Which batter has the most runs in pink-ball Tests?

Michael Rae got off the mark in Test cricket with a five. Was this unique? asked Gareth Kiernan from New Zealand
The New Zealand seamer Michael Rae started his Test career with the bat with a five - a single plus four overthrows - against West Indies in Wellington last week. I knew it wasn't unique as I remembered another instance - but I was surprised to discover that it has now happened at least five times in Tests!

The one I recalled was by South Africa's Paul Adams, in the fifth Test against England in Cape Town in January 1996, which kickstarted a match-changing tenth-wicket stand of 73 between Adams and Dave Richardson. This was actually Adams' second Test, as he hadn't made a run in his first.

The other instances of a player's first Test runs coming courtesy of a five were by Pakistan's Shakeel Ahmed (also in his second Test) against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in February 1995 (he was out for 5), Naeem Islam for Bangladesh vs New Zealand in Chattogram in October 2008, and Australia's Ben Hilfenhaus against South Africa in Johannesburg in March 2009. We don't have ball-by-ball details for all Tests, so it's possible there might be other instances, although I think we'd know about them if there were.

I assume Mitchell Starc has taken the most wickets in pink-ball Tests, But who's scored the most runs? asked Brad Gibson from Australia
You're right that Mitchell Starc leads the way for the bowlers in day/night Tests. He's taken 89 wickets so far, more than double the next men on the list, his team-mates Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon, who both have 43, three more than Josh Hazlewood. The leading non-Aussie is England's James Anderson, with 24.

For the batters, Marnus Labuschagne has made 1026 runs in day/night Tests: he's the only man to reach four figures so far. Steven Smith is not far off with 899, then come Travis Head (774) and David Warner (753), with the leading non-Australian being Joe Root in fifth place with 654.

Is Yashasvi Jaiswal the youngest player to score hundreds in all three international formats? asked Keith D'Souza from Spain
The Indian opener Yashasvi Jaiswal completed his set earlier this month with an undefeated 116 against South Africa in Visakhapatnam, to go with seven Test centuries and a round 100 in a T20I against Nepal in Hangzhou in October 2023.

Jaiswal was a few weeks short of his 24th birthday when he made his first ODI century. Four players have completed hundreds in all formats at a younger age, including two Indians: Shubman Gill was 23 years and five months old in 2023, and Suresh Raina about three months older in 2010. Ahmed Shehzad of Pakistan was 22 (and four months) when he completed his set in 2014, but the youngest of all did the trick earlier this year: Brian Bennett of Zimbabwe was about a month short of his 22nd birthday when he scored 111 against Tanzania in a T20I in Harare in September, to set alongside two Test centuries and 169 in an ODI against Ireland, also in Harare, in February this year.

Sam Geyer retired hurt three times during a recent innings in the Sheffield Shield. Is this unique? asked Terry Carmichael from Australia
The unfortunate Sam Geyer, who had played only one previous first-class match, did indeed retire hurt three times during an eventful unbeaten innings of 11 for Queensland against New South Wales in Sydney earlier this month. He retired first in the 31st over at 62 for 6, with three from 34 balls, after being hit by a ball from Ross Pawson that flew away for four leg-byes. He passed concussion tests, and resumed when a wicket fell at 67 for 7 next morning, but went off again after another hit on the helmet from Pawson in the 45th over, at 81 for 8. And he was back again seven overs later, when the ninth wicket fell at 90, but had to retire for a third time after being hit on the helmet by the first ball he faced, this time from Charlie Stobo. Not long afterwards the unfortunate Geyer was substituted out of the match, with Benji Floros coming in as a concussion replacement.

It's very dangerous to say that something has never happened before in cricket, and that's true here: there's at least one previous instance of a batter retiring hurt three times in the same first-class innings. Playing for Southern Rocks against Mashonaland Eagles in Zimbabwe's Logan Cup in Harare in October 2021, opener Innocent Kaia apparently picked up a knee injury, forcing him to retire hurt with 12 to his name at 51 for 3. He resumed at 148 for 6 in the 48th over, but added only two before retiring again at 155 for 6. He limped back in at 179 for 8 in the 58th over, and managed to reach 21 before retiring again, which ended Southern Rocks' innings.

West Indies played 29 consecutive series without losing one between 1979-80 and 1994-95. Is this is a record? asked Jon Danby via Facebook
That tremendous run by West Indies, largely under the captaincy of Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards, is easily a record. After losing a bad-tampered rubber in New Zealand 1-0 in 1979-80, their next series defeat was not until 1994-95, when Australia won 2-1 in the Caribbean.

Australia come next, having been unbeaten in 16 series between 2001 and 2004-05. England were undefeated in 14 consecutive series between 1950-51 and 1958, and South Africa in 14 between 2009-10 and 2013-14. Australia were undefeated in 13 successive series between 1956-57 and 1964-65.