The best seats in the house, and the longest ducks

Can you tell me who were the non-strikers when Yuvraj, Gibbs, Shastri and Sir Sobers were busy hitting six sixes in an over? I guess they must have had the best seats in the house! asked Manu Goyal from the United States

The four lucky bystanders were Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who watched Yuvraj Singh smash Stuart Broad for six sixes during last year's World Twenty20 match in Durban; Jacques Kallis, who was at the other end when Herschelle Gibbs did his stuff against Holland's Daan van Bunge in Basseterre in last year's World Cup; the Indian Test opener Ghulam Parkar, who was at the other end when his Bombay team-mate Ravi Shastri hit Baroda's Tilak Raj for 36 in an over in Bombay; and finally the Nottinghamshire batsman at the other end when Garry Sobers launched Glamorgan's Malcolm Nash for six sixes in Swansea in 1968 was John Parkin.

What is the most balls faced in a one-day international for a duck? Is it 31 by Runako Morton in 2006? What about in Test cricket? asked Ryan Kelly from New Zealand

You're right, Runako Morton of West Indies did manage a 31-ball duck in the final of the DLF Cup against Australia in Kuala Lumpur in September 2006. He beat (if that's the right word) the record of another West Indian, Phil Simmons, whose duck against New Zealand in Margao in 1994-95 occupied 23 balls. The Test record is 77 balls (101 minutes) by New Zealand's Geoff Allott against South Africa in Auckland in 1998-99.

My Dad says that Australia once selected a wicketkeeper who'd never kept wicket before - is this true? asked Declan McDonald from Queensland

It is true, although the man in question didn't actually keep wicket in a Test. The player was Ken Burn, from Tasmania, who was chosen for the 1890 Australian tour as a wicketkeeper, and it wasn't until the team had set off on their voyage from Adelaide to England that he revealed that he hadn't actually kept wicket in his life. Although he had a modest tour with the bat - scoring 344 runs at 10.43 in 21 matches - Burn did play in both the Tests as a batsman. He scored 0 and 19 at Lord's (going in at No. 10 and 11), and 7 and 15 at The Oval. That was his lot in Test cricket, although he did better with the bat for his state, scoring two first-class centuries for them - the second as late as 1907-08, when he was 45 and scored 112 against that year's England tourists in Hobart.

Who has played in the most World Cup tournaments? asked Akhtar from Pakistan

Javed Miandad of Pakistan leads the way here: he played in the first six World Cups, from 1975 (when he was just 18) to 1995-96. Eight others have played in five tournaments: Imran Khan (1975 to 1991-92), Arjuna Ranatunga (1983 to 1999), Wasim Akram (1987-88 to 2002-03), Aravinda de Silva (1987-88 to 2002-03), Sachin Tendulkar (1991-92 to 2006-07), Inzamam-ul-Haq (1991-92 to 2006-07), Brian Lara and Sanath Jayasuriya (1991-92 to 2006-07).

So Sir Geoffrey never hit a six in a one-day international. Did he ever manage one in a Test? asked John Rogers

As Geoff Boycott's Cricinfo player page reveals, he actually hit eight sixes in Tests. He even managed one in his 246 not out against India at Headingley in 1967, after which he was famously dropped for slow scoring. Four of Boycott's sixes came in 1973 - including three in the same game against New Zealand at Lord's - but after getting out hooking several times that season, notably against the West Indian fast bowlers, he cut out the stroke, which is probably why he didn't hit any more over the boundary.

As I expected, there was a big reaction to last week's question about the fastest bowler to have made a Test century:

Many readers thought Jason Gillespie should be in the frame for his 201 not out as a nightwatchman for Australia against Bangladesh in Chittagong in April 2006, in what oddly turned out to be his last Test match. Still more thought the palm should go to Wasim Akram, who made three Test centuries, including a double against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996-97. There were also votes for Keith Miller, Garry Sobers, and Lance Klusener, one for India's Ajit Agarkar, and an impassioned plea - which, had it come through the regular mail rather than email would almost certainly have had a Lancashire postmark - for Andrew Flintoff. I was almost swayed by that one, but still wonder if any of them - and Imran Khan, who had his supporters - were as fast as the Australian pair of Jack Gregory and Ray Lindwall who were mentioned last week. There's nothing like a good discussion!

And finally, here as promised in the Cricinfo Guide to International Cricket 2008, are the answers to the quiz in the book.

1 Jacob Oram, 2 Mushfiqur Rahim, 3 Chris Rogers, 4 Jehan Mubarak, 5 Hitesh Modi, 6 Andrew Hall, 7 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 8 Billy Doctrove, 9 Brett Lee, 10 Runako Morton, 11 Chamu Chibhabha, 12 Thomas Odoyo, 13 Charl Langeveldt, 14 Lendl Simmons, 15 Ryan Sidebottom, 16 Brad Haddin, 17 Kieron Pollard, 18 Vernon Philander, 19 Michael Hussey, 20 Jacques Kallis

The winner, who will receive searchable online ebooks of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Wisden Cricketers' Almanack, plus a year's subscription to the Wisden Cricketer magazine, is Patricia Arthur from the UK. Two runners-up, Premeshan Doraswami from South Africa and Dylan Krasny from Australia, will receive an ebook version of Wisden 2008. Congratulations to them, and many thanks to all who entered.