Who's made the highest score from No. 11 in the IPL, and in all T20 internationals? asked Ramesh Shankar from India
The answer for the IPL is a surprisingly modest 23 not out, by Munaf Patel for Rajasthan Royals against Delhi Daredevils in Bloemfontein in 2009. Next comes Dale Steyn's 19 not out for Sunrisers against Mumbai Indians in Hyderabad in 2015. In all there have been only 14 double-figure scores by No. 11s in the IPL, all of them coming in defeats.
The highest by a No. 11 in a men's T20I is 31 not out, by Belgium's Khalid Ahmadi against Malta in Marsa in 2021. The highest for a Test-playing nation is Obed McCoy's 23 not out for West Indies against New Zealand in Kingston in 2022. The highest in any senior T20 match is 35 not out, by the England spinner Danny Briggs, for Adelaide Strikers against Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash in Hobart in 2020.
The highest by a No.11 in a women's T20I is Florence Agaimalo's 21 not out for Samoa against Vanuatu in Port Vila in 2022. Ireland's Elena Tice, who was only 15 at the time, made 14 not out against Sri Lanka in Dublin in 2013.
Sussex's Nos. 9 and 10 both scored hundreds against Surrey the other day. How often has this happened in a first-class match? asked Peter Jenkins from England
The match you're talking about was the Championship game at The Oval earlier this month: Sussex were 167 for 8, but then Nos. 9 and 10 put on 173 - Jack Carson made 105, and Ollie Robinson reached 100 before declaring at 358 for 9.
You're right in thinking this was a rare occurrence: there had been only two previous instances in first-class cricket of Nos. 9 and 10 making centuries in the same innings. The first was in April 2003, when Jonathan Batty (123) and Martin Bicknell (103 not out) both reached three figures for Surrey against Loughborough UCCE, also at The Oval. It happened again in Bangladesh in 2011, when Mohammad Sharif made 147 not out and Mosharraf Hossain 104 for Dhaka against Rajshahi in Fatullah.
There are three instances of Nos. 9 and 11 both making centuries in a first-class innings, and two of Nos. 10 and 11 doing so - by Chandu Sarwate (124 not out) and Shute Banerjee (121) for the Indians against Surrey at The Oval in 1946, and by Tanush Kotian (120 not out) and Tushar Deshpande (123) for Mumbai in their Ranji Trophy quarter-final against Baroda in Mumbai in 2024.
Who scored a triple-century on his first-class debut, but has not played a Test? And which non-Test player once made two double-hundreds in the same match? asked Neil Franco from Canada
The only man to score a triple-century on his first-class debut is Sakibul Gani, who racked up 341 for Bihar against Mizoram in a Ranji Trophy Plate Group match in Kolkata in 2022. Gani has scored seven more centuries since and has an average nudging 50, but seems a long way from Test selection. For the list of the highest scores on first-class debut, click here.
For more than 80 years the only man to have scored two double-centuries in the same first-class match was Kent's Arthur Fagg, with 244 and 202 not out against Essex in Colchester in 1938. Fagg, however, did play five Test matches, and later stood in 18 more as an umpire. He was joined in the 2x200 club in 2019 by Angelo Perera, who hit 201 and 231 while captaining Nondescripts against Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. Perera played 12 white-ball internationals for Sri Lanka, but never won a Test cap.
I noticed that Kamran Akmal made four stumpings in an innings during the T20 World Cup in 2009. Was this a record? asked Chris Hodges from England
The Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal made four stumpings in the match against Netherlands at Lord's during the 2009 T20 World Cup. That was a record for T20Is at the time, although it has since been equalled by West Indies' Denesh Ramdin, when Pakistan crumbled for 82 in Mirpur during the 2014 World Cup. Kamran Akmal has made more stumpings in senior T20 matches than anyone else: with 102, he's ten ahead of MS Dhoni.
The record for women's T20Is is also four: first set by West Indies' Shermaine Campbell against Sri Lanka in St Kitts in 2010, and equalled several times after that.
Is it true that everyone who was dismissed after reaching 300 in a Test was either bowled or caught? asked Ralph Eric from Zimbabwe
I was rather surprised to discover it is true: there have been 22 dismissals for 300-plus in Tests (plus 11 not-outs), and all of them were either caught or bowled. The highest Test innings that didn't conclude in either of those ways was Brian Lara's 277 for West Indies against Australia in Sydney in 1993, which ended when he was run out.
Zak Crawley's 267 for England against Pakistan in Southampton in 2020 ended in a stumping, while Dave Houghton was lbw for 266 for Zimbabwe vs Sri Lanka in Bulawayo in 1994. Bill Ponsford had also scored 266 when he was out hit-wicket for Australia against England at The Oval in 1934.
Marvan Atapattu reached 201 before retiring out for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2001, while Graham Gooch was out handled the ball for 133 against Australia at Old Trafford in 1993.
The first man out for obstructing the field in a Test - Len Hutton for England vs South Africa at The Oval in 1951 - had made 27 at the time. Mushfiqur Rahim had made 35 when he was also given out obstructing the field for Bangladesh against New Zealand in Mirpur in 2023, but this would have been another case of handled ball before a recent change in the Laws.
Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
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