Paul Little, England

I was at the old Hampshire ground at Northlands Road in 1996 when Kevan James took four wickets in four balls and then followed it up with a century in the same match against India.

Vic Isaacs (Hampshire scorer) said at the time that this was unprecedented. Has anyone else achieved this all-round feat in first-class cricket, or has anyone come close?

Vic is absolutely correct and the feat of Kevan James remains unique. Nine players have scored a century and taken a hat-trick in the same first-class match, M.J.('Mike') Procter doing so twice. One of them, W.E. (William) Roller, scored 204 and took a hat-trick for Surrey.

Mark Peaslee, USA

What two batsmen in Test cricket averaged most runs as partners?

Using a qualification of 20 innings, England's famous opening pair of J.B. ('Jack') Hobbs and Herbert Sutcliffe had the highest average with 87.81. In 38 innings together they posted 15 century partnerships and another ten of between 50 and 99 inclusive.

Niall Foster, Wales

I have read on this web site that Nick Knight has averaged 95 this season in first-class cricket. Has an English qualified player ever had such a high average with the bat and not been picked for the following winter's overseas tour?

No, the previous highest was 91.09 by D.R. (Douglas) Jardine in 1927. He made his Test debut the following summer. Others have had higher averages preceding a winter when England had no tour.

G Krishnamurthy, India

Who was the first person to score 1000 runs in Test cricket?

Arthur Shrewsbury of Nottinghamshire was the first. He scored his 1000th run during the last of his three centuries for England, against Australia at Lord's on 17 July 1893.

Sara Williams, England

Who is the oldest cricketer to score a Test double hundred?

Intriguing question, Sara, and one which involved copious research. The answer is E.A.B. (Eric) Rowan who was 42 years 7 days old when he scored 236 for South Africa v England at Headingley in 1951.

Richard Pasco, UK

The ICC Champions Trophy final was called off after only one innings had been completed. It was then replayed and that attempt was washed out at a similar stage. How is the first game recorded and what happens to the respective batting/bowling averages?

In 1997 the ICC decreed that matches abandoned after a start had been made and which were subsequently replayed would be included in team and individual records.

This edict rescinded an earlier one which, far more logically in my view, declared such aborted affairs and their records void.

Thus, both aborted finals will count in LOI records. The recent fiasco during Colombo's monsoon season could have been averted had the first final been continued on its reserve day.

Saqib Malik, Canada

Which Test ground is the oldest and still being used?

Melbourne Cricket Ground, which staged the very first Test in March 1877.

Paul Carr, England

Was Harry Pilling the smallest player for England? And who was the tallest?

Harry Pilling, who was 5ft 3in when I measured him on 12 Sep 1971, was never selected for England. I have checked through my England Test Cricketers and the shortest players on record are A.P. ('Tich') Freeman (5ft 2in), W.G. ('Willie') Quaife ("between 5ft 2in and 5ft 5in" was the closest estimate of his son!), Bobby Abel (5ft 4in) and Johnny Briggs (5ft 5in). A.W. ('Tony') Greig (6ft 7 1/2in) is the tallest.

Gus Delaporte, USA

When was the last time England won all the Tests in the Ashes series?

If you discount rubbers involving fewer than three matches, it has happened only once, in 1886 when A.G. (Allan) Steel led England to a 3-0 victory.

England won the six-Test 1978-79 rubber 5-1 when the Packer players were absent. Not since D.R.Jardine's 1932-33 'Bodyline' tour have England won four Tests in a five-match rubber.

Sameer K. Misra, USA

Who has bowled the most economical 10-over spell in LOIs?

P.V. 'Phil' Simmons returned the cheapest 10-over analysis in these games when he took 4 for 3 and achieved eight maidens for West Indies v Pakistan at Sydney in 1992-93.

Geoff Job, UK

In the last Test against India, Alec Stewart spent a lot of time on the field of play, batting and keeping wicket. Is there any record of the player who has spent the longest period of time on the field during a Test match?

The exact answer may never be found. It might well be W.J. ('Bill') Edrich who spent the equivalent of four complete days in the field and then batted more than a day for his 219 in the famous timeless Test at Durban in 1938-39.

His cousin, J.H. (John) Edrich and D.S.B.P. (Brendon) Kuruppu are alone in being on the field throughout an uninterrupted five-day Test, both instances being achieved against New Zealand.

However, England won after just 16 minutes of the final day at Headingley in 1965 and Sri Lanka's match was aborted with 16 overs unbowled at Colombo in 1986-87.

Sean, Canada

Has any Test cricketer ever gone on to do acting?

C.A. (Aubrey) Smith, who uniquely captained England in his only Test (v South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 1888-89), began his first professional stage engagement in 1892. At the age of 63 he began acting in films, moving to California and helping to found the Hollywood Cricket Club. Recently, several Indian Test players have appeared in 'Bollywood' movies.

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