In the BBL the other day, Marcus Stoinis received 79 balls to make his 147 - was that a record number of deliveries faced by one batsman in a T20 match? asked Allan Alexander from the United States
Marcus Stoinis's rampaging unbeaten 147 for Melbourne Stars against Sydney Sixers at the MCG the other night was a new record for the Big Bash, beating D'Arcy Short's 122 not out for Hobart Hurricanes against Brisbane Heat at the Gabba in January 2018. There have been only 12 higher innings in all T20 cricket, as this list shows.
Stoinis faced 79 balls out of a possible 121 (there was one no-ball, which Stoinis smashed for one of his eight sixes). It was the most faced during a BBL innings (previously 70, as this list shows), and equalled the record for any T20 innings - Aaron Finch also faced 79 while making 131 not out for Surrey against Sussex at Hove in July 2018.
There were two other major BBL records set during this innings: Stoinis and his opening partner, Hilton Cartwright, put on 207, a competition-best for any wicket, beating the 172 of Rob Quiney and Englishman Luke Wright, also for the first, for the Stars against the Hurricanes in Hobart in January 2012, while the unfortunate Ben Dwarshuis conceded 61 runs from his four overs, surpassing the old mark of 60, which had happened twice.
Alzarri Joseph had identical figures in West Indies' first two ODIs against Ireland. Was this unique? asked Suhaib Siddiqui from India
The West Indian fast bowler Alzarri Joseph took 4 for 32 in the first one-day international against Ireland in Bridgetown last week, and followed that with 4 for 32 in the second match, which was also in Barbados.
I was saved a lot of rummaging around by Aslam Siddiqui (no relation as far as I know) on the Ask Steven Facebook page, for which many thanks. He discovered that Joseph's performances were the best repeat figures in successive ODIs, just shading Steven Finn's two returns of 4 for 34 for England against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi in February 2012.
This seems to be a fast-bowling speciality: Brett Lee took 3 for 32 twice running for Australia in South Africa in 1999-2000, while New Zealand's Lockie Ferguson collected 3 for 59 in successive matches in the 2019 World Cup, against South Africa at Edgbaston and against West Indies at Old Trafford.
Six England bowlers took a wicket in the second innings at Newlands. Was this a record? asked Tim from England
England actually used seven bowlers in the second innings in Cape Town, and if Joe Root had managed to take a wicket as well it would have equalled the Test record. There have been four instances of seven different bowlers taking a wicket in a Test innings - by England against Australia in Melbourne in 1897-98, South Africa v England in Durban in 1922-23, Australia v South Africa in Johannesburg in 1966-67, and New Zealand v South Africa in Centurion in 2005-06.
As it's also my second name, I was intrigued to note that the England team in the second Test in South Africa contained two players whose first name was Dominic. Has anyone else called Dominic ever played Test cricket? asked John Lynch (also no relation) from Vanuatu
England's side in the recent Test in Cape Town was the first to contain two Dominics, in the shape of Dom Bess and maiden centurion Dom Sibley. The only other player known as Dominic to have appeared in Tests is Dominic Cork, who won 37 caps between 1995 and 2002.
In ODIs there's Dominic Wesonga (Kenya) and Dom Joyce (Ireland), while in T20Is, Dominic Blampied made his debut for Jersey in May 2019, and the former Hobart Hurricanes player Dom Michael for Samoa in July.
Glenn Phillips, who made his Test debut for New Zealand against Australia in Sydney recently, has the middle name Dominic, as does the Bermudian ODI player Josclyn Pitcher.
Which Gibraltarian international cricketer scored a hat-trick in the FA Cup? asked Matt Behan from England
I'm painfully aware of the answer to this one, as I once bowled at the man concerned in a club game. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I don't think I got him out! It was Tim Buzaglo, whose FA Cup hat-trick came for non-league Woking, in the third round in 1990-91, when they upset West Bromwich Albion, who were in the Second Division (the English Football League's second tier) at the time. Although Woking were playing away and trailing 1-0 at half-time, Buzaglo's hat-trick inspired them to a 4-2 victory. Woking lost 1-0 to Everton in the next round.
Buzaglo - and several members of his family - played club cricket for Byfleet, in Surrey. And he took part in five separate ICC Trophy competitions for Gibraltar, where his father was born, between 1982 and 2001, scoring 98 against Singapore in Nairobi in 1993-94.
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