How many players have taken more than one IPL hat-trick?
And how often have three batters made hundreds on the first day of a Test?

MS Dhoni recently made his 200th dismissal as a wicketkeeper in the IPL. Is he top of this list? asked Abhishek Kapadia from India
Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the first wicketkeeper to reach 200 dismissals in the Indian Premier League during Chennai Super Kings' recent match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens, when he caught Angkrish Raghuvanshi off the Afghanistan left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad.
A couple of weeks later, Rishabh Pant made it to 100, during Lucknow Super Giants' match against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Lucknow. Two other keepers, who played what appear to be their final IPL games last year, also made more than 100 dismissals: Dinesh Karthik 174 and Wriddhiman Saha 113. For the full list, which will be updated, click here.
Yuzvendra Chahal just took his second IPL hat-trick. Has anyone else got more than one? asked Suresh Moti from India
The Punjab Kings legspinner Yuzvendra Chahal took a hat-trick towards the end of CSK's innings in Chennai at the end of April. It was his second in the IPL, after a hat-trick for Rajasthan Royals against Kolkata Knight Riders at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai in April 2022.
Chahal's recent hat-trick was the 23rd in the IPL, and he's the third bowler to have taken more than one. The first man to double up is perhaps a bit of a surprise: Yuvraj Singh picked up two hat-tricks with his slow left-armers during the 2009 IPL in South Africa, for Kings XI Punjab against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Durban, and against Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg. These were the only six wickets Yuvraj picked up in 14 matches in that tournament.
Another legspinner, Amit Mishra, actually took three IPL hat-tricks, all for different teams: for Delhi Daredevils against Deccan Chargers in Delhi in 2008, for Deccan Chargers vs Kings XI Punjab in Dharamsala in 2011, and for Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Pune Warriors in Pune in 2013.
We were watching Ben Duckett bat against Zimbabwe, and were wondering what the highest Test score by an England batter on his home ground was? asked Giles King from England
Ben Duckett did look in imperious form on the first day of the Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last week, and it was something of a surprise when he holed out for 140.
This particular England record is held by Geoff Boycott, with 246 not out against India on Yorkshire's home ground of Headingley in 1967 . That was a famous - or possibly infamous - innings, as he batted for 573 minutes in all, and was dropped from the next Test for slow scoring. The only other England batter to score a Test double-century on his county's home ground was Denis Compton, with 208 against South Africa at Lord's in 1947.
The highest Test score by anyone on their home ground is 374, by Sri Lanka's Mahela Jayawardene against South Africa at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo in 2006 .
Before his hundred against Zimbabwe, Zak Crawley had scored seven half-centuries since his previous three-figure score in Tests. What's the record for this? asked Gerry Watson from England
Zak Crawley's 124 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge last week broke a century drought that stretched back to his superb 189 against Australia at Old Trafford in July 2023.
Since then, you're right that Crawley had reached 50 seven times in Tests without going on to a hundred (all seven scores were between 60 and 79). The record for England is 14 half-centuries between hundreds, by another Kent player in Alan Knott, between July 1971 and January 1975. Alastair Cook had two spells of 11 half-centuries without a hundred, while Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root have both had one.
They're all quite a way short of the overall record: the Australian captain Allan Border had no fewer than 21 half-centuries between Test tons in October 1988 and February 1992, while Temba Bavuma of South Africa collected 19 half-centuries between his first two Test hundreds, in January 2016 and March 2023. The Sri Lankan wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella has so far made 22 half-centuries in Tests - but no hundreds at all.
Three England players scored centuries on the first day at Trent Bridge. How often has this happened in a Test? asked Frank Donaldson from England
England's 498 for 3 against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge was the fourth-highest total by one side on the first day of a Test, and was also only the fourth time three different men had scored centuries on the first day: the same England trio (Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope) also did it against Pakistan in Rawalpindi in 2022.
The other instances were both by Australia, against England at The Oval in 1884 (Percy McDonnell, Billy Murdoch and Tup Scott) and South Africa in Adelaide in 2012 (David Warner, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey).
Shiva Jayaraman of ESPNcricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
Steven Lynch is the editor of the updated edition of Wisden on the Ashes
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