Fast five-fors, lone rangers, and birthday debuts

This might be a bit of a toughie, but I'm curious to know - is there any innings in which every man who has come out to bat has scored exactly at a run-a-ball rate? asked Maha from Pakistan

That is a tough one - if you mean did everyone score at exactly a run a ball then the answer would have to be no. However, I did spot that during the last World Cup, in the match against South Africa at Basseterre, St Kitts, all seven Australians who batted during their 50-over innings scored at a run a ball or better. The only other instance I can find of seven out of seven batsmen scoring at a run a ball or more was in the previous World Cup, in 2002-03, when New Zealand's batsmen battered Canada in Benoni. The only instance of eight men scoring at a run a ball or better during an ODI came in Amstelveen in 2006, when Sri Lanka ran up the record total of 443 for 9 against the Netherlands. Three people in that innings didn't manage a strike-rate of 100, though.

On the first day of the second Test between South Africa and India, Dale Steyn apparently recorded the second-fastest five-for by a South African in Tests. Who got the faster one, and who holds the overall record? asked Robert Young from South Africa

Dale Steyn's 5 for 23 in eight overs against India in Ahmedabad has been beaten for South Africa only by his current team-mate Jacques Kallis, who recorded figures of 4.3-1-21-5 against Bangladesh in Potchefstroom in 2002-03. The only faster five-for by anyone else in a Test was by the Australian left-armer Ernie Toshack, whose figures on a treacherous pitch against India at Brisbane in 1947-48 were a staggering 2.3-1-2-5 (he added 6 for 29 in the second innings; these were eight-ball overs). Note that these are completed innings figures only - there may well have been players who took five wickets more quickly, but ended up with inferior figures (mind you, they will have been going well to beat Toshack's analysis!).

What is the highest Test total in which only one man made double figures? asked Martin Peel from Desborough

The highest total with only one man in double figures is 88, which has happened twice. The first occasion was when New Zealand made 88 for 4 against India in Christchurch in 1967-68, with Bevan Congdon scoring 61 not out and no one else managing more than 9. It happened again in Bridgetown in 2000-01, when West Indies' 88 for 7 against South Africa included 48 from Chris Gayle and no other individual contributions of more than 8. The highest completed (all-out) innings in which only one man reached double figures came in Bridgetown in 1996-97, when India's 81 all out - they only needed 120 to win - included 19 from VVS Laxman but no more than 9 from anyone else.

I have been trying to find the answer to the following without success - my local library's cricket section is not extensive! Who was the first person to be out in five different ways in his first five innings in Tests? asked Susan France

The answer to this conundrum is the South African batsman Pieter van der Bijl, who made his Test debut in 1938-39. In his first five innings, all against England, he was out lbw, bowled, caught, hit-wicket and run out, before being bowled again to end the sequence. The only other player to manage this feat is another South African, Hugh Tayfield, in 1949-50.

Who has captained his country most often in one-day internationals? And who has won and lost the most as captain? asked Stanley Balchin from Liverpool

The answer to two of those questions is the same - Stephen Fleming of New Zealand captained most often in ODIs (218), and lost the most (106). Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga is second on both those lists, with 193 matches and 95 defeats. But the captain with the most ODI wins under his belt is Australia's Ricky Ponting, with 126 (from 167 matches so far). Allan Border (107) and Hansie Cronje (99) also had more wins than Fleming. For a full list, click here.

Was Sewnarine Chattergoon the first player to make his Test debut on his birthday? asked Vasudeth Kamath from India

Sewnarine Chattergoon from Guyana, who made his debut against Sri Lanka at Port-of-Spain recently, turns out to be the 11th player to have started his Test career on his birthday. Three of the others are also West Indians: Ricardo Powell, in 1999-2000, Ridley Jacobs (1998-99) and Ben Sealey in 1933. The remaining seven players to have done this are Francis Ford, Arthur Gilligan, Jack Iddon and Fred Tate of England, India's Sunil Joshi and Dattu Phadkar, and in the very first Test of all, in 1876-77, Bransby Cooper of Australia.

And there's an afterthought to last week's question about winning an ODI with a last-ball six, from James Hooi, among others

"In a one-dayer in Hobart in 1992-93, Pakistan started the last over, bowled by Steve Waugh, needing 17 to win. That came down to seven off the last ball - and Asif Mujtaba hit it for six, forcing a remarkable tie."