Is Rashid Khan now the youngest captain to win a Test?
Also, is Pat Cummins' 29 wickets in a series with no five-fors a record?
Pat Cummins' last wicket in the 2019 Ashes (Jofra Archer at The Oval) took him past the record for any Test series without a five-for. Another Australian seamer, Wayne Clark, took 28 against India at home in 1977-78, in his debut series.
Steve Smith's remarkable run during the 2019 Ashes - 144 and 142 at Edgbaston, 92 at Lord's, 211 and 82 at Old Trafford, and 80 at The Oval before his final dismissal for 23 - equalled the best run of scores of 80 or more in Tests, set by the great West Indian Everton Weekes in 1948 and 1949. After making 141 against England in Kingston in the final Test of the 1947-48 home series, Weekes toured India in 1948-49, and hit 128 in Delhi, 194 in Bombay, 162 and 101 in Calcutta and 90 in Madras, where a controversial run-out deprived him of a sixth successive century. Alastair Cook had a run of five successive scores of 80-plus against Australia in 2010-11 and at home to Sri Lanka in 2011.
It's true that Prithvi Shaw currently averages 118.50 from his two Test appearances. But another current player beats him: Kurtis Patterson averages 144.00 from his two appearances against Sri Lanka earlier this year… and wasn't even named in the Ashes squad!
Afghanistan's Rashid Khan became the youngest Test captain of all against Bangladesh in Chattogram, being eight days younger than the previous record holder, Zimbabwe's Tatenda Taibu in May 2004.
There hasn't yet been a Test match that ended in a positive result which featured no extras at all. The lowest is two - both leg-byes - in the match between England and New Zealand at Lord's in 1958. There are also two cases of seven - by England and Australia at Old Trafford in 1888 and at Lord's in 1890.
"Osman Goker of Turkey now holds the record as the oldest debutant ever in international cricket. He was 59 when he played his first T20I against Romania at Ilfov on August 29." Turkey's side in that match included three other players who were also over 50: Cengiz Akyuz and Serdar Kansoy were 57, and opener Hasan Alta a youthful 54.
Steven Lynch is the editor of the updated edition of Wisden on the Ashes