Is Suresh Raina's 5000 runs in the IPL the most for any T20 tournament?

I saw that Suresh Raina became the first to score 5000 runs in the IPL. Is this the most for any T20 competition worldwide? asked Ashok Mithunali from India
Suresh Raina nipped past the 5000 mark in Chennai Super Kings' first match of the new IPL season when he reached 15 of his eventual 19 against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Chennai on Saturday. Barring accidents, Virat Kohli will be next to the landmark: after that Chennai match, he was just 46 short of 5000. Next come Rohit Sharma (4498) and Gautam Gambhir (4217). The leading non-Indian, in seventh place with 4099 as I write, is David Warner.

Helped by the fact that the IPL teams play so many matches, Raina's haul is the most for any senior T20 tournament. Next comes the English Twenty20 Cup, in its various guises: Kent's Joe Denly leads the way here with 3927 runs since his debut in 2004; he is ahead of Luke Wright (3699), Riki Wessels (3495) and Samit Patel (3465). The top scorer in the Caribbean Premier League is Chris Gayle, with 2111, while Michael Klinger tops the charts in the Australian Big Bash with 1947 runs, two more than Chris Lynn. The leader in the Bangladesh Premier League is Tamim Iqbal, with 1825.

Was Isuru Udana's score the other day the highest by a No. 8 in a T20I? asked Savo Ceprnich from South Africa
Isuru Udana's blistering unbeaten 84 - from 54 balls - for Sri Lanka against South Africa in Centurion last week was easily the highest by a No. 8 in a T20 international. There had been only two previous half-centuries: Simi Singh made 57 not out for Ireland against Netherlands in Rotterdam last June, while Kenya's Rageb Aga hit 52 not out against Scotland in Dubai in November 2013.

I noticed that Ireland's team for their second Test showed five changes from their maiden one. Was this a record? asked David O'Connor from Ireland
Ireland's side for their second Test match - against Afghanistan in Dehradun earlier this month - did indeed show five changes from the team for their inaugural Test, against Pakistan at Malahide last May. Part of the reason for this was that Ed Joyce and Niall O'Brien have retired, but the other changes were largely tactical.

The only other team to make five changes between their first and second Tests were India, in matches against England at Lord's in 1932 and in Mumbai in 1933-34. England, in Australia in 1876-77, are the only team to go into their second Test with exactly the same team as in the first.

What's the highest Test total that included at least one duck in an innings? And conversely what's the lowest score without one? asked Sukrit Jaiswal from Singapore
The highest Test score that included a duck is England's 903 for 7 declared against Australia at The Oval in 1938. Len Hutton grabbed the headlines with 364 - but Eddie Paynter bagged a four-ball duck, and Denis Compton didn't do much better, being out for 1. England's total remained the Test record until 1997, when Sri Lanka piled up 952 for 6 against India in Colombo in 1997.

The lowest total without a duck is Australia's 75 against South Africa in Durban in 1949-50. No one was out for 0, but six men made 2 (including a not out) and Colin McCool managed only a single. Remarkably, Australia won that match despite a first-innings deficit of 236, reaching their target with five wickets to spare, thanks mainly to a magnificent unbeaten 151 from Neil Harvey.

Is Ramnaresh Sarwan the only batsman to have made unbeaten scores of 99 and 98 in ODIs? asked Davo Kissoondari from Guyana
The short answer is yes, Guyana's Ramnaresh Sarwan is the only player to have suffered this particular fate in one-day internationals. He made 99 not out for West Indies against India in Ahmedabad in 2002-03, and an unbeaten 98, also against India, in Kingston in May 2006. If we include dismissals, the leader in the oh-so-close stakes is Sachin Tendulkar, who was out for 99 three times and 98 once. Sanath Jayasuriya made two 99s and a 98. Michael Clarke (99 not out and 98), Adam Gilchrist (99 and 98), Matthew Hayden (99 and 98), Dean Jones (99 not out and 98), Mushfiqur Rahim (99 and 98) and Marlon Samuels (two 98s) all had two near-misses.