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Which is the highest Test total scored away from home?

"And next time, we'll have a timeless Test" Associated Press

Was Sri Lanka's 713 against Bangladesh the highest Test total scored away from home? asked Graham Bevan from England
Sri Lanka's 713 for 9 declared in Chittagong at the weekend actually equalled the sixth-highest Test total away from home - Sri Lanka's own 713 (for 3 declared) against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in May 2004. Even that wasn't a national record: Sri Lanka amassed 760 for 7 against India in Ahmedabad in 2009-10, and 730 for 6 against Bangladesh in Mirpur in 2013-14.

The highest total of all away from home was England's 849 in a timeless Test against West Indies in Kingston in 1929-30, an innings that included the first Test triple-century, Andy Sandham's 325. Australia made 758 for 8 against West Indies, also in Kingston, in 1954-55, and 729 for 6 against England at Lord's in 1930. There are four other totals of more than 700: for the full list of the highest Test totals away from home, click here.

Is it true that India had never won a one-day international in South Africa before they won in Durban the other day? asked Madhav Gokhale from Sri Lanka
I'm afraid it's not true at all: India's six-wicket victory at Kingsmead last week was actually their 18th victory on South African soil (No. 19 soon followed, in Centurion), although it was only their sixth against South Africa. Eight of those 19 wins came during India's run to the final of the 2003 World Cup.

Both captains scored hundreds in the ODI at Durban. How often has this happened? asked Azweer from India
Faf du Plessis scored 120 and Virat Kohli 112 in the first one-day international between South Africa and India, in Durban the other day. Rather surprisingly, perhaps, that was only the fourth time both captains had scored a century in the same ODI, all of them since 2013 - and Kohli has been involved in three of them.

The first time it happened was in Dublin in September 2013, when William Porterfield scored 112 for Ireland and Eoin Morgan - who himself was born in Dublin - 124 not out for England. In February 2014, Mushfiqur Rahim made 117 for Bangladesh and Kohli 136 for India in the Asia Cup in Fatullah, while in November 2014 in Ranchi, Kohli and Sri Lanka's Angelo Mathews both hit 139 not out.

Did Aiden Markram become South Africa's youngest captain in an ODI at Centurion? asked Chris Bloore from Indonesia
Aiden Markram, standing in for the absent pair of AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis, was 23 years and 123 days old when he captained South Africa for the first time, against India in Centurion at the weekend. That puts him second on South Africa's list: Graeme Smith was 22 years 71 days old when he captained them for the first time in an ODI, against India in Dhaka in April 2003. Hansie Cronje, aged 24 in 1993-94, comes next.

Smith comes fifth and Markram ninth on the overall list of the youngest ODI captains, which is headed by Rajin Saleh, who was 20 years and 297 days when he skippered Bangladesh for the first of only two occasions, both in the Champions Trophy in England in September 2004.

To answer a different question, South Africa's 118 in Centurion was their lowest all-out total in a home ODI, undercutting 119 against England in Port Elizabeth in 2009-10. They have been dismissed more cheaply away from home on seven occasions, their lowest anywhere being 69, against Australia in Sydney in 1993-94.

Has anyone been out stumped first ball in an ODI? asked David Leeson from Australia
A quick check on Statsguru suggests that 30 batsmen have been stumped first ball in ODIs, plus ten in Tests and 15 in T20 internationals. Since a batsman can be stumped off a wide, it's actually possible to be stumped and go down on the scorecard as having faced no balls at all: this happened to Zimbabwe's Solomon Mire in a recent ODI against Bangladesh in Mirpur. Others to suffer this fate are Canada's Henry Osinde, against Ireland in Benoni in April 2009, and India's Bhuvneshwar Kumar, against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup in Fatullah in February 2014. It's also happened in T20 internationals to the West Indian pair of Kieron Pollard and Narsingh Deonarine.

For the full list, click here. Note that, because wides don't show up as balls faced, it is just possible that some of those shown received more than one delivery before they were out.

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