders' answer: The most ducks in successive Test innings is five, an unfortunate record shared by three bowlers. R.G. ('Bob') Holland of Australia was the first with consecutive pairs against England (1985) and New Zealand (1985-86). Then India's A.B. (Ajit) Agarkar, scorer of a Test hundred at Lord's, registered four successive noughts in two Tests against Australia (1999-2000). The most recent instance was inflicted upon Pakistan's Mohammad Asif in three separate series (2005-06 and 2006).

Q. My question concerns Test batsmen who have reached centuries via the hitting of a maximum (six runs). While I assume this is done more frequently these days than in the past, I have no idea whether this list contains four or 40 names. How many batsmen have performed this feat? Has anybody ever done it more than once? Eric Perez

Bearders' answer: The list of batsman completing a Test hundred with a six currently contains 84 instances. As some scorebooks have been lost or destroyed (there is a suspicious lack of entries between 1898 and 1922) this is unlikely to be a complete dossier. Ken Barrington and Sachin Tendulkar have achieved the feat four times. Aravinda de Silva and Brian Lara have done it on three occasions. Seven others have done it twice.

Q. When Gooch got his 333 runs, I seem to remember Robin Smith using Gooch's bat for a short time after breaking his own. How many balls did he do this for? Andyd2604

Bearders' answer: This occurred at 2.48pm on the second day of the 1990 Lord's Test against India. Smith borrowed Gooch's bat for precisely one ball - the fifth of Kapil Dev's 33rd over - and he didn't score off it.

Q. Can you please explain how net run-rates are calculated? Robin (Manchester)

Bearders' answer: A team's net run-rate is calculated by deducting from the average runs per over scored by that team, the average runs per over scored against it. In the event of a team being all out in fewer than its full quota of overs, the calculation of the net run-rate of both teams is based on the full quota of overs to which the batting team would have been entitled and not on the number of overs in which it was dismissed.

Only those matches where results are achieved count with regard to run-rate calculations. The latter are adjusted for results involving the Duckworth/Lewis Method.

Q. I was playing an online cricket game that allows you to name your own players the other day, and in a fit of boredom, decided to do just that, with names related to cricket (e.g. John Cricketer, Neville Hitsaball) It got me thinking, can you recall any particularly aptly named players? Alex Mount (Essex)

Bearders' answer: A brief search of England's Register of Test Cricketers has unearthed Batty, Bell, Dipper, Fielder, Pullar and Walker. Bail, Ball, Batt, Bowler and Gully have all appeared in first-class cricket. There must be dozens more.

Q. Apparently New Zealand's Chris Martin is one of the few Test cricketers who have taken more wickets than they have scored runs. Can you confirm this and tell me who the other members of this distinguished club may be? Mo (Canterbury, UK)

Bearders' answer: Chris Martin's tally of wickets certainly does exceed his batting aggregate. Given a qualification of ten Test matches and a minimum of ten wickets, he is the lone Kiwi in an unhappy band of 13. The full list by country is: England - W.E.Bowes (15 Tests, 28 runs, 68 wickets), K.Farnes (15, 58, 60), W.E.Hollies (13, 37, 44), I.J.Jones (15, 38, 44), J.D.F.Larter (10, 16, 37), R.Tattersall (16, 50, 58); Australia - H.Ironmonger (14, 42, 74), B.A.Reid (27, 93, 113), J.V.Saunders (14, 39, 79); South Africa - C.N.McCarthy (15, 28, 36); New Zealand - C.S.Martin (43, 74, 140); India - B.S.Chandrasekhar (58, 167, 242), N.D.Hirwani (17, 54, 66).

Q. I was wondering what is the highest number of bowled wickets achieved in a Test match. Mark (Southampton)

Bearders' answer: The match record of bowled dismissals is 23 and it has occurred twice - at Sydney in 1886-87 (Australia 14, England 9) and at Port Elizabeth in 1895-96 (South Africa 14, England 9). There has been no instance in excess of 17 such dismissals since 1954-55.

Q. I am trying to find details of the first Test match I went to. It was at The Oval in the mid-1950s, as I recall, and was against either Pakistan or India. I remember that England opened the batting with the Reverend David Sheppard and Colin Cowdrey (who made a century). The remaining batting line up I recall was Dexter, Graveney and Barrington. I do not think Peter May was playing. This is before your time as a statistician, but I have searched many websites with no luck. John Guyver

Bearders' answer: Colin Cowdrey's highest Test score at The Oval prior to 1960 was 25! Your debut was in 1962 when he scored 182, sharing an opening stand of 117 with Sheppard and a second-wicket one of 248 with Ted Dexter (172). England declared at 480-5 having scored 406-2 on the opening day. Ken Barrington scored 50 not out but Tom Graveney did not play. You will find the full score on the major cricket websites.

Q. Have you ever heard of a fielding position called a "stray dog"? A friend of mine recalls that stray dog originates from an old tea towel we had in our house when I was a kid. It described all the fielding positions on the cricket pitch e.g. silly mid-on. "Stray dog" was wandering around somewhere between wide third man and deep square cover!" Jo Morley (Secretary, Haslemere CC)

Bearders' answer: Jo, I think you have answered your own question. There is no such position! The stray dog was exactly that - a confused hound that had wandered on to the field when the artist was sketching the artwork for the teacloth. When I looked at your club's website, I was relieved to discover that not only did Jack Hobbs and Arthur Conan Doyle play for you but that you are indeed Hon Secretary, Fixture Secretary and Scorer. I had suspected "Bumble" Lloyd as being the originator of this question.

Q. Earlier this season there were no extras when Sussex scored 203 in the first innings of their County Championship match against Somerset at Taunton. What is the highest first-class or Test innings without an extra? Mark Sells (Taunton)

Bearders answer: The highest Test innings without an extra is 328 by Pakistan in the Third Test against India at Bagh-i-Jinnah, Lahore, on 29-30 January 1955. Philip Bailey has confirmed that the first-class record (and the only instance over 500) is nearly double that - 647 by Victoria v Tasmania at Melbourne on 5-6 February 1952.

Q. How many ways can a batsman be given out and what they are? John Everiss (Daventry, Northamptonshire)

Bearders' answer: If you include suicide (retired out), there are 11 ways of being out: bowled, caught, handled the ball, hit the ball twice, hit wicket, leg before wicket, obstructing the field, run out, stumped, timed out and retired out.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' answer: There has been a total of 486 instances of insertion by 144 captains. They have resulted in 176 wins, 145 losses and 165 draws. New Zealand's defeat at Trent Bridge was the 27th to involve an innings margin. The full list by team (with captains) is: Australia 1 (K.J.Hughes); England 5 (A.E.Stoddart, L.Hutton, M.H.Denness, I.T.Botham, D.I.Gower); South Africa 1 (H.W.Taylor); West Indies 1 (B.C.Lara); New Zealand 3 (M.D.Crowe - 2, D.L.Vettori); India 1 (S.R.Tendulkar); Pakistan 3 (Javed Burki, Zaheer Abbas, Waqar Younis); Sri Lanka 5 (D.S.de Silva, A.Ranatunga, S.T.Jayasuriya, M.S.Atapattu, D.P.M.D.Jayawardena); Zimbabwe 4 (S.V.Carlisle, H.H.Streak - 2, T.Taibu); Bangladesh 3 (Khaled Masud - 2, Habibul Bashar).

Q. Recently in, one of our second-team matches, all of the wickets that we took were by the method of bowled. I was wondering how often this has occurred in Test cricket and if one bowler has ever taken all 10 wickets by the method of bowled. Richard, Ipswich

Bearders' answer: No Test innings has featured ten bowled dismissals. The record is nine by England in South Africa's second innings at Cape Town in March 1889. Johnny Briggs (8-11) and Arnold Fothergill (1-30) bowled unchanged as the hosts were dismissed for 43, the other wicket falling to a run out.

John Wisden - the founder of the famous Almanack and a 5ft 4in, round-arm, medium-paced, right-hander - is alone in bowling all 10 wickets in a first-class innings. He achieved this unique feat for North against South at Lord's in 1850 when he was 23.

Q. I am a budding scorer, having been injured for my final year at school and wanting to still be involved. I am intrigued by your reference to "linear scoring". What does this entail, and how can I learn to do it? It seems to be far more comprehensive. Duncan

Bearders' answer:The Linear Scoring System involves scoring overs across horizontal lines divided into sections for times, bowlers, batsmen and totals. As it records the result of every ball bowled in a match, it allows you to reconstruct, with timings, the complete detailed ball-by-ball progress of play. Sample packs with instructions can be obtained via my website (see the link from this blog).

Q. Was Doshi the first bowler in the Twenty20 Cup to take a hat-trick and end up on the losing side? Also the commentators referred to a few shots as "French cuts". What does that mean? Dave, Newcastle

Bearders' answer:Yes, Nayan Doshi was the first. The five previous hat-tricks in this competition (by A.D.Mascarenhas, D.G.Cork, J.E.Anyon, J.N.Snape and R.McLaren) had all contributed to wins.

A French Cut is a false stroke. Also known as a Harrow Drive, Chinese Cut or Surrey Cut, it is an attempted cut or drive that has resulted in the ball travelling to fine leg via an inside or under edge.

Q. While compiling statistics for Cleethorpes Cricket Club, our statistician found the instance of a Mr Lord, who collapsed and died of a heart attack whilst batting. The book recorded his departure "retired dead", and his career average had been calculated with this counted as being out. Is this correct, or should a batsman retiring injured, or indeed dead, be counted as not out for such purposes? Michael Shelton

Bearders' answer: Unless a batsman retires bored, his departure should be should recorded as 'retired not out'. This includes death and injury. It also includes compassionate retirements to visit seriously ill relatives or to accompany their pregnant wives to hospital ('retired to become a father').

Only voluntary retirements, when the batsman has no intention of resuming his innings, count as a wicket. All the others should be treated as 'not out' in calculating averages.

Q. The first Test career bowling milestone I remember was Fred Trueman reaching 300 wickets and since then the others have been well publicised. Can you tell me who were the first bowlers to reach 100 and 200 wickets? Derek Leslie, Romsey, Hampshire

Bearders' answer: [updated at 1339 on 26 June] Lancashire and England left-arm spinner Johnny Briggs was the first to take 100 Test wickets. He reached the milestone at Sydney on 1 February 1895, just three days before Charlie Turner of New South Wales and Australia.

Dunedin-born leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett (Wellington, Victoria, South Australia and Australia) was the first to reach the 200 mark - against South Africa at Johannesburg on 17 February 1936.

Q. Having just finished watching the recent Twenty20 International at Old Trafford, I have a question about the numbers beneath the badge on the front of the England players' shirts. Kevin Pietersen's was number seven - what does this relate to?

I know for Test matches it relates to the order in which you made your debut, ie Michael Vaughan was the 600th player to play Test cricket for England. But KP played in the first-ever Twenty20 game for England v Australia at the Rose Bowl in 2005 and he came into bat at number four so where does the seven come from? Ross Marshall, Cheshunt, Hertfordshire

Bearders' answer: The numbers have nothing to do with the batting order. When more than one player makes his debut in the same match, the numbers are issued alphabetically by surname. Pietersen was seventh in England's alphabetical order in their first match.

Q. I can't help noticing that many of the records for low-scoring Test matches seem to date back to early days (19th century/early 20th). The distinct impression is that batsmen were weaker then (or bowlers stronger). What was the highest aggregate match score before the First World War? How does it compare to the current record? Steve, Northampton

Bearders' answer: A poor standard of pitches contributed to low scoring in many of those pre-1914 Test matches. For the record the highest match aggregate in that period was 1,646 runs for 40 wickets by Australia (465 and 339) and South Africa (482 and 360) in a timeless Test at Adelaide in 1910-11 that lasted six days.

The current record (1,981 runs for 35 wickets) has stood since March 1939 when South Africa (530 and 481) and England (316 and 645-5) contested a 10-day match that ended in a draw when the tourists had to catch their transport home.

Q. Has a bowler ever doubled as a fast bowler and also a spinner? Is it allowed for a bowler to change bowling style within an over and, if so, does this require notice to the batsman? Simon

Bearders' answer: The obvious answer to your first question, Simon, is Sir Garfield Sobers who frequently exhibited three types of bowling in the same innings, sometimes within the same spell. After opening with left-arm fast-medium late swing, he would revert to his original left-arm spin, bowling both orthodox leg-breaks and wrist spin (chinamen and googlies).

Bowlers have only to advise a batsman (via the umpire) if they are changing their bowling arm. Changes of style are for the batsman to decipher unaided.

Q. Consider the following situation. The side batting first in a one-day match gets bowled out relatively cheaply (eg for 150). The side batting second gets off to a flier and are 100/0 in the tenth over.

The bowler then notices some dark clouds looming and proceeds to deliberately bowl a series of wides in the hope that rain arrives before 10 overs are bowled and the D/L system can determine a result.

Is there anything in the laws of the game for an umpire to intervene, ie to deliberately not call a wide? Tony

Bearders' answer: The Laws of Cricket do not specifically deal with such an instance. It depends how imminent the rain is but the umpire could just allow the bowler to send down 50 wides and gift the match. Some wides might elude the wicket-keeper and concede five runs. Depending on the length of his run, the bowler would probably take about 20 minutes to achieve this surrender.

Alternatively, the umpire could interpret this ploy as being in breach of the Spirit the Game, and, after warning the bowler and his captain, invoke Law 42 (Fair and Unfair Play).

Q. I was wondering about very low Test batting averages. Does Chris Martin (NZ) have the worst average ever? The other candidates I could think of (Courtney Walsh, Danish Kaneria, Phil Tufnell, Alan Mullally, Bob Holland and Bert Ironmonger) all seem to have marginally better figures. Stephen G. Jones, Hampshire

Bearders' answer: Given a qualification of 20 innings there are four batsmen who have averaged under 3.00 in Test cricket. Martin is in third place:-

M.Mbangwa, Zimbabwe (1996-2000): 25 innings, 34 runs at an average of 2.00
J.V.Saunders, Australia (1902-1908): 23 innings, 39 runs at an average of 2.29
C.S.Martin, New Zealand (2000-2008): 61 innings, 74 runs at an average of 2.39
H.Ironmonger, Australia (1928-1933): 21 inings, 42 runs at an average of 2.63

Q. You state that two bowlers each taking seven wickets in the same Test has occurred only once: Benaud and Lindwall in Madras 1956. How about at The Oval in 1997 when Kasper and McGrath did it? Rajiv Radhakrishnan

Bearders' answer: Thank you, Rajiv. It proves I am human and not a computer. My answer was also checked by a notable overseas statistician and you are the only one to spot the error.

Glenn McGrath took 7-76 as England were dismissed for 180 in the first innings of that Ashes Test and Michael Kasprowicz returned 7-36 when England were out for 163 in the second. In the intervening innings (Australia's 220), Philip Tufnell took 7-66. Set 124 for victory, Mark Taylor's team were bundled out for 104 by Andy Caddick (5-42) and Tufnell (4-27).

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' answer: Charlie Wat (Melbourne) emailed the answer shortly after we went off air on that truncated morning. So far it has occurred only once in 1877 Test matches, when Richie Benaud (7-72) and Ray Lindwall (7-43) bowled Australia to their first away victory against India by an innings and five runs at the Madras Corporation Stadium in October 1956.

Q. In the wake of the Second England v New Zealand Test, I was wondering where England's 179 ranks on the all-time list of first innings deficits by a team that has gone on to win, and what larger deficits have been successfully overturned? Paul, Oxford

Bearders' answer: England's victory at Old Trafford ranks eighth in the list of wins after large deficits:

Deficit; Series; Victors; Opponents; Win margin; Venue

291; 1992; Australia ; Sri Lanka; 16 runs; Colombo (SSC)
274; 2000-01; India; Australia; 171 runs; Calcutta
261; 1894-95; England; Australia; 10 runs; Sydney
248; 1999-00; England; South Africa; 2 wickets; Pretoria
236; 1949-50; Australia; South Africa; 5 wickets; Durban
227; 1981; England; Australia; 18 runs; Leeds
182; 1980-81; India; Australia; 59 runs; Melbourne
179; 2008; England; New Zealand; 6 wickets; Manchester
177; 1961; Australia ; England; 54 runs; Manchester
171; 1955; England; South Africa; 71 runs; Lord's

Q. On 14 August 1958, in arguably one of the most astonishing days in first-class cricket history, the second day of the match between Derbyshire and Hampshire at Burton upon Trent, no fewer than 39 wickets fell. Derbyshire, resuming at 8-1 in its first innings, were dismissed for 74, before skittling Hampshire for 23. The hosts reached 107 second time round, while the visitors managed only 55. Is this the record number of wickets in a single day in a first-class match? Bob Letham (Bridgend, Wales)

Bearders' answer: That instance equalled the record of 39 wickets set on 28 May 1880 when Oxford University (53 and 75) lost to the MCC (89 and 41 for 9) by one wicket in a single day.

Q. I seem to remember that in the distant past the Warwickshire spinner, Eric Hollies, once took all 10 wickets in a county match unassisted. Is my memory playing tricks? Swanwestx

Bearders' answer: Eric Hollies did indeed take all 10 (for 49 runs off 20.4 overs) against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston on 24 July 1946 without the aid of fielders. He bowled seven of his victims and trapped the other three leg before. His feat could not prevent Nottinghamshire from gaining an eight-wicket victory in two days. Two years later Hollies bowled Don Bradman second ball in his final Test match innings to reduce the great man's career batting average to fractionally below 100.

Q. If a team includes a bowler who can bowl in more than one style (for example, Andrew Symonds for Australia), is that bowler permitted to use different bowling styles in the same over? Is there a law in cricket which dictates this, or would it be considered unsporting behaviour to follow a gentle leg-break with a 90 mph bouncer? S.G.Kenny (Nottingham, UK)

Bearders' answer: A bowler does not have to advise the batsman (via the umpire at his end) if he is about to change his mode of delivery unless it involves using his other arm or switching to the other side of the wicket (around instead of over or vice versa). Failure to notify the umpire of such a change in mode of delivery will result in him being no-balled (Law 24).

Q. In 2001 Pakistan followed on at Lords despite only being 188 behind England on their first innings score. I thought that the follow-on could only be enforced if the team batting second were more than 200 behind. Could you explain this?

By the by, I believe that you are a fellow Old Reigatian. I would be interested to hear of any cricketing feats whilst still at Reigate Grammar School. Dave

Bearders' answer: As rain prevented play on the first day in that Lord's Test (17 May 2001), the match became a four-day one for following-on purposes and the margin was therefore reduced to 150 runs.

Yes, I was at RGS (1950-57) and my minor cricketing feats there appear in my autobiography (see my website).

Q. When a batsman ducks and get hits on the helmet, the ball can sometimes go for runs, four say, and is signalled as leg byes. But when a batsman kicks the ball away, or offers no shot, and it runs away for four off his pads, it gets signalled as a dead ball and no runs are scored. In both instances no shot is offered so, surely when runs are scored off the helmet, they should be nullified by dead ball being signalled? Is there a distinction in the rules between the two instances? Adam

Bearders' answer: Yes, there is. Law 26 covers the awarding of leg byes. Note 2 (a) decrees that 'if a ball delivered by the bowler first strikes the person of the striker, runs shall be scored only if the umpire is satisfied that the striker has either (i) attempted to play the ball with his bat, or (ii) tried to avoid being hit by the ball'.

So, when a batsman ducks and the ball deflects from his helmet, unless he has deliberately headed the ball away, any leg byes that result will be allowed.

Q. I have heard of an instance in a club game where a fast bowler bowled a conventional bouncer which cleared the batsman, the wicket-keeper and the boundary without bouncing again. The umpire awarded four wides plus one run penalty. Is this correct, or should he have awarded six plus the penalty? Mark Holmes (Carnforth CC, Northern Premier League)

Bearders' answer: Four (five with the penalty) was correct and is the maximum for any mode of extra. Six runs can only be awarded 'if the ball having been struck by the bat pitches beyond the boundary' - Law 19, note 4 (b).

Q. I love the column. I was just wandering what is the most wickets to fall on the first day of a Test match. And on any day? Josh (London)

The most wickets to fall on any day of Test cricket is 27 on the second day at Lord's in 1888. Heavy overnight rain prevented the match from starting until 3pm on 16 July, Australia being dismissed for 116 before reducing England to 18-3 by stumps. Next day, on an uncovered pitch reduced to drying mud, England lost their last seven wickets for 35, bowled out Australia for 60 and were themselves routed for 62 to lose by 61 runs at 4.25pm. The aggregate of 291 remained the lowest in a completed Test match until 1931-32.

The second highest number of wickets to fall in a single day, and the record for any first day, is 25 by Australia (112 and 48-5) against England (61 - in 68 minutes) on rain-affected pitch at Melbourne on 1 January 1902.

Q. Has Simon Jones retired from international cricket? I wondered why the selectors haven't considered him. Anne (Glasgow)

Bearders' answer: No, Anne, Simon Jones has been recovering from a succession of injuries since he contributed 18 wickets at 21 runs apiece to England's 2005 Ashes victory. He is currently making great progress with his new county, Worcestershire, and has this season so far taken 19 first-class wickets at just 11.73 runs each. Providing his body stands the strain of fast bowling, he will remain very much in the selector's minds for this winter's tours of India and West Indies prior to next summer's battle for the Ashes.

Q. The Second Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Port-of-Spain in April produced innings scores of 278, 294, 268 and 254 for 4. Would this be the narrowest range of innings scores in a completed match (i.e. 40 runs between the highest and lowest innings scores within the game)? Barry

Bearders' answer: No, it certainly is not. The smallest range is just 10 runs. That occurred in a match when all 40 wickets fell (and which I was fortunate enough to be scoring for the BBC), on 26-30 December 1982: England 284 and 294; Australia 287 and 288. This Test, the 250th between Australia and England, provided the first instance of sides being all out at close of play on three consecutive days.

Q. I was interested to hear (on TMS at Lord's) you immediately inform the commentator on demand that Jamie How was dropped on 42 (I believe). Was this an act of memory, a separate note or is it officially included within the scoring notes? Peter (Norfolk)

Bearders' answer: My vertical linear scoring system, has a notes column for each over. In this I can record many happenings, including dropped catches. A symbol in Jamie How's column against the sixth ball of Stuart Broad's fifth over refers to a note reading 'Dropped 1st slip (Strauss) - head-high'. From the other columns I can reveal that the chance occurred at 12.17pm on the fifth day and that How had then scored 46 of New Zealand's 75 for 2 after 30 overs.

Below are Bill's responses to some of your questions posed at the end of his last column and if you have a question for Bill, leave it at the end of this blog entry. Please do include your country of residence - Bill loves to hear where all his correspondents are posting from.

Bill isn't able to answer all of your questions, however. BBC Sport staff will choose a selection of them and send them to Bearders for him to answer.

Bearders' Answer: For those who weren't listening, it has happened on only three previous occasions and, as at Lord's this season, both instances occurred in the same innings each time:-

A.E.Stoddart (173) and G.Giffen (6-155) A v E Melbourne 1894-95
A.W.Greig (103) and B.S.Bedi (5-110) I v E Calcutta 1976-77
M.W.Gatting (124) and Imran Khan (6-129) A v P Birmingham 1987
M.P.Vaughan (106) and D.L.Vettori (5-69) E v NZ Lord's 2008

Q. Following his release from the England match, Matthew Hoggard was allowed to play for Yorkshire against Durham, replacing a player who'd already batted and bowled in the match. How is this allowed?

Bearders' Answer: ECB Playing Conditions for the County Championship currently allow a player put on stand-by for the England team, and required to travel to the international venue prior to the commencement of a championship match, to be named in his county XI. A replacement player will take his place until the nominated England player can take part in the county match. Full conditions governing this procedure occupy three pages of the ECB booklet.

Q. Our opening bowler recently began his spell and in delivering his first ball, wrenched his shoulder. The ball was deemed a wide and subsequently went to the boundary for four wides (or five if you like). The bowler was unable to continue and he was replaced.
What were the opening bowler's figures? DH, (Radstock)

Bearders' Answer: As he had not bowled a legitimate ball his overs were 0.0. He conceded five runs, a penalty run being added to the boundary. His final analysis should have read: 0.0-0-5-0 (1 wide).

Q. Some years ago whilst playing in a Middlesex League Match for Stanmore against Finchley, I drove a half-volley back down the pitch. The ball was in the air but neither the bowler nor mid-on would have had any chance of preventing a certain boundary.

However, my fellow opening bat, Peter Edwards, had no time to move out of the way, and with characteristic adeptness, he played a one-handed leg glance, deflecting the ball off his ribcage, past a wrong-footed and nonplussed mid-on, and over the boundary. The umpire signalled four runs and that was that. I have always wondered if Peter was obstructing the field. What if the ball had been caught?

Bearders' Answer: Your batting partner could only have been given out obstructing the field if the umpire was convinced that his act was deliberate. He obviously took the view that Edwards acted instinctively to protect himself from being struck by the ball. You could have been out caught off the deflection.

Q. I've been wondering how many batsmen have scored ducks in the first innings of a Test and have then gone on to score centuries in their second? What is the largest score differential for one such batsman between his first and second innings? Chris, Edgbaston, (Birmingham)

Bearders' Answer: There have been 127 instances of batsmen scoring a century and a duck in Test cricket, 53 of them suffered the duck first. The highest score in that list is 242 by Ricky Ponting for Australia v India at Adelaide in 2003-04.

Q. I have always wondered how the amount of runs required to avoid the follow-on are calculated. Arjan Posterholt, (Maastricht)

Bearders' Answer: Law 13 lays down the leads necessary to enforce the follow-on in two innings matches. It is 200 runs for a match of five days or more, 150 runs in a match of three or four days, 100 runs in a two-day match, and 75 runs in a one-day match.

Q. Could you tell me if there has ever been an instance where a fielder (other than the 'keeper) has taken a hat-trick of catches? It happened in a Hampshire League game last weekend as the same fielder took all three catches of a bowler's hat-trick and I did it years ago in a tour game, taking the second, third and fourth off a bowler's 4 in 4. But has it ever happened in first-class or international cricket? Wiltsh

Bearders' Answer: No fielder has featured in all three dismissals of a hat-trick at international level but there have been two instances in first-class matches, both involving left-arm bowlers.

Sydney Smith, Northamptonshire's Trinidad-born captain and all-rounder, achieved the first with his left-arm spin when he had Warwickshire's C.S.Baker, A.W.Foster and H.Howell caught by George Thompson at Edgbaston on 21 July 1914.

Leicester-born Raymond Beesly (left-arm fast-medium) emulated this feat for Border against Griqualand West at Queenstown, South Africa, with the aid of three catches by Cyril White on Boxing Day 1946.

Q. If a delivery hits a batsman's pads plumb in front of the stumps and then goes on to hit the wicket, should he be given out lbw or bowled? Does it depend on whether the fielding team appeals for lbw? Richard Williams, (Nottingham)

Bearders' Answer: Law 30 (2) decrees that Bowled always takes precedence, even if any other method of dismissal (such as lbw) would be justified.

Q. I thoroughly enjoy listening to Billy Birmingham's '12th Man'. One of the clips mentioned "all five Australian batsmen scoring hundreds!" It prompted me to think of the most hundreds scored in one innings in Test matches, limited-overs internationals and first-class cricket. Paul, (Liverpool)

Bearders' Answer: The respective records are as follows: Test matches - 5 by Australia v West Indies at Kingston in 1954-55 and 5 by Pakistan v Bangladesh at Multan in 2001-02; internationals - 2 (72 instances); first-class matches - 6 by Holkar v Mysore at Indore in 1945-46.

Q. I know you're hopeful that the ICC "Super Test" of 2005 will have its Test status removed in the near future but I was curious to know if you considered it to still be a first-class match and have therefore included it in your first-class records. Richard Stone, (Birmingham)

Bearders' Answer: There was never any dispute about that fixture between the Australians and a World XI being accepted as a first-class match. The ICC's own qualifications demanded that a Test match could only involve international (and not multinational) teams - it should never have even been considered for Test status. That it was, owed everything to the need (or greed) to satisfy sponsors and television rights.

Q. What is the highest score by a debutant in a Test match? What is the highest score by a player in his final match of his Test career? Wally

Bearders' Answer: England batsmen hold both those records.

For more than a century, Reginald Erskine ('Tip') Foster has held the record for the highest score on first appearance in Test matches. The Worcestershire right-hander scored 287, batting for 419 minutes and hitting 37 fours, against Australia at Sydney on 12 and 14 December 1903.

Surrey's Andrew Sandham scored 325 against West Indies at Kingston, Jamaica, on 3-5 April 1930. Batting for 600 minutes, he faced 640 balls and hit 28 boundaries. Then aged 39, he added another 50 in his second innings but was never selected again.

Q. What is the longest Test innings for a batsman who failed to score? Jon, (London)

Bearders' Answer: New Zealand's left-arm fast-medium bowler, Geoff Allott, holds that record. Batting last against South Africa at Eden Park, Auckland, on 1 March 1999, he survived for 101 minutes before being dismissed by the 77th ball he faced.