The TV commentators were talking about Simon Harmer's average in the fourth innings of Tests. Is it really the best ever? asked Kyle McKenzie from South Africa
After he took 6 for 16 to finish off last week's exciting Cape Town Test against Australia, the South Africa offspinner Simon Harmer had taken 83 wickets in his 17 Tests.
Of those, 25 had come in the fourth innings of the match, at the remarkable average of 6.96. This is indeed the lowest fourth-innings average for anyone in Test cricket, given a minimum of 20 wickets. Next comes the 19th-century England spinner Bobby Peel (21 at 10.61), ahead of two current players in Roston Chase of West Indies (20 at 12.00) and Australia's Scott Boland (21 at 12.57).
The most wickets by anyone in the fourth innings of Tests is 138, by Shane Warne at an average of 23.14. Four others have taken more than 100, including Nathan Lyon, who currently has 129 at 27.50.
Was the height difference between Temba Bavuma and Marco Jansen the biggest in any hundred partnership in a Test? asked Patrick Silver from England, among others
This is a difficult one, as player heights are not routinely recorded - and the published heights for some vary quite a bit. For example, Marco Jansen is usually shown as 6ft 8in tall (203cm), but I've also seen him shown as 6ft 9in or 6ft 10in (208cm). Having said that, South Africa's captain Temba Bavuma is usually shown as 5ft 4in (162cm), so I'm reasonably confident that the height difference between them - at least 41cm - is the biggest for any pair who shared a century stand in a Test: they put on 132 for the seventh wicket to help rescue South Africa in the second Test against Australia in Gqeberha last month.
Jason Holder (6ft 7in or 200cm) and Shane Dowrich (about 5ft 7in, or 170cm) shared an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 295 for West Indies against England in Bridgetown in 2019. Tom Moody, who was 6ft 6in tall (198cm) shared a stand of 149 on his debut for Australia - against New Zealand in Perth in 1989 - with David Boon, who I would say was around 5ft 6in (168cm). Several online sources show him as only 5ft 3in (160cm) but I'm pretty sure they must be wrong.
The Jansen-Bavuma height difference must be among the biggest for any Test partnership, let alone one of 100 or more. The probable leader here involves the giant Pakistan fast bowler Mohammad Irfan, who is usually quoted as being 7ft 1in (216cm) tall - although I'm not sure that has ever been independently verified. Online sources suggest the shortest partner he batted with in a Test was wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal at 5ft 5in (165cm), which would be a difference of 20 inches (51cm). The West Indian fast bowler Joel Garner (6ft 8in or 203cm) batted a few times with Gus Logie (5ft 4in/163cm).
I think I heard that Temba Bavuma had made South Africa's highest Test score against Australia. Is that right? Really no double-centuries? asked Adie Barnes from South Africa
That's not quite right, as there have been five double-centuries for South Africa in Tests against Australia, two of them by Graeme Pollock, including the highest, 274 in Durban in 1970.
What I think you might have heard is that Temba Bavuma's 179 in Gqeberha last month was the highest score by a captain for South Africa against Australia. The previous highest was a surprisingly modest 122 by Graeme Smith, in Adelaide in 2012.
In the second Test at Gqeberha, the not-out batters at the end of the third and fourth days were the same - but in different innings. How often has this happened? asked Malekwe Nkala from South Africa
At the end of the third day of the recent second Test in Gqeberha, Travis Head was accompanied by nightwatchman Scott Boland: and at the end of the fourth day the same pair were together, only by then Australia were following on.
This appears to be only the 14th time in Test history that the same pair was together at the end of successive days in a Test, but in different innings. The first such instance was in 1955, when Clyde Walcott and the debutant Collie Smith were in at the end of the third and fourth days of West Indies' match against Australia in Kingston. The only other one involving a nightwatcher in both innings was the match between England and South Africa at Lord's in 1998, when Nasser Hussain ended both the second and third days with Dean Headley for company.
What is the highest score and best bowling in ODIs by someone who never played a Test? asked Bernard Carpenter from England
The highest ODI score by someone who has never played a Test is 191, by Scotland's George Munsey, against Netherlands in Dundee in 2025. Next - and the highest by someone from a Test-playing nation - is Janneman Malan's 177 for South Africa against Ireland in Malahide in 2021. Evin Lewis made 176 before retiring hurt for West Indies against England at The Oval in 2017.
The best ODI bowling figures by a non-Test player were also set at Forthill in Dundee: the Scotland seamer Charlie Cassell took 7 for 21 on his debut, against Oman in 2024. Ali Khan took 7 for 32 for United States against Jersey in Windhoek in 2023, and Sandeep Lamichchane picked up 7 for 11 for Nepal vs Papua New Guinea in Al Amerat in 2021.
The best for a Test-playing nation by someone who has never won a Test cap remains Reece Topley's 6 for 24 for England against India at Lord's in 2022.
Shiva Jayaraman of Cricinfo's stats team helped with some of the above answers.
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