Was India's six-run win at the Oval their closest in a Test?

Was India's six-run win at the Oval their closest in a Test? asked Jaswant Mohan, among many others
India's pulsating victory at The Oval yesterday was indeed their closest by runs in any Test match - previously it was a 13-run win over Australia in Mumbai in 2004 (Australia were set 107, but were bowled out for 93).

There have been only seven narrower victories by runs in all Tests, including two by just one run, by West Indies over Australia in Adelaide in 1993, and by New Zealand over England in Wellington in 2023.

There have also been 15 victories by one wicket, including India's over Australia in Mohali in October 2010 (VVS Laxman and Pragyan Ojha scrambled 11 for the last wicket to win that one).

Ravi Jadeja passed 1000 Test runs in England during the fourth Test, and he's also taken more than 30 wickets. How many people have done this double over the years? asked Afzal Burman from India
After his century in the second innings at Old Trafford, the Indian allrounder Ravindra Jadeja had 1096 runs in 16 Tests in England, plus 34 wickets: by the end of the Oval Test, he had increased that to 1158 runs (and still 34 wickets). Only two other visiting players have collected more than 1000 runs and 25 wickets in Tests in England: the durable Australian allrounder Charlie Macartney, with 1118 runs and 26 wickets in 21 Tests between 1909 and 1926, and the great West Indian Garry Sobers, who amassed 1820 runs at 53.52 and took 62 wickets at 31.58 in 21 matches between 1957 and 1973. He also pocketed 28 catches.

Nine other overseas players have completed the Test double of 500 runs and 25 wickets in England. Of those, Shane Warne took 129 wickets in 22 matches (to go with 563 runs), while Richard Hadlee (70) and Mitchell Starc (65) both took more than 50 wickets.

For the fifth Test, both England and India made four changes from the previous match. How unusual is this number of changes mid-series? asked Alex Baker from Scotland
There was an unusual shuffling of the cards for the fifth Test at The Oval last week. It was the sixth time that both teams had made four changes in a Test in the middle of a series, following Australia and India in November 1956, England and Pakistan in July 1962, England and West Indies in July 1976, and Pakistan and Sri Lanka in March 1982 and also in July 2015.

In the middle of the 1994-95 series down under, Australia made four changes and Pakistan five, while in England in July 1959, England made six changes and India five between the second and third Tests. But the record was set in Sri Lanka in July 2002, when the hosts made no fewer than seven changes for the second of two Tests, and Bangladesh five.

The most team changes by one team in mid-series is the maximum of 11, back in 1884-85 when Australia selected an entirely new side for the second Ashes Test in Melbourne after a pay dispute. England, however, kept an unchanged team. Australia made another seven changes for the third Test in Sydney: four of the "new" team survived, three of the pay rebels returned from the first Test, and four new players were called up - so Australia used 26 different men in the first three Tests of that series.

In the recent Test series in the West Indies, Australia lost all 60 wickets but still won the series 3-0. Has this ever happened before? asked Rawle Agard from Canada
The recent Frank Worrell Trophy series in the Caribbean was a low-scoring one, without an individual century, as this column touched on two weeks ago. Looking into it a little more closely, it seems the recent encounter was only the second three-Test series in which all 120 wickets fell. The other one was South Africa vs India in 2017-18, which the home side won 2-1.

Early in 2004, Australia won 3-0 in Sri Lanka, despite losing 58 of their 60 wickets in the series (Sri Lanka lost all 60). There are two other three-Test series in which 118 wickets fell, both resulting in 2-1 wins.

I noticed that Paul Allott took 26 Test wickets, all of them in England. What's the most? asked Jack McConnell from Manchester
You're right that all of the Lancashire and England fast bowler Paul Allott's 26 Test wickets came in England. He did play two Tests overseas - one in India and one in Sri Lanka in 1981-82 - but failed to strike. Allott did lead the way for England on this esoteric list - until the fifth Test against India at The Oval last week, in which Josh Tongue took eight wickets, which gave him 31 in Tests to date, all so far at home. So Tongue leads the way for England now, at least until he takes a wicket overseas.

The overall leader is the unorthodox left-arm spinner Bert "Dainty" Ironmonger, whose 74 Test wickets all came at home in Australia. There are various theories about why he never toured England, ranging from doubts about his bowling action to worries about whether he had the social graces required for such a trip. England definitely missed out on an interesting character: Ironmonger spun the ball off the stump of a finger mangled in a farm accident, and was almost unplayable on a helpful pitch. Against South Africa in Melbourne in February 1932, he took 5 for 6 and 6 for 18 on a "sticky dog" that was drying after rain. He made his Test debut in 1928-29 at the age of 46, and played in the 1932-33 Bodyline series when he was 50 years old.

Two more Australians come next: legspinner Herbert "Ranji" Hordern took 46 Test wickets without playing abroad, while the later fast bowler Alan Hurst collected 43. Like Allott, Hurst played two Tests on the subcontinent without taking a wicket. Also ahead of Allott are a trio of South Africans whose wickets all came at home:Mike Procter (41), Alf Hall (40) and "Goofy" Lawrence (28).