Dhoni's not-outs, and twin tons in vain

MS Dhoni now holds the record for the most runs scored without being dismissed for India. Who holds the records for all countries? asked Ibad Raza from the United States
MS Dhoni has scored 340 runs in his last seven one-day internationals - all against England - without being dismissed. That sequence, which started in the fourth ODI of the series in England, at Lord's, comprises scores of 78, 50, 87, 35, 15 and 75, all not out (the last four came during the one-day whitewash of England at home). Actually he doesn't hold the record of ODI runs between dismissals for India, although he might well get there soon: Ajay Jadeja had a sequence in April 1998 in which he made 354 runs between dismissals (105 not out, 79 not out, 6 not out, 116 not out and 48, against Australia and Zimbabwe). The overall record - which, again, Dhoni has a shot at - is held by Pakistan's Mohammad Yousuf, who made 405 runs between dismissals in one-day internationals in 2002-03 (141 not out, 76 not out, 100 not out and 88, all against Zimbabwe). Lance Klusener of South Africa made 400 between dismissals in 1999, most of them during that year's World Cup. The others to have made more than Dhoni's current total are Javed Miandad (398 in 1982-83), Aravinda de Silva (389 in 1996) and Desmond Haynes (346 in 1985).

Ross Taylor and Kane Williamson both made centuries in a one-day international for New Zealand last week - but they still lost. How often has this happened? asked Vinay from New Zealand
Ross Taylor made 119 and Kane Williamson 100 not out for New Zealand in their one-day international in Bulawayo last week, but Zimbabwe still managed to win, mainly thanks to 99 not out from Malcolm Waller. Rather surprisingly, this was the 17th occasion on which a team lost despite having two individual centurymakers in their side. Perhaps the most famous instance of this was the NatWest Series final at Lord's in 2002, when India overhauled an England total of 325 for 5 which included hundreds from Marcus Trescothick and Nasser "No. 3" Hussain. Just to answer another question which came in after this Bulawayo match, Malcolm Waller was the 11th batsman to score 99 not out in an ODI (and the third Zimbabwean, after Alistair Campbell and Andy Flower), but only the fifth to be stranded one short of a hundred as his side won the match (after Campbell, Brad Hodge, Richie Richardson and Virender Sehwag).

Has anyone ever been out for exactly 100 in both innings of a Test? If not, what's the highest score anyone has made twice in the same Test? asked Peter Browne from Cheltenham
The highest individual score made twice by the same batsman in a match is 105, by Duleep Mendis for Sri Lanka against India in Madras (now Chennai) in 1982-83. The next-best double is 80 (so no, no one has ever scored exactly 100 twice - by Alvin Kallicharran for West Indies against England at The Oval in 1973. If you're thinking of round numbers, Andrew Flintoff made 50 and 50 for England against India at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in 2005-06. And there have so far been 484 instances of someone scoring 0 and 0 in the same Test match!

Is Michael Lumb the only man to play Twenty20 internationals for England, but no ODIs or Tests? asked Mick Johnson from Birmingham
Michael Lumb, who has so far played eight Twenty20 internationals without winning a 50-overs or Test cap, is joined in this exclusive England club at present only by Somerset's Jos Buttler and the Nottinghamshire batsman Alex Hales, who have both played three Twenty20 internationals so far. All these three, of course, may well get to play for England in the other formats.

Is Adam Gilchrist the only player to hit 100 sixes in Tests? asked Eugene Ikomi from Algeria (our first question from there, I believe!)
The short answer is yes, he is: Adam Gilchrist hit exactly 100 sixes in his 96-Test career, twice slamming six in a single innings (during his 121 against New Zealand in Christchurch in 2004-05, and his 144 against Bangladesh in Fatullah in 2005-06). Second on the overall six-hitting list is Brian Lara, with 88, just ahead of Chris Cairns on 87. Then come two current players with power to add: Jacques Kallis has so far hit 86 Test sixes, and Virender Sehwag 85. For the full list, click here. For the record, the leader in one-day internationals is Shahid Afridi, with 289: he recently overtook Sanath Jayasuriya (270). Sachin Tendulkar is third with 193. In Twenty20 internationals Brendon McCullum leads the way with 51, ahead of Yuvraj Singh on 38.

Has anyone ever got a hat-trick in which he has bowled each of his victims? asked Mark Long from England
This has happened five times in one-day internationals, but rather surprisingly never (yet) in Tests. In ODIs it has actually been done by Pakistan's Wasim Akram - against West Indies in Sharjah in October 1989, and little more than six months later, also in Sharjah, against Australia in May 1990. The bowlers to do it once in ODIs are Chetan Sharma (for India v New Zealand in Nagpur in the 1987 World Cup), Danny Morrison (New Zealand v India in Napier in 1993-94) and Wasim's old sparring partner Waqar Younis (Pakistan v New Zealand in East London in 1994-95). In Test matches, both Jimmy Matthews' hat-tricks against South Africa at Old Trafford in 1912 involved no one other than the bowler: in the first innings one was bowled and two lbw, while in the second two were caught and bowled and one bowled. Dominic Cork's hat-trick against West Indies at Old Trafford in 1995 comprised Richie Richardson bowled, and Junior Murray and Carl Hooper lbw. Mohammad Sami's for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in the Asian Test Championship final in Lahore in March 2002 included two lbws and a bowled, while Jermaine Lawson's split-innings hat-trick for West Indies against Australia in Bridgetown in May 2003 consisted of two bowleds and a leg-before.