Ronchi's blitz, and remarkable ODI recoveries

Ask Steven: Also, the fastest ODI 150s, and the highest Test totals without a half-century

Steven Lynch

You're not so big now, brother

ESPNcricinfo XI: When unfavoured teams trounced stronger ones at the World Cup

Numbers Game

Australian challenge for spinners

Numbers Game: Spinners have found it more difficult to take ODI wickets in Australia than in any other country, especially in the middle overs

Ask Steven

AB's assault, and losing T20 centuries

Ask Steven: Plus, most hundreds in an ODI innings, and the youngest West Indies captain

Rewind

The start of saturation cricket

Rewind: Australia's international tri-series came out of financial necessity and the need to appease a broadcaster

Numbers Game

Not a country for openers

Numbers Game: Over the last six years, India has been the best country for opening batsmen in ODIs; Australia has been one of the worst

Ask Steven

Most centuries and most catches in a Test series

Ask Steven: Plus, lowest total to include a double-ton, and most World Cup runs without a fifty

ESPNcricinfo XI

Sticky customers

ESPNcricinfo XI: The 669-ball partnership between Kane Williamson and BJ Watling in Wellington brought to mind some other memorable long stands

Numbers Game

A bounty of runs

Numbers Game: The ongoing Australia-India Test series has been an uninterrupted run-fest, and especially so for the captains

Steven Lynch

Calendar-year sixes, and ODI records in NZ

Ask Steven: Plus, Sangakkara's prolific 2014, and players with stumpings and caught-bowled dismissals

Ask Steven

Switching captains, and birthday bowlers

Ask Steven: Plus, best ODI batsmen in Australia, most hours spent batting in Tests, and players of the 1990s

ESPNcricinfo XI

Original hits

ESPNcricinfo XI: A look at some of cricket's most memorable strokes - and their makers

Rewind

The return of Bob Simpson

Rewind: When the 41-year-old former captain came out of retirement to lead Australia against India

Numbers Game

Two fortresses called Brisbane and Centurion

Numbers Game: Australia haven't lost at the Gabba since 1988, while South Africa have a 14-2 record in Centurion

Steven Lynch

Captains' knocks, and Hayden's travails

Ask Steven: Also, scores of 500 and above without a century, and a book called Cricket Wallah

Numbers Game

One win, 45 defeats

Numbers Game: West Indies have been woeful in overseas Tests against the top teams in the last 14 years

Steven Lynch

Second-innings triples, and debut hat-tricks

Ask Steven: Also, most runs in boundaries in a Test innings, and ODI debuts in the World Cup

Steven Lynch

Howdy pardner

ESPNcricinfo XI: From Botham-Willis to Wasim-Waqar, a look at the most productive bowling pairs in Test cricket

Rewind

The bouncer that ended a career

Rewind: In 1962, Nari Contractor was left critically ill after being hit on the head by a West Indian fast bowler

Numbers Game

Tough for spinners in Australia

Numbers Game: Slow bowlers, especially overseas offies, have struggled to make an impact in Australia over the last few years

Steven Lynch

New Zealand's Sharjah records, and aged debutants

Ask Steven: Also, most twin fifties in Tests, and a correction about most first-class wickets in a calendar year

Steven Lynch

Bradman's strike rate, most first-class wickets in a year

Ask Steven: Also, Australia's youngest captain, and batsmen with 125 Tests or more failing to pass 250

Steven Lynch

That's my boy

ESPNcricinfo XI: Father and son pairs to have scored Test hundreds

Rewind

Four afternoons into immortality

Rewind: In 1899 a 13-year-old orphan at Clifton College established a world record which stands to this day

Numbers Game

Misbah's Pakistan or Imran's Pakistan?

Numbers Game: Pakistan have notched up some fine wins under Misbah's leadership, but they haven't been consistent outside the UAE

Steven Lynch

Rohit's record, and captains' equal scores

Ask Steven: Also, the youngest Australian player, and scoreless in three Tests

Numbers Game

Rohit or Rahane for overseas opener?

Numbers Game: Rohit Sharma has been outstanding as an opener in home ODIs, but his overseas numbers don't look as good

Ask Steven

First-ball dismissals, and presidential relations

Ask Steven: Most ODI runs in a calendar month, stumped twice in a Test, fastest hundreds by keepers, and brothers in a hat-trick

ESPNcricinfo XI

It never gets old

ESPNcricinfo XI: After Misbah's heroics, a look at some players who were the oldest to achieve certain feats

Martin Williamson

Cricket while Dhaka burned

Rewind: The tour of Pakistan that was nearly aborted due to unrest around the Bangladeshi independence movement

S Rajesh

Bangladesh's star with bat and ball

Numbers Game: Shakib Al Hasan has twice achieved the double of a century and a five-for in the same Test

Steven Lynch

Ah Abu Dhabi

Ask Steven: All sorts of records were equalled, broken or threatened in the second Test between Pakistan and Australia in UAE

Numbers Game

Rewarding times for Hashim Amla

Numbers Game: The rate at which he has accumulated ODI hundreds and MoM awards is among the fastest in history

Ask Steven

Manic one-day chases, and daddy partnerships

Ask Steven: Also, most brothers in a Test XI, and the fastest to 20 ODI centuries

ESPNcricinfo XI

Change of plan

ESPNcricinfo XI: After the sudden end to West Indies' tour of India, a look at some other tours which ended prematurely, or didn't happen at all

Numbers Game

Younis Khan and the art of scoring hundreds

Numbers Game: Only five Pakistanis have scored 15-plus hundreds, but his appetite for tons matches that of the best

Steven Lynch

Last ball, last wicket, and Northants' parched spell

Ask Steven: Also, Vijay Manjrekar's nickname, Abid Ali's no-ball, oldest double-centurions, and this decade's leading players

Numbers Game

Spin challenge for Australia

Numbers Game: The series against Pakistan is an opportunity to prove they've learnt from their bad experiences in India

Ask Steven

Highest ODI averages, and Leap Year babies

Ask Steven: Also, fewest boundaries in a T20 innings, most runs in a Test, and a pest named Fruitfly

ESPNcricinfo XI

Controversy, they wrote

ESPNcricinfo XI: As Kevin Pietersen's autobiography hits the headlines, a look at some other books that proved controversial in their day

Martin Williamson

Shell-shocked and bloodied

Rewind: In 1974, England arrived in Australia full of hope... and left routed, battered and bewildered

Numbers Game

New rules, similar tempo

Numbers Game: The four-outfielders rule in ODIs has helped boundary-hitting but not the overall run rate

Steven Lynch

Most overs in a Test innings, and unproductive debuts

Ask Steven: Plus, Test wins after losing the fewest wickets, and the fastest to 100 ODI scalps

S Rajesh

Why Ajmal will be missed in the UAE

Numbers Game: Since 2011 his combined record in Tests and ODIs is unmatched among spinners

Steven Lynch

Wicket-taking oldies, and English centurions

Ask Steven: Also, playing against most teams, highest ODI scores by batsmen out hit-wicket, and Flying Stumps

Rewind

An Englishman abroad

Rewind: The story of the great actor-cricketer Charles Aubrey Smith, and Hollywood CC, founded in the early '30s

Numbers Game

Batting resurgence key to KKR's success

Numbers Game: Their bowling stats were better before their 12-match winning streak. Robin Uthappa has led the batting revival

Steven Lynch

Shiv's not-outs, and hit-wicket victims

Ask Steven: Also, top-scoring in both innings, most Test dismissals caught, and the oldest Test centurion

ESPNcricinfo XI

The Bangladesh album

ESPNcricinfo XI: A look at the side's international highlights: from shocking Pakistan in 1999 to whitewashing New Zealand

Numbers Game

85 Tests, 70 defeats

Numbers Game: Bangladesh's stats are easily the worst among all teams when they'd played as many Tests

Ask Steven

Busy keepers, and Waqar's bowleds

Ask Steven: Also, high scores and low averages in ODIs, most ducks in international cricket, and the 12-year-old Test player

Rewind

Down to the wire

Rewind: When the County Championship was controversially tied for the last time after a gripping finale to the season

S Rajesh

Soaring in the 1980s, slumping in the 2000s

Numbers Game: On the eve of West Indies' 500th Test, we look at how they rose and fell

Ask Steven

Youngest double-centurions, and the oldest living Test players

Ask Steven: Also, the closest ODI team match-ups, most catches in a T20, and expensive Test debut five-fors

ESPNcricinfo XI

When Zimbabwe made heads turn

ESPNcricinfo XI: In the wake of that recent shock victory over Australia, a look at some of Zimbabwe's other international highlights

Numbers Game

England's problems against spin

Numbers Game: Unlike other teams which play spin better, England have lost too many wickets to slow bowlers in the middle overs, suggesting a riskier approach to scoring runs

Steven Lynch

Rossouw's agony, and most stumpings in international cricket

Ask Steven: Also, the highest scores by wicketkeepers, and the most ODI fifties without a hundred

Numbers Game

Can keep, can bat

Numbers Game: The modern wicketkeeper needs to be more than capable with the bat, and West Indies and Pakistan have had some success with them recently

Ask Steven

Starting and ending with half-centuries, and 99 on debut

Ask Steven: Also, run out for a duck on debut, most Test wickets against Pakistan, and 40-year-old captains

ESPNcricinfo XI

They did a number on us

ESPNcricinfo XI: A look at some of the more exotic statistics from the England-India series

S Rajesh

From support act to lead role

Numbers Game: Over the last four years, Rangana Herath has become Sri Lanka's strike bowler

Ask Steven

Herath's world record, and left-armer dominance

Ask Steven: Also, highest run-getters in England-India Tests, and memorable South African debuts

Numbers Game

Mahela's insatiable appetite for runs

Numbers Game: Mahela Jayawardene was a superstar in home conditions, and was a constant at No. 4 for 17 years

Ask Steven

Bad starts, and plenty of noughts

Ask Steven: Also, match awards in your final Test, most five-fors without reaching 100 Test wickets

ESPNcricinfo XI

The deciders

ESPNcricinfo XI: Steven Lynch picks classic five-Test clashes that were decided by the final Test

Numbers Game

Opening pairs in a slump

Numbers Game: The average opening partnership has fallen significantly in the last three years, and 2014 has been particularly rough

Ask Steven

Pankaj's luck, and Anderson's toil

Ask Steven: Also, a century and a duck in the same Test, Ballance's hundreds, Ishant's average, and Lawry's autobiography

Rewind

Duty calls

Rewind: On the centenary of Britain's entry into World War I, we look at how county cricket continued to be played in 1914 till the public outcry grew too loud

Numbers Game

An all-round ODI giant

Numbers Game: Few players can boast the sort of numbers that Jacques Kallis achieved in ODIs

Ask Steven

Worst keepers, and honours at Lord's

Ask Steven: Also, most keeping dismissals on debut, seven-for at HQ, and youngest ODI centurions

ESPNcricinfo XI

No repeats

ESPNcricinfo XI: From Sheffield to Jalandhar, grounds that have hosted only one Test

1974

Boycott floored by an Indian trundler

Rewind: When Eknath Solkar got under the skin of Geoff Boycott, leading to a three-year self-imposed exile from Test cricket

Ask Steven

Four in four, and stands by Nos. 10 and 11

Ask Steven: Also, most balls faced in a T20, highest limited-overs score at Lord's, and long lives after Test debut

Numbers Game

A year for tail-end heroics

Numbers Game: Lower-order partnership stats have remained remarkably constant over the last five decades, but there's been a huge leap in 2014

Ask Steven

A Trent Bridge extravaganza

Ask Steven: Tail-end records set in the recent England-India Test, and double-tons by No. 7s

Steven Lynch

Mesmeric Sachin, sopoforic Boycs

ESPNcricinfo XI: From Mankad to KP, we look at some memorable innings in England-India Tests

Rewind

Gower savours life in the last chance saloon

Rewind: David Gower was on the verge of being dropped for good in 1990 when he made a charismatic century against India

Numbers Game

India's opening conundrum

Numbers Game: In the last three-and-half-years, India's opening combinations have averaged 18 per partnership overseas, with only one 50-plus stand in 35 attempts

Ask Steven

Packed tours, and Shiv's late stumping

Ask Steven: Also, best post-war win/loss record, most runs in two calendar years, and most ducks in a Test

Numbers Game

The Sri Lankan challenge

Numbers Game: South Africa have a superb overseas record in the last few years, but their batsmen and spinners have struggled in Sri Lanka

Steven Lynch

Half-century of boundaries, and miserly bowlers

Ask Steven: Also, most frequent appearances on the Lord's honours board, and Sanga and Mahela's twin totals

ESPNcricinfo XI

Leaving it late

ESPNcricinfo XI: After last week's dramatic finish at Headingley, a look at some other Tests that went down to the wire

1952

The new Larwood who destroyed India

Rewind: England called up Fred Trueman because he was fast... as India discovered on his debut at Headingley

Numbers Game

SL's seam attack, and Watling's rise

Numbers Game: Sri Lanka's seamers thrive at Headingley, while New Zealand's wicketkeeper keeps scoring runs

Ask Steven

Sanga's record, and No. 10 highs

Ask Steven: Also, lowest winning totals, two hat-tricks against the same team, and most number of not-outs in first-class cricket

Numbers Game

The pretty match-winner

Numbers Game: The second half of Ian Bell's Test career has been a lot more fulfilling than his first, but he still needs to iron out his inconsistencies

Ask Steven

Craig's list, and Shillingford's smiting

Ask Steven: Also, New Zealand's Caribbean record, and England's youngest double-centurions

ESPNcricinfo XI

The unplayables

ESPNcricinfo XI: From Warne's mighty legbreak to Garner's yorkers - a selection of cricket's most memorable deliveries

Martin Williamson

Undercooked South Africa's all-time low

Rewind: They started the 1924 series in England by being bowled out for 30

Numbers Game

Mark Craig's smashing start

Numbers Game: His haul of 8 for 188 was the best by a New Zealander on debut, and made him the tenth debutant to win the MoM award since 2011

Steven Lynch

Lord's tourists, and twin tons

Ask Steven: Also, keepers scoring hundreds in the same ODI, beating Chennai Super Kings, and most ducks in an innings

S Rajesh

More than a short-format biffer

Numbers Game: Chris Gayle will play his 100th Test shortly, and while he's now known for his T20 exploits, his five-day numbers are pretty impressive

Ask Steven

Twins scores, and most caught-behinds

Ask Steven: Also, IPL century in an unsuccessful chase, oldest living Indian Test player, and Eranga's firsts

1994

Lara's quintuple fable

Rewind: Six weeks after smashing 375, then the highest Test score, Brian Lara became the only man to pass 500 in first-class cricket

Numbers Game

Chasing glory in the IPL

Numbers Game: Teams batting second have had more success than ever before this season, while batsmen have taken power-hitting to a new high in the slog overs

Ask Steven

Jack the Ripper the Cricketer

Ask Steven: Also, the oldest IPL player, the first Test triple-century by a captain, and keepers with no wickets

Numbers Game

Ian Bell's No. 4 challenge

Numbers Game: Before Pietersen came along, England had struggled for prolific No. 4 Test batsmen since the mid-1970s. Can Bell step up to the plate?

Ask Steven

The boys from St Lucia, and captains' ten-fors

Ask Steven: Also, losing a T20 without losing a wicket, and keepers without dismissals

Steven Lynch

The lightweights

ESPNcricinfo XI: Cricketers who didn't trouble the weighing machine

1934

Absent... dead

Rewind: A seemingly run-of-the-mill Championship match grabbed the headlines when a player was found dead in his bed on the second morning of the game

Numbers Game

An IPL of two halves

Numbers Game: The bowlers, especially the quicker ones, enjoyed the first leg in the UAE. During the India leg, though, the balance has shifted in favour of the batsmen

Ask Steven

Trott's sixes, and Tayfield's dots

Ask Steven: Also, two fifties and a five-for in a Test, most runs before turning 30, and identical scores by openers

Numbers Game

Can Sri Lanka's seamers reverse the trend?

Numbers Game: Many seam and swing bowlers have thrived in England, but Sri Lanka's pace attack has always struggled

Ask Steven

Out for 99

Ask Steven: Also, the Pringles' World Cup record, winning the most successive tosses, and most runs in T20s

Steven Lynch

The others

ESPNcricinfo XI: Cricketers who were overshadowed by their more famous relatives on the field

1994

Lara reclaims his world record

Rewind: Six months after losing his record for the highest Test score, Brian Lara faced England in Antigua. And rewrote history

Numbers Game

The battle for the top Test spot

Numbers Game: While Australia have a great recent record, the ICC's ranking system doesn't take into account South Africa's superior overseas performances

Ask Steven

Botham's record, and Somerset's near-miss

Ask Steven: Also, a ton of IPL matches, youngest Australians in World Cups, and the Don's lack of fifties

Numbers Game

The Maxwell phenomenon

Numbers Game: Glenn Maxwell has been outstanding in the T20 format, combining perfectly the art of low dot-ball and high boundary percentage

Steven Lynch

Dhoni's 600, and Brett Lee's fives

Ask Steven: Also, youngest captains, run out in both innings of a Test, and women's T20 tons

Steven Lynch

Desert-island reads

ESPNcricinfo XI: Cricket has spawned more books than almost any other sport. Here are Steven Lynch's favourites

1994

The world record that nearly wasn't

Rewind: Twenty years ago this week, Brian Lara became Test cricket's highest scorer, but he almost didn't make it

S Rajesh

Crunch time for Sehwag and Gambhir

Numbers Game: The Indian T20 tournament presents an opportunity to both to show their class once again

Ask Steven

Ducks, and a tadpole

Ask Steven: Also, most World T20 caps, most Test lbws, low-scoring Test wins, and a quartet of tons in an ODI

S Rajesh

Narine weaves his T20 magic

Numbers Game: The West Indies offspinner didn't take many wickets in the World T20 but still made a big impact with his economy rate

Ask Steven

Ducks, stumpings, and hundreds across formats

Ask Steven: Also, highest percentage of team runs, and big hauls in all three formats

ESPNcricinfo XI

Are you sitting down for this?

ESPNcricinfo XI: Netherlands beat England last month. A look at some other big international upsets over the years

S Rajesh

Are the last five overs more productive in this World T20?

Numbers Game: A look at scoring patterns across the five editions of the tournament

Steven Lynch

Chasing centuries, and rocketing run rates

Ask Steven: A T20 special that includes worst bowling figures, lowest team totals, and minnow wins

Martin Williamson

Dimly fades the Don

Rewind: Fifteen years after his famous final Test innings, Bradman faced England once again, at the MCG

S Rajesh

Umar Akmal's limited-overs exploits

Numbers Game: The ability to play all round the wicket against all types of bowlers makes him a high-value player

Steven Lynch

Twenty for two, and Baz's T20 record

Ask Steven: Also, the oldest man to score an ODI century on debut, poor double-centurions, and the rugby relative

ESPNcricinfo XI

Your names are numbered

ESPNcricinfo XI: Players with names that contain numbers between 0 and 10 (and one with 20)

Numbers Game

Put a spin on it

Numbers Game: With the World T20 being held in Bangladesh, spin, and the batsmen who handle it best, could be the key for all teams

Steven Lynch

The most sixes, and most successive fifties

Ask Steven: Also, twin hundreds in South Africa, T20's leading run scorer and wicket-taker, and more on innings hoggers

1990

'Write anything bad and I'll whack you'

Rewind: When Viv Richards took exception to a front-page report and marched up to the press box to have words with the journalist

Numbers Game

AB de Villiers' purple patch

Numbers Game: Over the last five years, he is the only batsman to average more than 60 in both Tests and ODIs

Ask Steven

Solo efforts, and old man Misbah

Ask Steven: Also, most runs in international cricket without a duck, 50 Test wickets in three months, and a footballer's cricketing nephew

ESPNcricinfo XI

Go figure

ESPNcricinfo XI: Inspired by Abdur Rahman's 0-0-8-0, we look at some of cricket's more improbable bowling analyses

Numbers Game

The Warner effect

Numbers Game: Johnson trumping Steyn and other key aspects that helped Australia to a series win in South Africa

Ask Steven

Leg-before for 266, and a dozen left-handers

Ask Steven: Also, most consecutive ODIs, 40-year-old Test players, five-fors in tandem, and most wins by an Asian

1990

Demented and orgasmic gesticulations

Rewind: How Viv Richards' over-the-top celebrations and a commentary row blighted the 1990 Barbados Test

Numbers Game

A run-machine called Sangakkara

Numbers Game: He has been in awesome form against Bangladesh lately, but a stiffer challenge awaits later this year

Ask Steven

Baz's Basin feats, and Ireland the giant slayer

Ask Steven: Also, centurion No. 8s, cricketers nicknamed "Stumpy", and youngest List A players

ESPNcricinfo XI

The tradesmen

ESPNcricinfo XI: A Barber, a Cook, an Engineer and other cricketers whose names are also professions. By Steven Lynch

Numbers Game

Johnson v Smith, and other such contests

Numbers Game: The case of left-handed batsmen against left-arm fast bowlers, and New Zealand's batting high

Ask Steven

Johnson's demolition, and last stands

Ask Steven: Also, most runs in a 50th Test, and most keeping dismissals without a stumping

1982

The end of the line for Boycott

Rewind: Geoff Boycott largely chose the time and nature of his quitting Test cricket but ruffled feathers in the process

Numbers Game

Where it's toughest to open

Numbers Game: In the last 11 Tests in Centurion, opening pairs have averaged 24.41, but there's one venue where they have fared even worse

Steven Lynch

Triples trivia, and ducks in large totals

Ask Steven: Also, openers who have scored centuries in the same Test innings, and most lbws in an innings

Steven Lynch

I'll not be back

ESPNcricinfo XI: After Kevin Pietersen's international exit, a look at some other unusual endings to Test careers

Numbers Game

Pietersen: a star across formats

Numbers Game: He was a genuine matchwinner for England and often rose to the challenge against quality bowlers

Ask Steven

Most wickets for a captain, and bye-less totals

Ask Steven: Also, 150-plus scores, most half-centuries in an innings, and the story of Banger and Bangers

1930

Playing two Tests in a day

Rewind to 1930: When England found themselves playing simultaneous Test series in New Zealand and the Caribbean

Numbers Game

India's bowling woes in overseas ODIs

Numbers Game: All aspects have been a shambles, be it pace or spin, bowling with the new ball or in the slog overs

Ask Steven

Fast scoring, and an unwanted double

Ask Steven: Also, Kohli's race to 6000, left-armers' series records, and losing despite scoring higher

Steven Lynch

Guess who I met today?

ESPNcricinfo XI: Sharing a flight or bumping into them in the press box - it's always fun to meet cricket's rich and famous

Numbers Game

Pakistan's hunt for a wicketkeeper-batsman

Numbers Game: In the last four years, Pakstan's wicketkeepers have averaged 19.44 in Tests, with no centuries in 59 innings

Steven Lynch

Lyon's feat, and Morgan's maximums

Ask Steven: Also, nervous nineties, most keeping dismissals on debut, 100 successive Tests, and most lefties in an XI

1908

When cricket hit the West End

Rewind: The game has been played in few stranger places than in the London Coliseum Theatre of Varieties in St Martin's Lane

Steven Lynch

Fast scoring, and Warner's odd double

Ask Steven: Also, most Test runs without a duck, unchanged XIs, and umpires partial to lbws

Steven Lynch

Does that read right to you?

ESPNcricinfo XI: A selection of strange-looking scorecards: from victory after 15 all out to England v the "Bs"

Numbers Game

The best series for fast bowlers

Numbers Game: Australia's fast bowlers averaged 18.35 in the home Ashes. Here's a look at other series where the quick men were utterly dominant

Ask Steven

Haddin's haul, and unchanged teams

Ask Steven: Also, highest total without extras, most match awards in a series, and South African centurions in their final Test

ESPNcricinfo XI

The No. 1 centurions

ESPNcricinfo XI: From Bannerman to Aminul Islam - the first players to score centuries for their countries

1958

'A travesty of a game'

Rewind: Few England sides have set out for Australia with as much confidence as the one which set sail in 1958. And few have come quite so spectacularly unstuck

Ask Steven

A record for de Kock, and one for Taylor

Ask Steven: Also, stumps as souvenirs, fastest to 4000 ODI runs, T20 allrounders, and Sydney's Brewongle Stand

Numbers Game

Two captains, one milestone

Numbers Game: Michael Clarke has the better overall average, while Alastair Cook's overseas record is better

Ask Steven

A unique double, and an Ashes record

Ask Steven: Also, debutant captains, most runs by Under-25s, and fathers and sons playing together

ESPNcricinfo XI

It's a draw!

ESPNcricinfo XI: After Darren Bravo's superb effort in Dunedin, a look at some other famous match-saving innings in Tests

1933

A near riot at Adelaide Oval

Rewind: At the lowest point of the Bodyline series, mounted police were needed to prevent a riot in the third Test

Numbers Game

Dwayne Bravo's ODI slump

Numbers Game: He is the captain of the ODI team, but Bravo's stats over the last two years are anything but impressive

Steven Lynch

Kohli's runs, and lots of catches

Ask Steven: Also, six-for losers, fastest keeper to 100 dismissals, and keeper-captain feats

Numbers Game

Hafeez v Steyn, and other bunnies

Numbers Game: Hafeez has fallen to Steyn 15 times; in the last 12 years, no bowler has dismissed a batsman more often

Ask Steven

Rohit's target, and twin milestones

Ask Steven: Also, fastest to 100 Test caps, England's Gabba record, Tendulkar's dry run, and most Test team-mates

ESPNcricinfo XI

The quiet goodbyes

ESPNcricinfo XI: After the emotion of Sachin Tendulkar's last Test, a look at some farewells that didn't go quite so well

Martin Williamson

A barnacle on Australia's backside

Rewind: Questionable spirit isn't just a modern tendency. Great players of the past were guilty too

Numbers Game

Is batting first an advantage?

Numbers Game: Since the beginning of 2000, teams batting first have won 217 Tests but lost 250, which goes against the bat-first philosophy that experts advocate

Ask Steven

Long careers, and young achievers

Ask Steven: Also, fastest to 100 Test wickets, and scoring hundreds in first two Tests

Numbers Game

Older, fitter, stronger, better

Numbers Game: Shivnarine Chanderpaul is 39, but over the last few years he has racked up some unbelievable numbers

Ask Steven

Rohit's record, and Ashwin's feat

Ask Steven: Also, a hundredth ODI on one's birthday, and West Indians with 20,000 international runs

ESPNcricinfo XI

You'll be missing me

ESPNcricinfo XI: As the world prepares for Sachin Tendulkar's last hurrah, we look at some successful farewells from the past

1992

When Agnew 'got away with it'

Rewind: One of the game's more unusual comebacks involved a long-time BBC cricket correspondent. By Martin Williamson

Numbers Game

Have the new rules transformed ODIs?

Numbers Game: The India-Australia series was a run-fest, but the overall run rates haven't changed much since the new rules

Steven Lynch

Six fests, and No. 7 centurions

Ask Steven: Also, losing one-dayers by a run, five-fors in ODIs, and making your Test debut on your birthday

Numbers Game

Overseas masters

Numbers Game: In the last six years South Africa have a 16-5 win-loss record in away Tests; no other team comes close during this period

Steven Lynch

Solkar's catches, and an unrelated record

Ask Steven: Also, the oldest Pakistan Test debutant, biggest gaps between caps, and youngest to 7000 Test runs

ESPNcricinfo XI

One of us against us

ESPNcricinfo XI: A selection of people who did well in international cricket against the country of their birth

Martin Williamson

The first-class farce

Rewind: Seven years ago Zimbabwe cricket was in the same boat it is in today - financially crippled and struggling to conduct domestic tournaments

Numbers Game

George Bailey's meteoric rise

Numbers Game: He has played only 31 ODI innings, but during this period he has racked up astonishing numbers

Ask Steven

Unbroken stands, and Jaipur records

Ask Steven: Also, most players in a Test series, most boundaries in an innings, and batsmen dismissed in the nineties

Numbers Game

Kohli's chasing glory

Numbers Game: He is already third in terms of most centuries when batting second in ODIs, but his rate of scoring them is unmatched in the format's history

Steven Lynch

Sachin's records, and Gazi's double

Ask Steven: Also, centuries by No. 8s, Dravid's nemesis, oldest surviving XI, and most five-fors in first-class

Steven Lynch

Have you met Mr Jones?

ESPNcricinfo XI: After Smiths, we look at the Joneses to have played Test cricket

Numbers Game

Kane Williamson's consistency problem

Numbers Game: His numbers indicate a preference for subcontinent conditions over those that support pace, seam and swing

Steven Lynch

Fifty tons of runs, and no bowling in Tests

Ask Steven: Also, umpiring record for county matches, and England's youngest players

Numbers Game

Rohit's work-in-progress ODI career

Numbers Game: Though he has scored runs in 2013, his career strike rate remains among the lowest of all current batsmen

Steven Lynch

Who, me?

ESPNcricinfo XI: Some of the unlikeliest men to play Test cricket include "Dainty" and a man who was asked to insult CK Nayudu

Rewind

The fastest hundred that never was

Rewind: How Steve O'Shaughnessy's whirlwind knock managed to upset purists and stir up controversy

Numbers Game

The Hafeez problem

Numbers Game: Many openers from the subcontinent have struggled overseas, but Mohammad Hafeez's stats are among the poorest

Steven Lynch

Captains' tons, and Gilchrist's show

Ask Steven: Also, most fifties without a hundred, Pakistan's narrowest losses, and most overs bowled in a series

Ask Steven

The quickest thousand, and five tons in a day

Ask Steven: Also, captains' centuries in a match, Bangladesh's oldest debutant, most not-outs, and most 15-wicket hauls

ESPNcricinfo XI

The Smithsonians

ESPNcricinfo XI: Men with a popular surname who have scored international hundreds. By Steven Lynch

Martin Williamson

'A perversion of positive cricket'

Rewind: The world's first one-day final still managed to upset purists and cause controversy over the tactics used

S Rajesh

Younis Khan's 7000-run journey

Numbers Game: He is only the fourth Pakistan batsman to reach that landmark, and all his numbers suggest that he belongs with Pakistan's best

Ask Steven

An Irish riddle, and the percentage game

Ask Steven: Also, ten individual wickets in a Test, all openers trapped leg before, and the oldest T20 debutant

Numbers Game

The Morgan-Bopara impetus

Numbers Game: The two have made England's lower middle order explosive, and given the team a more formidable look in ODIs

Ask Steven

Best birthdays, and Finch's flail

Ask Steven: Also, highest T20 score in a losing cause, most overs by a quickie in a Test, and double on debut by a woman

ESPNcricinfo XI

Bruised but not shaken

ESPNcricinfo XI: "You guys are history" and other famous incidents when batsmen were struck by bouncers

Martin Williamson

The start of a love affair

Rewind: Watching a one-sided ODI with Caribbean fans at The Oval in 1973 triggered in a schoolboy an unending passion for the game

S Rajesh

Ashes heroes in series defeats

Numbers Game: Only six bowlers have done better than Ryan Harris' 24 wickets at 19.58 in a losing Ashes campaign

Ask Steven

Swann's swag, and Smiths' success

Ask Steven: Also, Bradman's nemesis, most runs in a Test without a century, and double-oh partners

Numbers Game

Winning despite a misfiring top order

Numbers Game: England's top three have averaged 23.75 per partnership this Ashes - their lowest in a series win in over 100 years

Ask Steven

Bell's target, and Vettori's double

Ask Steven: Also, three centurions in one innings, a century and a double in a match, and brotherly games