I know Sachin Tendulkar has been the leading scorer in ODIs for about 25 years. Who held the record before him? asked Jeevan Patel from India
You're right that Sachin Tendulkar has been the leading run-scorer in one-day internationals since October 2000, when he passed Mohammad Azharuddin's total of 9378. Tendulkar was the first to 10,000 ODI runs in 2001 (during the course of his 139 against Australia in Indore, the 28th of his eventual 49 ODI centuries), and ended up with 18,426 - he's still more than 3000 clear of his nearest modern-day pursuer, Virat Kohli.
The first to reach 1000 runs in ODIs was Viv Richards, in 1980. Richards held the record for just over ten years, and ended up with 6721; just before the end of his career he was overtaken by his team-mate Desmond Haynes in 1990. Haynes was the first to reach 7000 and 8000 runs in ODIs, and finished with 8648: Azharuddin went past him in November 1998.
In an English First Division football match in 1950, Denis Compton scored for Arsenal, and Sid O'Linn equalised for Charlton Athletic. Is this the only time two Test cricketers scored in the same top-division game? asked Rob Hales from England
You're right about that match at The Valley in March 1950: Denis Compton gave Arsenal the lead, but Charlton's Sid O'Linn equalised from the penalty spot. Compton was an established England Test cricketer at the time; O'Linn, who was South African, would make his Test debut in England in 1960.
A few England Test cricketers have played league football, but not many of them did so in the top tier (the old First Division, which is now called the Premier League). I can find only one previous combination of Test cricketers who scored in the same top-division game, although it's possible I have missed someone: please let me know if you have more information! The Lancashire cricketers Jack Sharp and Harry Makepeace played football together for Everton, and both scored in a 5-2 home win over Sheffield Wednesday in March 1905. They are two of the select band of 12 men who played official international cricket and football for England.
Sharp made his Test debut against Australia in 1909, and scored 105 at The Oval in what turned out to be the last of his three appearances. Makepeace had to wait longer for an England cap, playing in four of the Tests in Australia in 1920-21.
Who has scored the most runs from No. 7 in Tests? asked Brian McKenzie from Scotland
This particular Test record is very much the preserve of Australian wicketkeepers, as four of them top the list. Adam Gilchrist scored 3948 runs from No. 7 in the order, Ian Healy 3041, Brad Haddin 3010, and Rod Marsh 3009. The leading non-Aussie is South Africa's Mark Boucher, with 2939, just ahead of MS Dhoni with 2871 and Alan Knott on 2870. And next comes the first non-wicketkeeper, Kapil Dev, with 2861.
In ODIs, the New Zealander Chris Harris scored 2130 runs from No. 7: Ravindra Jadeja has so far made 2068 from there. Pakistan's Abdul Razzaq also passed 2000. In T20 internationals, Mitchell Santner of New Zealand (681) is currently the only man to have scored more than 500 runs from No. 7.
The second Australia-Bangladesh Test lasted just 750 balls. How many Tests have finished quicker than that? asked Ross Lister from Australia
Australia polished off their second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay - the first to be played at the Great Barrier Reef Arena - in less than two days and just 125 overs (750 balls).
There have been only three Tests that were done and dusted in fewer deliveries. The shortest of all was in 2024, when India beat South Africa in Cape Town in a match that was completed in just 642 deliveries (107 overs). There were also two matches in the 1930s that ended quickly on difficult rain-affected pitches: in Melbourne in 1932, Australia beat South Africa in a match that lasted 656 balls, while in Bridgetown in 1935, West Indies beat England in a match over in 672 balls. The full list of shortest Tests includes drawn Tests; look down the fifth column for positive results.
What are the best bowling figures in a World Cup final? asked Jamie Richardson from England
The best bowling analysis in a men's World Cup final remains Joel Garner's 5 for 38 for West Indies against England at Lord's in 1979; he bettered Gary Gilmour's 5 for 48 for Australia against West Indies in the first final, at Lord's in 1975. Keith Boyce (1975) and Shane Warne (1999) both took four wickets in a World Cup final.
Anya Shrubsole went one better in the 2017 women's World Cup final at Lord's, taking 6 for 46 against India. Following Shrubsole, the best bowling figures in a Women's ODI World Cup final are Deepti Sharma's 5 for 39 for India against South Africa in the 2025 final in Mumbai.
The best bowling in a men's T20 World Cup final is 4 for 12, by Ajantha Mendis for Sri Lanka against West Indies in Colombo in 2012 (West Indies still won), while Jasprit Bumrah took 4 for 15 as India beat New Zealand in Ahmedabad in 2026.
In the women's T20 World Cup, the best figures in a final are Megan Schutt's 4 for 18 for Australia against India in Melbourne in 2020. There are eight further instances of three wickets in a final, including two by Jess Jonassen.
Shiva Jayaraman of Cricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
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