Who has scored the most runs in the semi-final and final of a World Cup? asked Rajdeep Vohra from India
If this question was inspired by the exploits of India's Sanju Samson in the recent T20 World Cup, it's a good guess: he scored 89 in the semi-final against England, and repeated that against New Zealand in the final in Ahmedabad: his 178 runs beat the previous men's T20 World Cup record of 149, set by Virat Kohli in Bangladesh in 2014 (72 not out in the semi against South Africa, and 77 in vain as Sri Lanka won the final in Mirpur).
For any T20I competition, the record is 182 runs, by Muhammad Waseem of the United Arab Emirates, in the World Cup Qualifier in Oman in February 2022: he scored 70 in the semi against Nepal and 112 in the final against Ireland.
Moving to the 50-over game, the men's World Cup record is 199 runs, by Travis Head in November 2023: he hit 62 in the semi-final against South Africa, then hurtled to 137 as Australia toppled India in the final in Ahmedabad.
Sourav Ganguly scored 258 runs - 141 not out against South Africa and 117 vs New Zealand - in the ICC KnockOut (the forerunner of the Champions Trophy) in Kenya in October 2000. David Warner score 311 runs in the best-of-three finals series against Sri Lanka in the Australian triangular Commonwealth Bank Series in March 2012.
But the leader in this regard is a woman: Australia's Alyssa Healy piled up 299 runs in the semi and final of the World Cup in New Zealand early in 2022. She hit 129 against West Indies, and 170 in the final against England in Christchurch. South Africa's captain Laura Wolvaardt came close towards the end of last year, with 169 in the World Cup semi-final against England and 101 in the final against India.
I noticed that in a recent T20 international, Lesotho's completed innings of 60 included just one four and one six. Was this a record for the fewest boundaries in a completed T20 innings? asked Beville Blackman from Trinidad & Tobago
Actually Lesotho's innings against Botswana in Gaborone last week was a long way from this record: when Ivory Coast were bowled out for 7 by Nigeria in Abuja in November 2024, there were no boundaries at all. Outtara Mohamed did score 4, but that was made up of two twos before he was dismissed by the final ball of the first over.
Mongolia were bowled out for 12 by Japan in May 2024, and for 10 by Singapore four months later: neither innings included a boundary.
There have been five women's T20Is that featured completed innings with less than four runs scored off the bat.
Is it right that India were the first host nation to win the T20 World Cup? And the first to retain the trophy? asked Mohan Chowdhury from India
The men's T20 World Cup has certainly been shared around: the first five winners were all different, and it wasn't until India recently repeated their final victory in Bridgetown in June 2024 that any side had retained the title. India have now won three T20 World Cups, and England and West Indies two apiece.
India were indeed also the first host nation to lift the title. The only previous hosts to reach the final at home were Sri Lanka, who lost to West Indies in Colombo in October 2012.
The men's 50/60-over World Cup also went a long time before it was won by the host nation - there were also nine tournaments before a home winner, when India won the tenth in April 2011. That was followed by two more home wins, for Australia in 2015 and England in 2019, before Australia bucked the recent trend by winning in Ahmedabad, in November 2023. It could be argued that Sri Lanka won at home in 1996: some of the group games were played on the island, but they won the final in Lahore.
Things have been similarly unpredictable on the women's side. England won the first women's T20 World Cup at home in 2009, while Australia - who have won six of the nine tournaments - triumphed at home in 2020. For the list, click here. England have won the 50/60-over women's World Cup at home three times, in 1973, 1993 and 2017. Australia (1988), New Zealand (2000) and India (2025) have all done it once.
Has there ever been a five-Test series which didn't feature any stumpings? asked Rajiv Radhakrishnan from England
To date there have been 27 five-Test series in which no one was out stumped. It's something of a modern phenomenon: only five of those came before 1972. The first series without a stumping on either side was the 1897-98 Ashes in Australia; the most recent was another Ashes series down under, in 2021-22. England's series against India that started in 2021 and concluded with a fifth Test the following summer also had no stumpings.
However, there are also two six-Test series that didn't have a single stumping: between Australia and West Indies down under in 1975-76, and the 1981 Ashes in England, when none of the 223 dismissals was a stumping. Only one series has seen more wickets fall - the 1978-79 Ashes with 224, three of which were stumpings.
Apparently there have been four Test cricketers born in Zambia. Who are they? asked Kelvin Haggai from Zambia
I gathered from something else you wrote that you thought they were only three. There are only three men - but Australia's prolific female opener Lindsay Reeler was also born there, in 1961, before her family moved to Sydney when she was about ten.
The three male Test players are Phil Edmonds, who was born in Lusaka (the national capital) in 1951 and went on to win 51 caps for England; Neal Radford, who was born in Luanshya in 1957 and played three Tests for England; and Henry Olonga, who was born in Lusaka in 1976 and played 30 Tests (and 50 one-day internationals) for Zimbabwe. Edmonds, Radford and Reeler were born in what was then called Northern Rhodesia - the country became Zambia on gaining independence in 1964.
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