I noticed that India played 71 international matches in 2022. Was this some sort of record? asked Milind Chowdhury from India
You're right that India played a grand total of 71 international matches in 2022 - seven Tests, 24 one-day internationals and a record 40 T20Is. That is indeed the most by any team in a calendar year: Australia played 61 internationals in 2009, Sri Lanka 57 in 2017, and India 55 in 2007. England played 54 in 2022, which is their most.
India now lead the way in all three formats: they played 18 Tests in 1983, 43 ODIs in 1999, and now 40 T20Is in 2022.
Rishabh Pant and Suryakumar Yadav played in 44 of those 71 matches, while Shreyas Iyer and Rohit Sharma appeared in 39. However, that was one record that wasn't broken last year. There are three men who have appeared in 53 international matches in the same calendar year: Rahul Dravid in 1999, Mohammad Yousuf in 2000, and MS Dhoni in 2007.
Mehidy Hasan scored a hundred from No. 8 against India in December. Has anyone else managed an ODI century from so low in the order? asked Bilal Hossain from Bangladesh
That innings of 100 not out from 83 balls by Mehidy Hasan Miraz proved just enough for Bangladesh, who beat India by five runs in Mirpur last December; it gave them a 2-0 winning lead in the one-day series.
Mehidy was actually the second to score a century from No. 8 in a one-day international, after the Ireland allrounder Simi Singh, who also hit 100 not out against South Africa in Malahide in July 2021.
There has also been one century from No. 8 in a T20I - another 100 not out - by Belgium's Saber Zakhil against Austria in Waterloo in July 2021.
Apparently someone once scored six centuries in the space of eight Test innings. Was it Don Bradman? asked Leigh Zanardis from Australia
It's true that Don Bradman is usually the answer to this sort of question, but actually his best run was six centuries in nine innings, which he did twice during his remarkable career (between 1930-31 and 1931-32, and again between 1936-37 and 1938). The man with an even purpler patch was Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf: in eight successive innings during 2006, he scored 192 and 8 against England at Headingley, 128 at The Oval, and then 192 in Lahore, 56 and 191 in Multan, and 102 and 124 in Karachi against West Indies.
Was Ishan Kishan's double-century against Bangladesh the fastest in ODIs? asked Neville Kelaart from Sri Lanka
In the course of his 210 in Chattogram last December, Ishan Kishan reached his double-century in just 126 balls. The previous fastest in men's ODIs was 138, by Chris Gayle for West Indies against Zimbabwe in Canberra during the 2015 World Cup.
Shubman Gill recently made the tenth double-century in men's ODIs, against New Zealand in Hyderabad (it took him 145 deliveries). The slowest of them - 156 balls - was by Rohit Sharma against Australia in Bengaluru in November 2013, although "slowest" isn't really the right word for someone who reached 200 inside 50 overs! For the list of the highest scores in ODIs, click here.
Which pair of Australian debutants were involved in a century partnership for the tenth wicket in a Test? asked Jigna Devalia from the United Arab Emirates
This one goes back a long way: in the second innings of an Ashes Test in Melbourne in 1901-02, Reggie Duff put on 120 with his fellow debutant Warwick Armstrong. It's a slightly artificial record, as both of them usually went in much higher than Nos 10 and 11: Duff regularly opened, and Armstrong eventually made six Test centuries, most often batting at No. 7. But on a tricky MCG pitch, Australia's captain Joe Darling changed the batting order - Victor Trumper went in at No. 8 - and it paid off, as they recovered from 48 for 5 to reach 353, and went on to win by 229 runs. The Sydney Morning Herald said Duff "did not give a chance or make a miss hit. His performance will be reported amongst the extraordinary events in the history of matches between England and Australia."
Their stand was a Test record at the time, but there have been 12 higher last-wicket partnerships since.
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