What is the highest percentage of extras conceded in a Test?

In the Boxing Day Test, Pakistan conceded 52 extras in dismissing Australia for 318. Where does this rank in terms of the highest percentage of extras in an innings? asked Graeme Phipps from Australia
Australia's 318 in the exciting Test in Melbourne last week included 52 extras (20 byes, 15 leg-byes and wides, and two no-balls), which accounts for 16.3% of the total. This actually comes in sixth on the list of highest percentages of extras in a Test innings, looking at completed innings only.

On top is England's 315 against West Indies in Port-of-Spain in 1986, which included 59 extras - 18.7% of the total. Another England innings in the Caribbean - 339 in Kingston in 2004 - included 60 extras (17.6%).

Ten of the Australian team that took on Pakistan recently had scored more than 1000 runs in their Test careers. Was this a record? asked Gavin Stevenson from Australia
You're right that ten of the Australian team which took on Pakistan in the first two Tests - in Perth and at the MCG - had amassed more than 1000 runs. The exception was Josh Hazlewood, who started the series with 465.

The first team to contain ten men with 1000 Test runs to their name was, unsurprisingly perhaps, the ICC World XI which took on Australia in a one-off match in Sydney in 2005. The odd man out then was England's Steve Harmison. No national team had matched this until earlier this year, when the England sides in the fourth and fifth Ashes Tests, at Old Trafford and at The Oval, contained ten men with 1000 or more, the outlier on both occasions being Mark Wood, who finished the series with 724 runs.

Kapil Dev did an unusual double of 1000 international runs and 100 wickets over his matches in 1983. Has anyone else ever done this in a calendar year? asked Abhishek Sharma from India
You're right that in Tests and one-day internationals in 1983 (no T20s back then), Kapil Dev scored 1106 runs and collected exactly 100 wickets. And it turns out that Kapil is unique - no one else has managed this excellent double.

There have been a few not-so-near misses: six players have completed the lesser double of 750 runs and 75 wickets in internationals in the same year. Shaun Pollock made 882 runs and took 89 wickets in 1998, Abdul Razzaq had 1029 and 82 in 2000, Andrew Flintoff 1205 and 90 in 2005, Daniel Vettori 832 and 76 in 2008, Mitchell Johnson 836 and 113 in 2009, and Shakib Al Hasan 1329 and 77 in 2010.

Has a batter ever scored two double-hundreds in the same match? asked Peter Masud from the United States
This has not yet happened in a Test match, although there are two instances of someone scoring a triple-century and a single hundred in the same game - Graham Gooch hit 333 and 123 for England against India at Lord's in 1990, and Kumar Sangakkara followed suit with 319 and 105 for Sri Lanka against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2014. There have been six other instances of a double-century and a hundred in the same Test.

For many years, the only man to score two separate double-centuries in the same first-class game was Arthur Fagg of Kent and England, who later became a Test umpire; he hit 244 and 202 not out in a Championship match against Essex in Colchester in July 1938. Fagg's feat was finally equalled in Sri Lanka in February 2019, when Nondescripts' captain Angelo Perera made 201 and 231 against the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.

Is it true that India have played 12 Boxing Day Tests without ever winning one? asked Richard Daniels from South Africa
Indian fans will be relieved to learn that this is not true. India have now played 18 Tests that started on December 26, and although their record in them is not great - the defeat in Centurion the other day was their 11th loss - they have won four: against South Africa in Durban in 2010 and in Centurion in 2021, and against Australia in Melbourne in 2018 and again in 2020. They have also drawn three.

India have also had six other Tests which started earlier but included play on Boxing Day, losing three and drawing three.