Bill Frindall, aka the Bearded Wonder, answers your latest batch of queries.
Remember, the Test Match Special statistician is always on hand to help you out with your questions. And if you think you can catch him out, have a go!
Bearders is currently in Australia, scoring the Ashes series for TMS - but will be taking time out to deal with your queries. Fill in the form on the right-hand side of the page to stump the Bearded Wonder
Nick Minns, UK
Where does Paul Collingwood's 206 against Australia in the Second Test at Adelaide rank in the list of highest individual scores in a losing course?
Andrew Stratford, UK
Paul Collingwood hit 206 against Australia but still ended on the losing side. What is the highest individual Test score by a batsman who ended up on the losing side?
Garry Moynihan, France
Regarding Paul Collingwood's feat in Adelaide. How many double century makers have ended on the losing side in Test Matches?
Collingwood's 206 is the seventh highest of the 15 double hundreds scored in lost causes. Brian Lara (three) is alone in contributing more than one. Ricky Ponting's 242 for Australia against India at Adelaide in 2003-04 is the highest contribution to a losing cause.
The full list in alphabetical order, confirmed by noted Delhi statistician, Rajesh Kumar, is D.L.Amiss (203), N.J.Astle (222), P.D.Collingwood (206), G.A.Faulkner (204), S.E.Gregory (201), R.N.Harvey (205), M.L.Hayden (203), L.Hutton (202*), B.C.Lara (221, 202, 226), R.G.Pollock (209), R.T.Ponting (242), V.Sehwag (201) and V.T.Trumper (214*).
In the first innings of the Second Test, Warne and McGrath had combined bowling figures of 1 for 274. Are those the worst figures they have posted as a partnership?
Yes, they are. Their only other comparable twin analyses are 3-217 v England at Birmingham in 1997, 2-107 v New Zealand at Sydney in 2001-02 and 0-141 v New Zealand at Brisbane in 2001-02.
David Mitchell, Cumbria
Has there ever been a Cumbrian England Test player?
No one born in Cumberland (or its modern equivalent, Cumbria) has gained a Test cap. Paul Nixon, born in Carlisle on 21 October 1970, came close to gaining international honours when he toured Pakistan and Sri Lanka with England in 2000-01 but he remained understudy to Alec Stewart throughout both three-match series. Nixon did represent England A in India in 1994-95 and he has just been included among England's 16 players for the triangular limited-overs series against Australia and New Zealand in January and February.
Rich Waring, England
I've got a few quid on KP to hit the fastest century in this Ashes series, but I can't for the life of me find any stats for this on-line. Do you have any idea who's hit the fastest century so far? You're the king of TMS, by the way.
No, Rich. I'm just the chronicler - but I have been around the longest.
The fastest hundred of the current Ashes series by a distance is Adam Gilchrist's 57-ball assault at Perth, the second-fastest in Test cricket in terms of fewest balls received to Viv Richards's 56-ball epic for West Indies v England at St John's, Antigua, in April 1986. Kevin Pietersen took 149 balls to reach his century in Adelaide, the fewest of England's three hundreds to date. Paul Collingwood's took 204 balls and Alistair Cook's 257.
Stephen James, UK
Warne bowled 46.1 overs before taking his first wicket in the Second Ashes Test. I'm guessing this is not his longest time in an innings without success but what is?
Without linear scoresheets for all of Warne's bowling spells your question is impossible to answer with absolute certainty. The most overs he has bowled in an entire innings without a wicket is 42 (0 for 147) against India at Calcutta in 1997-98. As each of his other 10 innings analyses in excess of 46.1 overs has produced at least three wickets, it is highly probable that his recent first innings effort at Adelaide is in fact his longest barren spell in Test cricket.
Jon Heath, England
I was told that my cousin, Graham Kersey, once held the record for the longest time to get off the mark in an innings in first-class cricket. Is this true, and who currently holds it?
Not true. Graham Kersey took 64 minutes before he scored the first of his 59 runs for Surrey against Leicestershire at The Oval in 1996, his final season before being killed in a road accident in Brisbane. At that time the record was 97 minutes by Godfrey Evans for England against Australia at Adelaide in 1946-47. The current record is held by Geoff Allott of New Zealand, who batted for 101 minutes before being dismissed for a duck against South Africa at Auckland in 1998-99.
Greg Preston, Australia
I was at the second day of the Brisbane Test and, with right-hand/left-hand batting combination, the square-leg umpire always insisted on umpiring from square-leg, rather than point; even if this meant looking into the sun. Surely this made his task quite difficult. Why don't the umpires stand at point and who has to give them permission to do so?
Law 3 states that the 'The Umpires shall stand where they can best see any act upon which their decision may be required. The Umpire at the Striker's end may elect to stand on the off instead of the leg side of the pitch, provided he informs the Captain of the fielding side and the Striker of his intention to do so.'
Amarjeet Kaberwal, USA
Sunil Gavaskar scored 36 not out in a limited-overs match at Lords. He actually carried his bat for 60 overs. Is this the lowest score for any batsman carrying his bat in a limited-overs international?
It most certainly is! This happened at Lord's on 7 June 1975 in the opening match of cricket's inaugural World Cup. Gavaskar's response to the task of overhauling England's total of 334 for 4, which set a record for 60-overs cricket, was to have a prolonged net in the middle. He began his innings at 3.30pm. At tea, after 25 overs, he had amassed 13 off 70 balls in 98 minutes. When India's 60 overs expired at 7.25pm, Gavaskar had batted 215 minutes and scored 36 (out of 132 for 3) off 174 balls, hitting just one boundary (off his 84th ball). He didn't gain the match award.
Charl Jeannot, Australia
Can a run be scored off the same ball as a wicket being taken, for example a run out or stumping off a no-ball or wide? If so, who would win if the scores were tied and the batting side were 9 down at the time?
In the case of run outs, all completed runs stand.
When a batsman is stumped off a wide, the penalty run stands. If the scores were tied before that ball was bowled, the batting side would win as the penalty run would end the match before the stumping could be carried out.
Andy Prindiville, England
Do you know who the Prindiville stand at the WACA is named after? I share the name but there are very few of us in the UK and I wonder if I have any wealthy Aussie relatives?
The stand, built in the mid-1980s, was named after Bernard Prindiville, President of the Western Australian Cricket Association (1980-90).
Bernie Prindiville led the fundraising initiatives for the first Test match at Perth in December 1970. He was also a key mover in raising $19 million towards the modern redevelopment of the WACA Ground during the $29 million dollar Centenary Redevelopment Project in 1985; an upgrading that included the installation of night lighting and the acquisition of VFL/AFL matches.
A highly successful businessman, he was also a notable member of the Catholic Church of Australia and was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great, a significant Papal honour.
David Dunning, UK
If the wicket-keeper dislodges a bail without the ball in his glove, before the ball hits the wicket, can the batsman be given out?
The wicket-keeper must either have the ball in his glove or hand, or break the wicket by throwing the ball into the stumps. If a bail has been dislodged before he has the ball, the keeper can remove the other bail with the ball in his glove. If he has dislodged both bails, he can pull out a stump with the ball in his glove.
Tom Ford, England
Has any bowler taken a hat-trick over three consecutive balls in three consecutive innings?
Simon Tiernan, Sale
With reference to Andy P, and a hat-trick spanning three overs (#134). If the first wicket fell to the last ball of an over and the second wicket fell to the first ball of the next over, also ending the innings, what happens if that was the second innings? Would the bowler's hat-trick delivery have to be against the same opponents? A hat-trick could then take two years to play out.
A hat-trick can never involve more than two innings because it can only be achieved within one match.