A six to win, and out on 299

Shivnarine Chanderpaul won the match last week with a six, when six were needed. How often has this happened in ODIs? asked Lindon James from Barbados, and many others

As far as I can tell - and records of some early matches are incomplete - last week's match between West Indies and Sri Lanka in Port-of-Spain, when Chanderpaul hit a four and a six off the last two balls with ten runs wanted - was actually the first time that a batsman has won a one-day international with a six off the last ball when six were needed. There have been three other occasions when a six off the scheduled last ball has won an ODI (and lots more when the winning hit has been a six, but not off the final ball). The nearest approach to Chanderpaul's effort came in August 2006, when Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor hit the last ball of the match against Bangladesh in Harare for six when five were needed to win (so nothing other than a six would have done the trick). In Napier in 1998-99, South Africa reached the last ball needing four to win, and Lance Klusener made sure by hitting it for six. And the most famous last-ball six of all came in the final of the Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah in 1985-86, when Pakistan needed four off the last ball to beat India - and Javed Miandad swung Chetan Sharma's final delivery over the square-leg boundary.

The prolific West Indian opener Desmond Haynes scored a century in both his first and last one-day internationals. Is he the only player to do this? asked Arvind from India

Desmond Haynes did indeed achieve this double, with 148 for West Indies against Australia in St John's on his debut in 1977-78, and 115 against England in Port-of-Spain in what turned out to be his last ODI in 1993-94. The only other man who has managed it is another opener, England's Dennis Amiss, who made 103, the first century in ODIs, against Australia at Old Trafford in 1972, and signed off with 108, also against Australia, at The Oval in 1977. Only three other players have made a century in their last ODI - England's Clive Radley, against New Zealand at Old Trafford in 1978, and the Dutch pair of Feiko Kloppenburg and Klaas van Noortwijk, both against Namibia in Bloemfontein during the 2003 World Cup. For a list of those who made a century in their first ODI, click here.

I'm stuck for the answer to an intriguing quiz question. Apparently someone once scored 99, 98 and 97 in successive Test innings. Who was this (exceedingly) unlucky person? asked Bob Driver from Newcastle-upon-Tyne

The batsman in question was Australia's Clem Hill, who was out for 99 against England in Melbourne in 1901-02, and made 98 and 97 in the next match, in Adelaide. Hill had earlier been out for 96, too, and so was something of an expert on the Nervous Nineties. But the good news is that he did score seven Test centuries to go with those near-misses.

South Africa's massive lead against India in their recent Test made me wonder whether it was the biggest first-innings lead in Test history? asked Anju Parekh from Mumbai

South Africa's lead of 418 in the second Test against India in Ahmedabad was pretty impressive, but it was a long way from the Test record. That remains a whopping 702 - at The Oval in 1938, when England ran up the little matter of 903 for 7 (Len Hutton 364), then bowled Australia out for 201. Legend has it that Wally Hammond, England's captain in that timeless Test, only declared when he was assured that his opposite number Don Bradman, who had injured his foot while having a rare bowl, would be unable to bat.

How many players have reached 299 in Tests and either got out or been left not out? I know of Martin Crowe and Don Bradman. Is there anyone else? asked Lee Cook from New Zealand

No, the two you mention are the only batsmen to score 299 in a Test. Martin Crowe did it for New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Wellington in 1990-91 - he was caught behind off the gentle bowling of his opposing captain, Arjuna Ranatunga - while Don Bradman was stranded on 299 when Australia's No. 11, "Pud" Thurlow, was run out against South Africa in Adelaide in 1931-32. The nearest anyone else has come to a triple-century in a Test without making it is 291, by Viv Richards for West Indies against England at The Oval in 1976.

In April 7's All Today's Yesterdays column Bev Congdon was credited as being only the second substitute to perform a stumping. I'm not surprised it's so rare, as the Laws of Cricket forbid substitutes from keeping wicket. Was this an oversight on the part on the match officials or have the Laws subsequently been altered? asked Tony Purcell from the United States

It was a recent addition to the Laws that prevented it - before that a substitute could keep wicket with the permission of the opposing captain, although I'm guessing that in the early days of Tests it wouldn't have been considered quite the done thing to have your sub keep wicket! And it would also depend on the 12th man being a decent keeper in the first place. The match in which New Zealand's Congdon did his stuff was in Lahore in 1964-65 - it was right at the end of the game, and I don't suppose that Pakistan's captain was too worried about the change. The first time it happened was in Durban in 1909-10, when Neville Tufnell took over behind the stumps after his Surrey team-mate Bert Strudwick was hit in the face.