Pair and a five-for in the same Test, and shaky openers

Rajendra Chandrika started his Test career with a pair. How many batsmen have done this? asked Azweer from India
The unfortunate Rajendra Chandrika, who bagged a pair in the second Test against Australia in Kingston, was the 40th man to start his Test career in this way. What's more significant, though, is that he was only the fourth opener to start with a pair, following Ken Rutherford for New Zealand v West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1984-85, Saeed Anwar for Pakistan v West Indies in Faisalabad in 1990-91, and Dirk Viljoen, for Zimbabwe v Pakistan in Bulawayo in 1997-98. The good news for Chandrika is that Rutherford and Anwar went on to have long and successful careers - although you have to worry a little about someone who was chosen to open in a Test despite never having scored a century in 32 previous first-class games. For the full list of those who started the Test careers with a pair, click here.

In the second Test against Australia, West Indies' openers managed only four runs between them in four attempts. What's the Test record in this regard? asked Mark Long from England
The four runs scraped together by Kraigg Brathwaite in Kingston (Rajendra Chandrika recorded a debut pair, as mentioned above), meant West Indies equalled the record for the lowest opening contribution to a two-innings match total. The mark was set very early on, as England's openers collected only four runs in the second Test of all, against Australia in Melbourne in 1876-77. That was equalled by Pakistan against West Indies in Lahore in 1986-87 (Rizwan-uz-Zaman three runs, Mohsin Khan one) and by Zimbabwe against New Zealand in Napier in 2011-12 - a pair for Hamilton Masakadza, and two twos by Tino Mawoyo, all on the third day.

In the second Test against Australia, Jerome Taylor bagged a pair - but did take a five-wicket haul. How often has this happened in Tests? asked Uwaisul Karnain from Sri Lanka
Jerome Taylor's unusual double in Kingston provided the 43rd instance of a player making up for bagging a pair by taking a five-for in the same Test. It was the seventh case for West Indies, including two by Courtney Walsh - against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 1997-98, and South Africa at Port-of-Spain in 2000-01. Muttiah Muralitharan is the only other person to do it twice. John Trim, for West Indies v Australia in Melbourne in 1951-52, was run out for a duck in both innings - but also took 5 for 34. The first two instances were by the England players George Lohmann and Bobby Peel in 1896, and the last one before Taylor's was by Dhammika Prasad for Sri Lanka against England at Headingley last year. For the full list, click here.

How many people have been out for 199 in a Test, as Steven Smith was in Jamaica? asked Keegan Templeton from Australia
Steven Smith became the eighth batsman to be dismissed for 199 in a Test when he was trapped in front by Jerome Taylor in Kingston. Two of the others were Australians too: Steve Waugh was also lbw for 199 in the West Indies, in Bridgetown in 1998-99, while at Headingley in 1997 Matthew Elliott was bowled by Darren Gough one short of his double-century.

All the 199s have come since October 1984, when Pakistan's Mudassar Nazar was caught behind against India in Faisalabad. The others to be out for 199 in Tests are Mohammad Azharuddin (India v Sri Lanka in Kanpur in 1986-87, another lbw), Sanath Jayasuriya (Sri Lanka v India in Colombo in 1997, bowled), Younis Khan (run out by Harbhajan Singh's direct hit, Pakistan v India in Lahore in 2005-06), and Ian Bell (England v South Africa at Lord's in 2008, caught and bowled).

There are also two cases of unfortunate batsmen being marooned on 199 not out: by Andy Flower for Zimbabwe v South Africa in Harare in 2001-02, and Kumar Sangakkara for Sri Lanka v Pakistan in Galle in 2012.

There were 27 sixes in the one-day international at The Oval - was this a record? asked George Clinton from England
The 27 sixes in last week's exciting one-day international at The Oval - 14 by England and 13 by New Zealand - was a new record for a match in England. The previous mark was set just three days before at Edgbaston, when England hit 14 sixes and New Zealand one.

It should be noted that there have been two ODIs in Scotland which featured more sixes than the old record: New Zealand hit 18 without reply against Ireland in Aberdeen in 2008, and Scotland and Ireland collected nine apiece in Edinburgh in 2011. Australia's ODIs against Scotland in Edinburgh in 2009 and 2013 also produced match totals of 15 sixes, the Aussies hitting 13 of them each time.

The recent Oval match comes in fourth on the overall list: in Bangalore in 2013-14, both India and Australia smashed 19 sixes for a grand total of 38. There are also two cases of 31: New Zealand (13) v India (18) in Christchurch in 2008-09, and New Zealand (15) v West Indies (16) in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final in Wellington.

Joe Root and Jos Buttler scored centuries for England at Edgbaston without batting together at any stage. Was this a first for an ODI? asked Darren Styles from England
England's remarkable 408 for 9 at Edgbaston - the 16th total of 400-plus in one-day internationals, but England's first - was the first case of two hundreds in an ODI innings where the batsmen did not bat together. But in Johannesburg in January 2015, AB de Villiers came in when Rilee Rossouw was out for 129, and smashed 149 himself, from just 44 balls. At the other end throughout, Hashim Amla made an undefeated 153 (he had 114 when Rossouw was out). This remains the only occasion there have been three individual centuries in an ODI innings; England at Edgbaston provided the 127th instance of two.