The fastest doubles, and the other Syed Kirmani

I see that Irfan Pathan brought up the double of 1000 runs and 100 wickets in his 28th Test. Is that the record for the fewest Tests to reach the double? asked Thomas Redford from New Zealand

Irfan Pathan's double, while relatively quick in Test terms, is not quite the fastest of all. Two Indians have done it quicker: Kapil Dev completed the 1000-run/100-wicket double in his 25th Test, while Vinoo Mankad was even faster, at 23. But the quickest of all was England's Ian Botham, who got there in 21 Tests. For a full list of those who have completed the Test double, click here.

We all know the famous Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani. However, can you name another very prominent international cricketer whose first and last names are also Syed Kirmani? He is better known by his middle two names, asked Gaurav Aggarwal from the United States

We like a good quiz question in the Cricinfo offices, so I threw this one open to the editorial team, and Jamie Alter found the answer, with a little help from that valuable freelance, Mr Google. The other Syed Kirmani turns out to be none other than the elegant Pakistan batsman Zaheer Abbas. As far as we know he and the former Indian wicketkeeper Syed Kirmani are not related.

Who holds the record for the most sixes in an innings in a one-day international? Is it Brian Lara? asked Muhammad Zain from Pakistan

The record for a one-day international innings is 11 sixes, which is shared by the two leading ODI six-hitters overall: Sanath Jayasuriya set the record for Sri Lanka against Pakistan in Singapore in April 1996, then six months later Pakistan's Shahid Afridi equalled it during his 37-ball century against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. It was Afridi's first innings in one-day internationals, and remains the fastest century in ODIs. As this list shows, I'm afraid that Brian Lara never managed as many as seven sixes in an ODI innings.

Which cricketer's autobiography is entitled Thinking Negatively? asked Sam Gibbs from New Zealand

This was the autobiography of the New Zealand batsman Mark Richardson, who was often criticised for scoring slowly. The book was published by Hodder Moa in New Zealand in 2006, and charts Richardson's journey from an average slow left-arm bowler to an adhesive Test opener.

The leader here is the so-called "Timeless Test" played between South Africa and England in Durban in 1938-39, which featured a grand total of 1981 runs. This was the match that was supposed to be played to a finish, but had to be left drawn after ten days as the England team had to leave to catch the boat home. At that time they were 654 for 5 in the second innings, chasing a target of 696 to win. The highest aggregate for a five-day Test is 1764 runs, in the match between Australia and West Indies in Adelaide in 1968-69. For a full list of the highest run-aggregates in Tests, click here.

Is it true that Sir Donald Bradman said the world's most beautiful cricket ground was in Canada? asked Haroon Aftab ... from Canada

Rather surprisingly perhaps, it is true. Don Bradman toured the United States and Canada with a privately raised Australian team during 1932. This story has more details. The hectic schedule included a couple of matches at the Brockton Point ground in Vancouver, which nestles at the edge of Stanley Park and Vancouver Bay, with snow-capped mountains as a backdrop. In his autobiography Farewell to Cricket, published shortly after his retirement in 1948, Bradman wrote: "This is without question the most beautiful cricket ground in the world. No doubt the champions of other grounds will hesitate to agree, but I cannot imagine a more delightful place for cricket."