Prolific partnerships, and fast-bowling sons

Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan now hold the record of being the most prolific partnership for Pakistan in Tests, but which is the most prolific pair overall - in Tests and in ODIs - and, while you are at it, Twenty20s? asked Abhijit Shukla from the United States

Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf did recently become Pakistan's most prolific partnership: by the end of the series against India they had put on 3080 runs together, beating the previous record of 3013 by Yousuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq. But they are quite a long way down the overall Test list, which is headed by Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes, who put on 6482 runs together, not far ahead of Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer (6081). The ODI list is headed, not surprisingly, by Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar, who have put on 8227 runs together for India, well ahead of the next pair, Marvan Atapattu and Sanath Jayasuriya (5462). In the short history of Twenty20 internationals, the top pair are Australia's Adam Gilchrist and Matthew Hayden, with 398 runs between them. For what it's worth, there's a full list here.

In the second Test against Sri Lanka, England's bowling was opened by two sons of former Test cricketers. Is this a first? asked Robin from England

In Sri Lanka's innings during last week's Test in Colombo, the new ball was shared by Stuart Broad, the son of the former England opener Chris, and Ryan Sidebottom, whose father Arnie played once for England in 1985. This was indeed a first in Test cricket, although there was one previous instance of both new-ball bowlers having a father who played Test cricket - when Dayle and Richard Hadlee opened the bowling for New Zealand against Australia at Adelaide in 1973-74. Their father Walter Hadlee played 11 Tests for New Zealand between 1937 and 1950-51. For a full list of related Test players, click here.

Who once bowled a 17-ball over in an ODI? asked Dave Burton from Reading

The unlucky bowler who sent down the longest known over in international cricket was Mohammad Sami of Pakistan, with the third over of the Asia Cup match against Bangladesh in Colombo in 2004. It included four no-balls and seven wides, and the sequence of the over was: wd-4-2-nb-wd-nb1-0-wd-wd-0-wd-nb-wd-wd-nb-0-4. Ironically, Sami's previous over had been a wicket maiden, so he came off with the bizarre figures of 2-1-22-1. Pakistan officials explained that he was trying to remodel his action and was struggling for rhythm. The longest over in a Test is believed to be one of 15 deliveries - including nine no-balls - by Curtly Ambrose for West Indies against Australia at Perth in 1996-97.

Graeme Swann missed 175 ODIs before his recall to play for England recently. Is this is a record? asked Jamie Clifton from Newark

Rather surprisingly, Graeme Swann's long gap is not even a record for England - Shaun Udal missed 193 matches in more than ten years between 1995 and his recall in 2005-06. But Udal is only fourth on the overall list, which is headed by the New Zealander Jeff Wilson: he missed 271 matches, over a record 11 years and 331 days, between his debut series in 1992-93 and a short-lived recall in 2004-05. (In between, Wilson had been playing rugby union for the New Zealand All-Blacks.) For a full list, click here.

Has any batsman scored two double-centuries in the same Test match? asked P Balaji from India

No one has yet managed this in a Test match. The closest was by Graham Gooch, who made 333 and 123 for England against India at Lord's in 1990. Five other players have managed a double and a single century in the same Test, most recently Brian Lara, with 221 and 130 for West Indies in Colombo in 2001-02, in a match Sri Lanka still won by ten wickets. For a list of the others, click here. Only one man has scored two double-centuries in the same game in first-class cricket: Kent's Arthur Fagg, against Essex at Colchester in 1938. He scored 244 in the first innings, and 202 not out in the second. That included a century before lunch on the first day, and 98 in 90 minutes before lunch on the third.

Who called his life story Mad As I Wanna Be? asked Jared Christopher from Sydney

This unusual title adorned the 1997 autobiography of the New Zealand fast bowler Danny Morrison. New Zealand players make something of a habit of giving their books peculiar names, as readers of this column over the years may have noted!

And there's an afterthought to last week's question about Don Bradman, from Max Bonnell in Australia

"I don't know why people keep repeating the idea that Otto Nothling was, in his only Test in 1928-29, a replacement for Don Bradman. Bradman (a specialist batsman) lost his place in the XI to Vic Richardson (a specialist batsman). Nothling (an opening bowler and handy lower-order batsman) replaced Jack Gregory (an opening bowler and handy lower-order batsman) who broke down in Brisbane with a knee injury. The idea that Nothling took Bradman's spot seems to be impossible to kill - it was repeated by Peter Roebuck on Australian radio a few weeks ago - but it just isn't true."