Who has played the most Test matches without ever playing one at home?

What is the most runs a batter has scored in his last ten Test games? What about ODIs and T20Is? asked Vijay K Singh from India

It’s probably no big surprise that the answer to this interesting question, in Tests anyway, is Don Bradman. His last ten Tests, most of them in 1948, netted him 1223 points at an average of 111.18 – not too bad considering he was 39 at the time. The Don’s closest challengers are the mighty West Indians Nurse Seymour (1117) and the big South African southpaw Graeme Pollock (1100). Another South African, Bruce Mitchellcompleted 1072 runs in its last ten tests, while Mahela Jayawardene and Gary Kirsten both had 1003. Two current players are in the mix, though their numbers will surely change: Jonny Bairstow has scored 1061 points in its last ten Test matches, and Usman Khawaja 1010.

The leader of the ODIs is another current player, the captain of Pakistan Babar Azamwith 837. He will have to do well to stay ahead Kumar Sangakkarawhose last ten ODIs have produced 744 runs and five centuries – including four in a row at the 2015 World Cup. Calum MacLeod has scored 616 in his last ten ODIs so far, three more than Ryan ten Doeschate successful in his last ten for the Netherlands, until the end of the 2011 World Cup.

In the T20I, Devon Conway scored 432 points in their last ten matches, but that number will fluctuate during the current World Cup. Among the players who did not appear in 2022, the leader is AB de Villierswhose last ten matches (through September 2017) have brought him 398 runs.

What happened when the fearsome David Harris beat Richard Toomer? asked Michael Williams from Hampshire

David Harris was one of the first specialist bowlers. Born in Hampshire in 1755, he was able to cause his fast underarm deliveries to rise uncomfortably from rough, ready-made terrain at the time, leaving a trail of broken fingers ‘turned to dust against a bald -mouse, his bones pulverized and his blood scattered on the pitch”, according to columnist John Nyren. Aided by Harris’ effective attacking form, the opponents put forward realized the shortcomings of their twisted bats, which looked more like to hockey sticks, and straighter bats – resembling the modern form – began to be used.

Who played first most often in testing? asked TR Ramaswami from India

Predictably, the fast bowler with the most picks leads the way here: jimmy anderson has played the first leg of a run no less than 274 times in his 175 tests so far. Kapil Dev did it 210 times, Glenn McGrath 199, Chaminda Vaas 180 and Richard Hadlee 138.

At the other end of the scale, Steve Waugh played in 168 Tests and played in 108 of them (150 innings) without ever delivering the opener. His twin brother, Marc Waugh, never dispatched first either, despite playing in 128 innings in his 128 Tests. They are the first two, among players who have played in at least 50% of the tests they have played.

Who has played the most Test matches without ever playing one at home? asked Francis Vernon of England

It’s more complicated than it sounds, as several recent Pakistani players have appeared in numerous Test matches without playing any in their home country – despite appearing in “home” Tests for Pakistan to the United Arab Emirates and elsewhere. After the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus, there were no test matches in Pakistan between March 2009 and December 2019. The former captain Ahmed Sarfaraz actually won 49 Test caps, never playing a Test in Pakistan, Mohammad Amir 36 and Said Ajmal 35. The most authentic answer to this question, however, is the former Yorkshire and England allrounder Billy Bateswhose 15 Test matches all came to Australia, on four tours in the 1880s.

And finally, thank you to all the readers who sent messages on last week’s columnabout the late Travis Basevi

In case it was not clear, the answers have been reproduced as they were written at the time, with the date below – so some information may have been superseded. For example, since the second answer was written in April 2013, Shai Hope of the West Indies (against England at Headingley in 2017) and Imam-ul-Haq of Pakistan (against Australia in Rawalpindi in 2021-22) also scored their first two centuries in the same test. Neither has yet made another hundred.