Who has taken the quickest five-for in an ODI?

In the Asia Cup final, Mohammed Siraj took five wickets in his first 16 balls. Was this a record for the quickest five-for in a one-day international? asked Harshad Chaphalkar from India
India's Mohammed Siraj had figures of 2.4-1-4-5 after he had sent down 16 balls in the Asia Cup final in Colombo earlier this month. With Jasprit Bumrah also taking a wicket, Sri Lanka were reeling at 12 for 6, and unsurprisingly, never recovered, being shot out for 50.

Siraj equalled the record for the fastest five-for in men's ODIs after coming on to bowl: during the 2003 World Cup in Pietermaritzburg, the Sri Lankan left-arm seamer Chaminda Vaas took five Bangladesh wickets with his first 16 legal deliveries (he also sent down a wide, unlike Siraj). Vaas began with a hat-trick off the first three balls of the match, and after a four and the wide, took another wicket; it remains the only time in international cricket that the No. 6 batter faced a ball in the first over of an innings.

It also happened earlier this year, when the USA seamer Ali Khan reduced Jersey to 17 for 5 at the start of their match in the World Cup Qualifier in Windhoek in April. He took five wickets in his first 16 deliveries, and finished with 7 for 32.*

In Tests, the quickest five-fors after coming on to bowl were completed in 19 deliveries - by the Australians Ernie Toshack against India in Brisbane in 1947-48 and Scott Boland against England in Melbourne in 2021-22 (in the second innings of his debut), and by England's Stuart Broad against Australia at Trent Bridge in 2015.

All 11 New Zealand players got a mention on the scorecard in England's innings at Nottingham recently. Has this happened before in T20s? asked Kevin Barrett from England
You're right that every New Zealand player made a contribution to the scorecard as they squared the T20I series against England at Trent Bridge earlier this month - four bowlers claimed wickets, and the other seven players all took catches.

This was the sixth such instance in T20Is. England did it when they bowled West Indies out for 55 in Dubai in October 2021, and it was also achieved by Zimbabwe against Nepal (120 for 9) in Singapore in October 2019; by Bahrain against Philippines (100 for 9) in Al Amerat in February 2022; by Namibia against Sri Lanka (108) in Geelong during the T20 World Cup in October 2022; and by Italy vs Denmark (124) in Edinburgh in July 2023 (in the last two cases, one name appears only in a run-out).

There are three further instances of 11 names featuring on a T20I scorecard, with one of them being a substitute: by Singapore against Thailand (96) in Bangkok in February 2020; by Germany vs Belgium (168 for 9) in Krefeld in June 2023; and by Tanzania vs Rwanda (118 for 9) in Kigali in December 2022.

There are six instances in men's Tests, five in women's one-day internationals, and no fewer than 21 in men's ODIs. In one of those, there were, uniquely, 12 names on the scorecard: a Namibia substitute also made a catch against Nepal in Windhoek in December 2022.

What's the first-class record for double-centuries in successive innings - and does Don Bradman hold it? asked George Palmer from England
No one has ever scored three successive double-centuries in first-class cricket, but there have been 66 instances of two in a row. Don Bradman did it four times, which is indeed the most: Wally Hammond and Everton Weekes managed it three times.

The first to achieve the feat was Walter Read of Surrey and England in 1887; KS Ranjitsinhji did it in both 1900 and 1901. The most recent instance was by the Pakistan left-hander Shan Masood, in England in 2022: he made 239 in his second match for Derbyshire, against Sussex in Derby, and added 219 in his next game, against Leicestershire at Grace Road.

There have been seven instances of a batter making consecutive double-centuries in Tests. Two of them were by Hammond (251 and 200 against Australia in 1928-29, and 227 and 336 not out vs New Zealand in 1932-33), and one each by Bradman (304 and 244 vs England in 1934), Vinod Kambli (224 vs England and 227 vs Zimbabwe in 1992-93), Kumar Sangakkara (200 and 222, both not out, vs Bangladesh in 2007), Michael Clarke (259 not out and 230 vs South Africa in 2012-13), and Virat Kohli (213 and 243 vs Sri Lanka in 2017-18).

I noticed that New Zealanders Finn Allen and Devon Conway had an opening stand of 122 during the Hundred this year. Was this the highest partnership there has been in this competition? asked Barry Graham from New Zealand
Finn Allen and Devon Conway put on 122 for Southern Brave's first wicket against Manchester Originals at The Oval a few weeks ago. This was the best opening stand in the Hundred (beating 121 by Paul Stirling and Quinton de Kock for Southern Brave against Welsh Fire in Cardiff in 2022), but there have been two higher partnerships for other wickets.

Highest of all was the unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 127 by Jimmy Neesham (another New Zealander!) and Tom Curran for Oval Invincibles against Manchester Originals in this year's final at Lord's, which put Invincibles back on course for victory after they had crashed to 34 for 5. D'Arcy Short and Dawid Malan added 124 for the second wicket (also unbroken) for Trent Rockets against Southern Brave at Trent Bridge in July 2021. Here's the list of the highest stands in the men's Hundred.

There has, however, been a higher stand in the women's Hundred: Shafali Verma and Eve Jones put on 131 for the first wicket without being parted for Birmingham Phoenix against Welsh Fire at Edgbaston in August 2021.

Apparently Dennis Lillee once had a spell of six for none in a Test. When was this? asked David Bennett from Australia
This spell from the Australian fast bowler Dennis Lillee wasn't in an official Test but in an unofficial one against the Rest of the World XI on his home ground in Perth in 1971-72. Working up a great head of steam, Lillee took 8 for 29 - including six for none in the space of 15 balls - as the World XI were demolished for just 59. "It was perhaps the fastest wicket I've ever bowled on," wrote Lillee. "There were some brilliant catches… it was just one of those freakish happenings in sport where everything seems to go right."

Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh had the best view in the house: "It was as fast a spell of bowling as possible, I am sure. He bowled at the speed of light on a fast, bouncy wicket, with a strong wind behind him. The Rest of the World batsmen were not enthusiastic… he was so fast that day he'd have been frightening on a snowfield."

*Sep 27, 2023, 05.49 GMT: Details of Ali Khan's five-for were added to the story.