Which batter has scored the most international hundreds against a single opposition?

I heard that Steve Smith scored his 15th century against India in Brisbane. Was this a record? asked Vijay Bedade from India
Steve Smith's 101 in the third Test in Brisbane at the weekend was his 15th century against India in all three international formats (his tenth in Tests, to go with five in ODIs). That's the most by anyone against India: Ricky Ponting made 14, and Joe Root currently has 13.

The overall record is held by Sachin Tendulkar, who made no fewer than 20 international centuries against Australia - 11 in Tests and nine in ODIs - while Don Bradman made 19 against England, all in Tests (and in 37 matches, compared to Tendulkar's 110).

Virat Kohli currently has 17 centuries against Australia, while Tendulkar made 17 against Sri Lanka. Kohli also has 15 international hundreds against Sri Lanka.

Harry Brook went past 2000 runs during his century in the first Test in New Zealand. It was his 36th innings - was this a record, for anyone or maybe just for England? asked Dominic Sampson from England
Harry Brook surged past 2000 runs during his 171 in the first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch last month. It was his 36th innings, putting him level with three other batters: the West Indians Everton Weekes and Frank Worrell, and Australia's Arthur Morris.

But there are seven men who reached 2000 Test runs in fewer innings. Brian Lara (West Indies) and Doug Walters (Australia) got there in 35, Marnus Labuschagne (Australia) in 34, Michael Hussey (Australia) and Herbert Sutcliffe (the only England player quicker than Brook) in 33, and George Headley (West Indies) in 32. But way clear at the top is that man again - Don Bradman needed just 22 innings to reach 2000 Test runs for Australia.

Amir Jangoo scored a century in his first ODI the other day. How many people have done this for West Indies? asked Conrad Patterson from Barbados
The Trinidad & Tobago wicketkeeper-batter Amir Jangoo, who's 27, hit an unbeaten 104 in his first one-day international, against Bangladesh in St Kitts last week. He's in rarefied company for West Indies: the only other man to score a century on debut in ODIs for them was Desmond Haynes, with 148 against Australia in Antigua in February 1978.

Haynes was the second man overall to score a debut hundred in ODIs, after Dennis Amiss for England against Australia at Old Trafford in August 1972. In all, 18 men have now achieved the feat. Jangoo was the second to do it in 2024, after Michael English for Scotland against Namibia in Dundee in July.

After Harry Brook's century in the first Test against New Zealand, I noticed he had scored 500 runs against the Kiwis off only 495 balls, thus giving him a strike rate of over 100. Does anyone else have more runs against a single opponent at over 100? asked Alan Green from Northern Ireland
The short answer is no - among batters for whom we have full ball-by-ball information, no one has scored more than 400 runs against a single country at a strike rate above 100. Before the start of the third Test, Harry Brook led the way with 678 runs against New Zealand from 671 balls, a strike rate of 101.04 runs per 100. He's also in fifth place on this particular list, with 841 runs from 907 balls against Pakistan, a strike rate of 92.72.

Currently second behind Brook is India's Virender Sehwag, whose 1239 runs against Sri Lanka came from 1241 balls, a strike rate of 99.83. Before the third Test in New Zealand, Tim Southee had biffed 619 runs against England from 623 balls (99.35), while Shahid Afridi's 709 runs for Pakistan against India came from 729 balls, at a rate of 97.25 per 100. For the list, click here. Note that an asterisk in the strike-rate column means we don't have full details for all the player's innings, so these should be discounted as they are likely to be inaccurate. It's also possible (but slightly unlikely) that we are unaware of someone else with better figures.

What are the highest tenth-wicket partnerships involving an opener and a No. 11 in Tests and first-class cricket? asked Nirmal Mendis from Sri Lanka
The highest tenth-wicket partnership in first-class cricket between an opener and the No. 11 in the innings in question is 214, by Nick Knight (255 not out) and Alan Richardson (91) for Warwickshire against Hampshire at Edgbaston in May 2002. Wisden called the partnership "astonishing" and "prodigious", mainly because Richardson had scored only 82 runs in his previous 31 first-class innings, and reached double figures just twice. They took the score from 258 for 9 to 472 all out.

By coincidence, the record they broke was also set at Edgbaston, 20 years previously in May 1982, when Geoff Boycott (79) and Graham Stevenson (115 not out) put on 149 for Yorkshire's last wicket against Warwickshire. The record in Tests is 94, by Sunil Gavaskar (166 not out) and Shivlal Yadav (41) for India against Australia in Adelaide in December 1985.