Ngoche's noughts, and Cook's hundreds

Shem Ngoche of Kenya faced three balls in the World Cup, and was dismissed by all of them. Is this a record? asked Colin Prior from London
It is indeed a record, although I don't suppose Shem Ngoche will be proudly telling his grandchildren about it in years to come, not least because he didn't actually make contact with any of the three balls bowled at him. He played in three matches in the 2010-11 World Cup, falling lbw in the match against New Zealand and being bowled against Pakistan and Sri Lanka (when he was part of Lasith Malinga's hat-trick). He is part of another record, which he might be more proud of: Shem is one of four brothers who have taken part in the World Cup, the others being James Ngoche, Nehemiah Odhiambo and Lameck Onyango. The previous record for World Cup non-batting was held by Adam Huckle of Zimbabwe, who faced two balls in 1999 and was dismissed by both of them. He was also part of a hat-trick (by Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq at The Oval).

Alastair Cook made 766 runs, with three centuries, in the last Ashes series. Has any visiting batsman made more runs - or more centuries - in a series in Australia? asked Mike Campbell
Alastair Cook's towering Ashes effort stands second on the all-time list for visiting batsmen in a series in Australia. The only one above him is Wally Hammond, who made 905 runs in 1928-29. That included four centuries: the only other visitor to make four Test hundreds in a series Down Under was another Englishman, Herbert Sutcliffe, on the previous tour in 1924-25 (he made 734 runs and lies third on that list behind Hammond and Cook).

Other visitors to score three centuries in a Test series in Australia are Jack Hobbs (1911-12 and 1924-25), Chris Broad (1986-87) and Michael Vaughan (2002-03) of England, the South African Eddie Barlow (1963-64), and Sunil Gavaskar of India (1977-78).

Until recently Sharjah held the record for staging the most one-day internationals but no Tests, but now it has hosted some Test matches. Which ground holds the record now? asked Vithal Patel via Facebook
This unusual record is now held by the Nairobi Gymkhana ground in Kenya, which has now staged 62 official one-day internationals but no Tests. Second - and leading the way for Test-playing nations - is the Sri Lankan ground of Dambulla, which has so far staged 43 ODIs but no Tests. Sharjah still holds the overall record for staging the most official one-day internationals (200, to go with four Tests now).

Why doesn't Denis Compton's name appear on the list of double (football/cricket) internationals? I was sure he had played football for England? asked Clive Marsh from Warwick
Denis Compton did play football for England - but his caps came in a dozen wartime internationals which are not counted as full internationals now. He did play 79 cricket Tests for England. But Compo was a fine footballer - a winger - whose last serious game was in 1950, when he helped Arsenal win the FA Cup final. After that his troublesome knee - which had become something of a national obsession - kept him out of football and affected his cricket career too: when his kneecap was eventually removed it was presented to the Lord's museum. Denis' brother Leslie Compton - who had a long career keeping wicket for Middlesex - did play international football (at 38 in 1950, he was one of the oldest ever to make his debut for England), but he didn't quite make the Test cricket side.

Zimbabwe's captain Elton Chigumbura used nine bowlers in a one-day international in South Africa last year. Was this a record? asked Raghu Jayawarden via Facebook
That instance by Zimbabwe in Benoni last October was actually the 13th occasion that nine bowlers had been used in the same one-day international innings, and there have never (yet) been more. The first occasion was by New Zealand against Sri Lanka in Auckland, in a match they were winning easily in 1982-83. For a full list of all 13 occurrences, click here.

Is Ajay Jadeja's batting average of 354.00 in the Pepsi Triangular Series in India in 1997-98 the highest ever in a single ODI tournament or series? asked Debapriya Chakraborty from India
Ajay Jadeja scored 105, 79, 6, 116 (all not out) and 48 in that series against Australia and Zimbabwe in April 1998, which indeed adds up 354 runs at an average of 354.00. But, rather surprisingly perhaps, there has been a higher average in a one-day international series: in a five-match series in Zimbabwe late in 2002 Mohammad Yousuf scored 141, 76, 100 (all not out) and 88, for an average of 405.00. He might have scored even more but wasn't required to bat in the fourth match, which Pakistan won by eight wickets.

And there's an update on last week's question about Don Bradman staying on the boat in Bombay in 1948, from Gulu Ezekiel
"The 'mitigating circumstances' which Irving Rosenwater alluded to regarding Bradman and his refusal to leave the ship in Bombay in 1948 are explained in Alan Eason's book The A-Z of Bradman. The sources for all Alan's India entries were provided by me. Bradman was ill on the ship after playing in the 'oppressive heat' of Colombo. The team had heard rumours of smallpox and 'even bubonic plague' in Bombay. A couple of cricket officials and Vijay Merchant met him on board." Steve Howe adds: "Prior to this, the Australians had played a match in Colombo. In Farewell to Cricket, Bradman wrote: 'This Colombo game is always played in great heat - sometimes dangerous to us. Sid Barnes... became violently ill and had to retire. That evening I, too, became ill and had to call the doctor. I had to remain in bed until our arrival in Bombay, but there got up to attend a small function at which Mr de Mello, President of the Indian Board of Control, made a presentation... He made a speech... to which hasty replies were made as the boat was about to leave.'"