Leading run-scorer faces leading wicket-taker

The regular Monday column in which Steven Lynch answers your questions about (almost) any aspect of cricket. We apologise for the lack of a column last week, which was caused by a family bereavement:

In the match at Adelaide, Brian Lara took over as the leading runscorer in Test cricket, and faced Shane Warne, the leading wicket-taker. Has this ever happened before? asked Mathew Stephenson from Australia

It has happened ... but not for a very long time. The last time the leading Test runscorer of the time faced the leading wicket-taker was back in 1886-87, in the first Test at Sydney, when Arthur Shrewsbury of England faced up to the Aussie "Demon", Fred Spofforth. Going into that match Shrewsbury had 903 runs and Spofforth had 94 wickets. The last time the two record-holders were even in the same game was as long ago as 1903-04, at Melbourne, when Clem Hill and Hugh Trumble (in his last Test) both played for Australia against England.

How many Test runs had Brian Lara scored when Sachin Tendulkar made his debut? asked Alvin Parish

That's a nice easy one, because the answer is none - Tendulkar made his debut first, aged just 16, against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1989. Lara didn't make his debut until 13 months later, also in Pakistan, in the third Test at Lahore in 1990-91. By then Tendulkar had scored 588 runs, in 11 Tests.

What is the longest run of ODIs without losing? Did South Africa break the record recently? asked Johan van der Knaap from Kimberley

South Africa came very close: when they won the first match of the ongoing series against India at Hyderabad they had gone 20 ODIs without defeat. But they lost their next match, at Bangalore, to fall just short of the record of 21 - set by Australia in 2003, a run that included that year's World Cup. For a longer list, click here.

Which cricketer called his autobiography A Hell of a Way to Make a Living? asked Ben Forrest from Colchester

The man with the whimsical title was Ken Rutherford, the former New Zealand captain. His book was published by Hodder Moa Beckett in New Zealand in 1995. Actually New Zealand cricketers seem keen on zany titles for their books: Danny Morrison's was called Mad As I Wanna Be, John Wright penned Christmas in Rarotonga, Ian Smith was Just a Drummer in the Band, while Gavin Larsen went for, er, Grand Larseny.

I've often wondered, what are the top batting averages over a Test career, worldwide? I know that Don Bradman was 99-point-something. Is there anyone higher? asked Alf Lacis from Australia

You've proved a friend of mine wrong - he claimed that everyone in Australia knew Don Bradman`s exact batting average, which was 99.94! If he'd managed four runs in his final innings, rather than a duck, The Don would have averaged exactly 100. And, given a qualification of 20 innings, no-one comes close to him: next on the list is the South African Graeme Pollock, who averaged 60.97. The only others over 60 are the great West Indian George Headley (60.83) and the old England opener Herbert Sutcliffe (60.73). The highest current player is India's Rahul Dravid, with 57.62, a whisker ahead of Sachin Tendulkar (57.25) and Jacques Kallis (57.07). For a full list of the highest Test averages, click here.

I've been trying to find out about this but can't: didn't Shaun Pollock have some kind of dream debut with an English county side in the mid-1990s? I'm wondering, did I dream this up or is it true? asked Dilip D'Souza from India

No, you didn't imagine it - Shaun Pollock made a sensational debut for Warwickshire in 1996. In his first match for them, against Leicestershire at Edgbaston, he took four wickets in four balls as Leicestershire crumpled to 9 for 5. He finished with 6 for 21 (and, not surprisingly, the Man of the Match award) as Warwickshire won by seven wickets.