Bill Frindall, aka the Bearded Wonder, is poised to solve your cricket queries and teasers.
The Test Match Special statistician will be busy answering your questions throughout the winter season.
Fill in the form on the right-hand side of the page to stump the Bearded Wonder.
DSA, USA
Why should the Super Series scores be recorded in players' Test and limited-overs career records? Packer's World Series, which was similar to this ICC Super Series, were never recorded as official matches. How come these scores should be official?
This Superfluous Series should most definitely NOT be given Test match or limited-overs international status.
These games are not internationals and the ICC's own regulations confirm that only Full Members of the ICC can participate in Test matches. Conglomerates such as World XI teams most certainly do not qualify.
It is quite ridiculous that a player should be able to represent two Test teams concurrently. The ICC's main committee was far from unanimous in this controversial decision.
The Association of Cricket Statisticians and Historians was consulted and opposed official status being given to this junket.
The Packer series is a separate issue but I do not support their inclusion either. I will not be including the current matches in any records supplied to the BBC or published in the 'Playfair Cricket Annual'. Thankfully some of the players are embarrassed by the ICC's decision, Adam Gilchrist having publicly declared his unease with it.
Keith Shackleton, England
Shane Warne's 40 wickets in the 2005 Ashes series was a tremendous feat! Is it the highest number of wickets taken by a bowler in an Ashes series? What's the highest number of wickets taken by one bowler in any five-match series?
Warne's tally of 40 wickets is the highest for Australia in any five-match Ashes series. Terry Alderman (42 in 1981 and 41 in 1989) and Rodney Hogg (41 in 1978-79) have taken more for Australia but in six matches. England off-spinner Jim Laker holds the Ashes record with 46 in five Tests in 1956. The series record in all Tests is 49 by Sydney Barnes for England on jute matting pitches in South Africa in 1913-14. That incredible tally was achieved in only four Tests - he declined to play in the fifth and final one after a disagreement concerning his wife's accommodation.
Kevin Donnelly, UK
After watching Shaun Tait finish on the losing side in his debut Test at Trent Bridge, I wondered who was the last Australian player to do this.
The previous instance occurred just a dozen Tests earlier when Nathan Hauritz played his only Test (to date) against India at Bombay's Wankhede Stadium in November 2004. The Queensland off-spinner's five wickets could not prevent Australia capitulating by 13 runs on a pitch that turned square from the start.
Nasser Khan, UK
During the recent close finish to the Edgbaston Test, Flintoff bowled a no ball that went for 4 byes. How was the addition of 5 runs shown in the scorebook? Were all 5 runs classed as "no balls" and added to the bowler's figures? Or did it go down as 1 no ball and 4 byes?
Under the current code of laws, boundary no balls and wides are recorded as five no balls or five wides and all those runs are debited to the bowler's analysis. Byes and leg byes do not feature. Andrew Flintoff bowled a boundary no ball at the start of the 62nd over of Australia's second innings, taking the total to 272. Only seven singles were conceded off the remaining 21 balls as England snatched the closest win by a runs margin in Ashes history.
Carl Faulkner, UK
Graeme Hick has more than 600 catches to his name as a non-wicketkeeper. How does he stand in terms of the all time leaders?
Hick held 36 catches for Worcestershire in first-class matches this season to take his career tally to 632. The record is 1018 by Frank Woolley (1906-1938). Four others held over 800 catches in first-class cricket: W.G.Grace (887), G.A.R.Lock (830), W.R.Hammond (819), and D.B.Close (813). Hick is currently in 16th place.
Wayne Andrews and Peter Smith, England
In the final round of County Championship matches, two bowlers from the same team (Jason Brown and Monty Panesar of Northamptonshire) each took 10 wickets in the same match against Yorkshire. Has that ever happened before?
It has never occurred in Test cricket. Although there have been six instances of bowlers sharing all 20 wickets, the closest to a 10-all split was achieved by Colin Blythe (11) and George Hirst (9) for England against Australia at Edgbaston in 1909. In first-class matches there have been 19 instances of twin 10-wicket hauls by pairs of bowlers who have performed the rare feat of operating unchanged throughout both innings. I have no access to a programme that would reveal how many other instances not involving unchanged bowling partnerships preceded the recent Brown-Panesar one.
Andy Vine, England
Which two players have combined in most caught/bowled dismissals in Test match history (i.e. ct Gilchrist b Warne)?
The partnership dismissal record is 95 - ct Rodney Marsh b Dennis Lillee. Runner-up is 76 by Gilchrist and McGrath. The Gilchrist-Warne combination is well down the list with 46 if you include 15 stumpings.
Nick Minns, UK
In the final County Championship round of the season, Mark Ramprakash scored his 10th first-class double century (for Surrey against Middlesex). I was wondering where this puts him on the list of most double centuries in a first-class career.
It puts him in joint 23rd place, level with Geoff Boycott, Sunil Gavaskar, Joe Hardstaff jr, Vijay Hazare, Viv Richards, Arthur Shrewsbury, Reg Simpson, Glenn Turner, and Zaheer Abbas, but behind Donald Bradman (37), Walter Hammond (36), 'Patsy' Hendren (22), Herbert Sutcliffe (17), Charles Fry (16), Graeme Hick (16), Jack Hobbs (16), Gordon Greenidge (14), K.S.Ranjitsinhji (14), Graham Gooch (13), W.G.Grace (13), Phil Mead (13), Bill Ponsford (13), J TTyldesley (13), Percy Holmes (12), Javed Miandad (12), Bob Simpson (12), J W Hearne (11), Len Hutton (11), Brian Lara (11) ,V M Merchant (11), and Andrew Sandham (11).
Jonathan, England
I've just been following the first division county match between Hampshire and Nottinghamshire. I was impressed by Hampshire's stunning first innings total of 714, including a 311 by Crawley. Can you tell me what the highest innings County Championship total is and what is the highest batsman's score?
Curiously, Edgbaston was the venue for both those records but they were separated by 107 years. The record total in County Championship matches is 887 by Yorkshire against Warwickshire on 7-8 May 1887. The innings occupied the whole of the first two days (10 hours 50 minutes) and was the longest in county matches until 1994. The highest individual score in all first-class cricket is 501 not out by Brian Lara for Warwickshire against Durham on 3 and 6 June 1994. He batted for 7 hours 54 minutes, faced 427 balls and hit 10 sixes and 62 fours.
Simon Gardner, England
How many players have achieved the Test match 'treble' of 1000 runs, 100 wickets, and 100 catches? I was told there were three and I can think of Sobers and Botham. Who else, or are there more than three?
There are now four members of that elite club, Simon. You have missed Carl Hooper and Shane Warne. Their career totals are: Botham 102 Tests, 5200 runs, 383 wickets and 120 catches; Hooper 102 Tests, 5762 runs, 114 wickets and 115 catches; Sobers 93 Tests, 8032 runs, 235 wickets and 109 catches; Warne 128 Tests, 2767 runs, 623 wickets and 112 catches.
Tony Singh, England
I have been introduced to cricket scoring through conventional scoring books. During the last couple of weeks I have been introduced to your particular scoring method. Where can I purchase some linear sheets for next season and for the Test matches to be broadcast over the winter?
Please send an email to this web page. When your email address is passed to me I will send you details of my scoring books and trial packs. My own website will be up and running shortly with a link to this one.
Peter, England
Do they still play a game of cricket on the Goodwin Sands in the English Channel during the very low tide that happens every year?
Not sure about the Goodwin Sands but certainly teams of yachtsmen representing sailing clubs at Hamble and Cowes play an annual match when the spring tides recede to reveal the Brambles sandbank in the middle of the Solent. Introduced by famed yachtsman Uffa Fox in the 1950s, the match employs normal cricket laws and equipment. This year the contest was attended by 250 supporters.
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