India had eight left-hand batters in their team against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. Was this a record? asked Neeraj Trivedi from India
India's team against Pakistan in Colombo last week included four right-handers - captain Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Varun Chakravarty and Jasprit Bumrah - so only seven left-hand batters. That's not quite the Indian record for a T20 international: there were eight in the teams that took on Bangladesh and Afghanistan in the Asian Games in China in October 2023.
The overall record for T20 internationals is nine left-hand batters in one team, by Bangladesh against Zimbabwe in Harare in July 2021, when the only right-handers were captain Mahmudullah and wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan.
The Test record is eight left-handers out of 11, by England against Australia in Sydney in January 2014, and West Indies in two Tests in 2000 (against Pakistan in Georgetown in May, and vs England at The Oval in August/September).
Apparently Jos Buttler recently broke the record for the most international matches in all formats for England. Who had the most before him? And who holds the world record? asked Patrick Ryan from England
The first man to play more than 400 internationals in all three formats for England was Jimmy Anderson, who retired in 2024 after 401 appearances. You're right that Jos Buttler has just gone past him: he reached 400 in Sri Lanka in January, and the first match of the current T20 World Cup was his 404th for England.
The English pair are quite a long way down the overall list. Buttler was the 40th man to clock up 400 international appearances in all formats: Sachin Tendulkar leads the way with 664, ahead of a trio of distinguished Sri Lankans - Mahela Jayawardene (652), Kumar Sangakkara (594) and Sanath Jayasuriya (586).
On the women's side, Harmanpreet Kaur of India recently took over at the top of the list from New Zealand's Suzie Bates, who played 355 international matches in all.
How often have Australia gone out in the first round of a World Cup? asked Stuart from South Africa
This question was no doubt inspired by Australia's failure to progress from their group in the ongoing T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The current tournament is the tenth T20 World Cup, and Australia had failed to make it out of the group stage only once before - in England in 2009, when they lost both their first-phase matches, to West Indies and Sri Lanka. Australia won the T20 World Cup for the only time in 2021, and also reached the final in 2010, when they lost to England.
There have so far been 13 tournaments for the one-day World Cup (60 overs a side from 1975 to 1983, 50 overs since). Australia did not make it beyond the group stage in 1979, 1983 and 1992, but they do lead the way overall with six wins; they also reached the finals of 1975 and 1996.
There have also been 13 women's World Cups in the ODI format: Australia have won seven. Their worst result came in 2009, when they lost the third-place playoff to India. Australia's women have also reached at least the semi-final of all nine T20 World Cups so far, winning six.
I noticed that both Pathum Nissanka and Kamindu Mendis have scored over 1300 Test runs and haven't yet been out for a duck. What's the record for this? asked Sudath de Silva from Sri Lanka
You're right that neither of the current Sri Lankan players Kamindu Mendis (1316 runs) and Pathum Nissanka (1305) has yet been out for a duck in Tests. They're quite high on this list, which is headed by a pair of Zimbabweans: Dave Houghton scored 1464 runs in Tests without ever being out for nought, but Sean Williams, whose international career appears to have ended recently, is well ahead with 1946, including six centuries… and no ducks.
The ODI record is held by Kepler Wessels, who scored no fewer than 3367 runs for Australia and South Africa without ever being out for a duck. New Zealand's Daryl Mitchell currently has 2690 ODI runs and no ducks.
In men's T20s, Marlon Samuels of West Indies made 1611 runs without being out for a duck, and Faf du Plessis of South Africa 1528: Bulgaria's Hristo Lakov currently lies third with 1283. Esha Oza of the United Arab Emirates has so far scored 3126 runs in 108 innings in women's T20 internationals without being dismissed for nought.
Is it true there was a first-class cricketer who lost his life on the Titanic? asked Manoj Arya from India
Rather surprisingly perhaps, it is true! The unfortunate passenger in question was John Thayer, who was just short of his 50th birthday when the RMS Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg off the coast of Newfoundland in April 1912. His wife, son and maid survived.
Thayer was a member of a prominent sporting family from Philadelphia, and played seven matches which are considered first-class. For the Gentlemen of Philadelphia against a United States XI at the Germantown club in October 1883, he top-scored with 24 then took 3 for 17. He toured England in 1884 with the Philadelphian side, scoring 60 and 93 against the Gentlemen of Derbyshire and 77 against the Gents of Leicester (these were not first-class games). The tour account in the 1885 edition of James Lillywhite's Cricketers' Annual provided a pen-portrait: "Bats in finished style, and, with more patience, would be the best in the team in that department. Can hit hard, and is a dangerous man when once well in. Bowls medium round-arm with good command of the ball and a break both ways. Is a splendid mid-off, and shows fine fielding whenever he is placed either at the boundary or close to the wicket."
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