The NBA is officially back.

After Tuesday night's debut featuring the two L.A. squads, the defending champs and the revamped New Orleans Pelicans, it's time for the rest of the league to get things started.

An offseason full of unpredictable player movement means we're probably in store for one of the tightest NBA races in years. To get ready for all the action, ESPN's NBA experts highlight the one question they're looking to see get answered during the first week of games -- including Wednesday night's doubleheader on ESPN/WatchESPN featuring Celtics-76ers (7:30 p.m. ET) and Nuggets-Blazers (10 p.m. ET).

Are the Celtics for real?

Tim Bontemps: It will take only a week for us to get a real first impression of the new-look Boston Celtics. They face the other three teams that advanced in the Eastern Conference playoffs last season -- the Philadelphia 76ers, Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks -- within the first eight days of the regular season.

It will be an instant test of Boston's new group, particularly its rotation of centers hoping to try to fill the very large shoes of departed All-Star Al Horford. That was a work in progress during the preseason and probably will remain one for quite some time. Just how much work Boston has to do on both ends should be clear after one of the league's most difficult opening slates.

Is the Warriors' defense good enough?

Chris Herring: For the first time in five years, the Golden State Warriors won't begin the season as favorites in the West. Many wonder how they'll look on offense without Kevin Durant or Klay Thompson, whose timetable for a return from his ACL tear is in question. But the defense -- with D'Angelo Russell and without Andre Iguodala, Durant or Klay -- could take a considerable step back, too.

Golden State's ability to get stops will be tested out of the gate Thursday as the Warriors host Kawhi Leonard and the Clippers, who have arguably replaced the Dubs as the league's top title contender.

How -- and when -- will coaches use their brand-new challenges?

Andrew Lopez: The NBA's one-year experiment with coaches' challenges got off to a rocky start Tuesday night, with Nick Nurse and Alvin Gentry going a collective 0-for-2. Nurse dropped his in the first quarter while Gentry used his in the third.

What will be interesting in the first week is how other coaches use theirs. Will they use it out of pure frustration on a timeout that is already coming? Will they save it for a key play in the fourth quarter? Or will they forget about it altogether and hope it goes away?

Will a Russ transformation last?

Royce Young: Russell Westbrook is almost assuredly going to open his Houston Rockets tenure trying to play a different way. He's going to defer to James Harden. He's going to spot-up and cut and screen. He's going to play the analytical game. He's going to try to fit in. This isn't atypical for Westbrook in changing situations; he has done it before with new teammates.

The question is: What's the over/under on it lasting? One week? One month? One season? The chemistry and motivation to make it work is there for Westbrook and Harden, but can it mechanically? Is it destined to malfunction, or can two of the most ball-dominant stat-stuffers ever actually play together?

How does Kyrie fit in with the Nets?

Baxter Holmes: Chemistry can be forged over a season, but first impressions -- as with anything in life -- can be lasting. By any measure, Kyrie Irving wore his teammates thin in Boston last season, creating vast sums of friction with his postgame comments.

Irving has a new roster in Brooklyn and how he meshes with those players early could be key in helping establish himself as a leader for the franchise down the road. There's no doubt the pressure will be on Irving right away given how poorly things worked out last season.

Can the Bucks rely on their bench?

Malika Andrews: Save for swapping Malcolm Brogdon for Wesley Matthews, the Bucks' starting lineup looks largely the same. It's the team's new supporting cast that I am excited to see in the opening week. In the playoffs last season, it was Milwaukee's bench -- primarily Pat Connaughton and George Hill -- that helped propel the Bucks to the Eastern Conference finals. Now, they've added Kyle Korver, another sharpshooter who boosts the Bucks' space-and-pace system. Robin Lopez will add an imposing defensive presence off the bench.

Milwaukee's depth is its secret sauce. How will this season's sauce compare to the flavor of last season?

Does Miami look like an East contender?

Dave McMenamin: I'm really curious about the Miami Heat. During the offseason when I had to get my basketball fix from podcasts, I heard smart people I respect like Zach Lowe and Doris Burke tout Miami as a sleeper to make some noise in the East.

They get the Bucks this weekend, which is an early eye test. Can the Jimmy Butler-infused version of the Heat -- with tough, switchable guys around him in Justise Winslow, Bam Adebayo and Derrick Jones Jr., sprinkled in with some shooting from Goran Dragic and rookie darling Tyler Herro -- keep up with a contender?

Can the Clippers actually score?

Andrew Han: Preseason is by no means a projection, but the Clippers struggled to generate efficient offense as a group. Granted, Paul George is sidelined for the first few weeks as he recovers from shoulder surgery, but his return would only add another solo shot maker.

When Kawhi Leonard and Lou Williams are on the court, offense is generated through them. But unless Montrezl Harrell is rim-rolling, it remains to be seen whether the Clippers can make teams pay for loading up against their prodigious scorers.

Will Luka and Porzingis click?

Mike Schmitz: On paper, Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic are one of the most exciting under-25 duos in the NBA. Coach Rick Carlisle can employ a variety of different Doncic-Zinger pick-and-rolls, with either as the ball handler. Even so, I'm curious to see how the 20-year-old Doncic balances getting his own with allowing Porzingis to isolate out of the post the way he did so often in New York.

Both are ultra-confident competitors, and I'm fascinated to follow the on- and off-court chemistry between the international stars. If they click, the Mavs figure to be a League Pass darling and playoff sleeper.

How ugly will things get in Charlotte?

Bobby Marks: There are no closed-door team meetings (yet) and the job security of head coach James Borrego is safe, but circle the Charlotte Hornets' first two home games against Chicago and Minnesota. Things could get ugly if the Hornets drop both contests.

Predicted to finish in the bottom of the Eastern Conference, Charlotte could be 0-10 before we even hit mid-November. After hosting the Bulls and Wolves, the Hornets head out on the road to face both Los Angeles teams, Sacramento and Golden State, then they return home for Indiana, Boston and New Orleans before finally playing at Philadelphia. If the Hornets don't win in the first week of the season, the 2009-10 New Jersey Nets' steak of 18 straight losses to start a season could be in jeopardy.

Do KAT and the Wolves surprise?

André Snellings: Is Minnesota ready for a leap? Two seasons ago, the Timberwolves entered March at No. 3 in the Western Conference, but then they lost nine of 15 games with Jimmy Butler injured, limping into the playoffs. Last season was doomed from the start when Butler forced his way out of town.

But Karl-Anthony Towns played at an MVP level after the Butler trade and he's approaching his peak. When healthy, Robert Covington is a defensive force with two-way ability. Add in some talented perimeter players and defensive strides from Towns and this season's Wolves could be sneakily formidable.

How comfortable is Golden State's new All-Star?

Nick Friedell: I want to see how D'Angelo Russell fits into the Warriors' system. Stephen Curry and his teammates are trying to make sure Russell gets comfortable early.

If Russell can take some of the offensive burden off Curry in the first few weeks, it will help the organization navigate all this time without Klay Thompson.

Who's winning the L.A. sneaker battle?

Nick DePaula: The retooled Clippers and Lakers may be battling on the court for local bragging rights, but the star players on each team have also found themselves in a marketing tug-of-war throughout the region. Nike's massive 18,000 square foot digital billboard engulfed the corner of Figueroa Street near Staples Center this week, featuring taglines over the respective shoulders of Paul George and Anthony Davis: "Everything shines brighter in LA," read George's. It was opposite AD's: "Write your own Hollywood ending."

New Balance launched its own "Kawhi's Funhouse" pop-up over the weekend, selling Leonard's OMN1S sneaker for the first time at retail. And LeBron's legacy with Nike continues with the upcoming launch of his 17th signature model, the longest consecutive series for an active player. Tracking which star has the advantage in this loaded market will be fascinating early on and all season long.

The Pittsburgh Pirates have parted ways with longtime team president Frank Coonelly, who said that "change was necessary" after the team's second-half swoon this season.

The Pirates announced the decision Wednesday, saying that Coonelly's replacement will be introduced next Monday.

"Frank and I both agreed that it was clear a change in the day-to-day leadership of the Club is needed," Pirates chairman of the board Bob Nutting said in a statement. "This leadership transition gives us the opportunity to refresh our entire operations."

The Pirates finished last in the NL Central this season, going 69-93 and missing the postseason for the fourth consecutive year. Pittsburgh was 42-43 on July 3 and was only three games out of first place in the division at the time.

But the Pirates lost 26 of their next 32 games, essentially dashing their postseason hopes and ultimately leading to the firing of manager Clint Hurdle, who was dismissed in September after nine seasons with the team.

"The second half of our season was disappointing to our fans and to all of us in the organization," Coonelly said in a statement. "Results matter and our results simply were not acceptable. It was clear that change was necessary.

"As we worked through a comprehensive assessment of everything that we do, I undertook an honest self-valuation. While not an easy conclusion to reach, I ultimately decided that the best interests of the Pirates would be served if the cub had a new leader who would bring new ideas and a new direction."

Coonelly joined the Pirates in September 2007 and -- along with Hurdle and general manager Neal Huntington -- helped oversee the franchise's rebuild that culminated in three consecutive postseason appearances from 2013 to 2015.

CHICAGO -- The Chicago Cubs are hiring David Ross to be their new manager, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation. The official announcement is expected to come on Thursday.

Ross, 42, beat out five other candidates to replace Joe Maddon, who was hired by the Angels. Ross played under Maddon in 2015 and 2016, helping the Cubs to a World Series title before becoming a member of the team's front office and an ESPN baseball analyst.

He'll be asked to manage several players he once called teammates, including Kris Bryant.

"I've always looked at Rossy as a coach when he played here," Bryant said in late September. "Yeah, it was goofy, it was fun, it was energetic, but when he needed to tell you something, he let you hear it. From the very get-go, I felt like this guy will be a manager someday."

"I think it's one of the best jobs in baseball," Ross said recently. "I've got a lot of close ties with those guys. ... I think my heart is drawn to that dugout a little bit. "

Other candidates -- including Cubs first-base coach Will Venable, bench coach Mark Loretta, former Phillies manager Gabe Kapler, former Yankees manager Joe Girardi and Astros bench coach Joe Espada -- have been informed of the decision. Espada was called in for a second interview on Sunday, which included a mock news conference, according to a source. Ross did the same on Monday, and he performed as expected: extremely well, the source said.

Ross was a Game 7 hero for the Cubs in 2016, hitting a World Series home run before calling it quits on his career. He also won a World Series with the Boston Red Sox and played for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves.

HOUSTON -- Do you remember May 22? It was only five months ago. The NBA was in its conference finals. The NHL had just moved to the Stanley Cup Final. The Twitterverse was up in arms about the "Game of Thrones" finale that aired three days before. And Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros pitcher, lost a game.

A lot of stuff has happened during the five months since then. The NBA and NHL have started new seasons. There's a "Game of Thrones" spin-off filming somewhere. Summer has come and gone. And Gerrit Cole, Houston Astros pitcher, finally lost another game.

The timing was not good.

"He's been so good for so long that it builds this thought of invincibility, that it's impossible to beat him," Astros manager AJ Hinch said. "When it happens, it is a surprise to all of us because we've watched for months this guy completely dominate the opposition. Which is why I want to give credit to the Nats."

The opponent definitely earned some props. Cole gave up five runs in seven innings and took the loss in Game 1 of the World Series on Tuesday, a 5-4 nail-biter against the only baseball entity as hot as Cole right now -- the Washington Nationals. He had gone an unbelievable 25 straight starts without a loss, a span during which he went 19-0 with a 1.59 ERA and 258 strikeouts in 169⅓ innings.

For five months, from the time your kids were wrapping up their previous grade in school to the time they were getting rolling in this one, Cole was unbeatable. Now, in the World Series, he is 0-1.

"He's human," Astros center fielder George Springer said. "He was bound to lose one eventually."

There is no panic in Houston. A one-game deficit isn't going to faze this bunch, which won 107 games in the regular season, survived a winner-take-all contest in the division series and took the pennant on a game-ending homer by Jose Altuve. For the Astros, a loss is a kind of quietus -- a short pause until their next moment of exaltation. It's the way it has been for them all season, so why would now be any different?

The Astros' winning percentage before Cole started his streak was .673. Their record after he started it was .644. Sure, they won nearly all of Cole's starts over that 25-game span, though they lost twice when he drew a no-decision. But overall including the playoffs, Houston has a .620 winning percentage when Cole doesn't start -- a 100-win pace.

In other words, as great as Cole has been, the Astros have had a lot more than him going on.

"He's one of the reasons we're here right now, and I know he's going to start a new [streak] tomorrow," Altuve said. "Whenever he plays a game, he's focused. This one was just one game. We've been in this situation before, and he's going to keep helping us. I know."

Still, Cole was not at his best. He knows that.

"It wasn't my sharpest game," Cole said. "We had to get creative. I thought the fastball was leaking a little bit off the corner a couple times. I struggled with the curveball command, kind of buried us in some bad counts."

The five runs Cole gave up was a postseason career high. It was the most he has given up since, you guessed it, May 22. He faced budding Nationals superstar Juan Soto for the first time, and it did not turn out well for Cole: Soto tagged the game's hottest pitcher with two ringing opposite-field drives, one a homer and one a two-run double. Sure, Soto is good, but so are a lot of hitters Cole has sent packing for the past five months.

"He's facing All-Stars and really good players," Astros third baseman Alex Bregman said. "In this game, anything can happen any day. I have complete confidence in him, 100 percent."

This is how sports works. There really is no such thing as invincible, no matter how transcendent a player seems to be at any given moment in time. Gerrit Cole lost a game. It was going to happen sometime, and unfortunately for the Astros, it happened in Game 1 of the World Series.

If there is an element of disappointment in the outcome, it's not all on Cole. On his off night, he still gave Houston seven innings and a chance to win. The Astros chipped away late and came one clutch hit short of evening the score. But they kind of let Washington's Max Scherzer off the hook -- that's the part that stings.

Scherzer's pitch total soared early, and he was out after five innings. But the Astros couldn't add to their two quick runs to start the game -- a recurring pattern for them this postseason. When Cole faltered, the buffer he needed, and that was there to be had, did not exist.

"Anytime you're up against a really good starting pitcher, you want to take advantage of every single opportunity," Hinch said. "You know that's going to be a tall task. But I liked our at-bats."

There were good signs for Houston. Springer had four terrific at-bats, drawing two walks, homering and hitting a double to right-center that just missed going out. Springer now has an Astros record 14 postseason homers, and since he's a bit streaky, the big first game might portend well. He has homered in a record five straight World Series games.

Even better news came further down the lineup, where probable AL Rookie of the Year Yordan Alvarez had his best night of the playoffs and it almost turned into a huge night. Alvarez went 1-for-22 during the AL Championship Series against New York, resulting in a daily dose of questions for Hinch about whether he would replace his star rookie in the lineup. Without batting an eye, each time Hinch replied, "He'll be in the lineup tomorrow."

"He's given me a vote of confidence, and it's helped to keep me strong mentally," Alvarez said through an interpreter. "I just don't worry about anything. Just keep playing and let the next day be."

Alvarez walked and stroked two solid singles, including one that nearly knocked Scherzer out of the box. He then struck out in a high-leverage spot in the seventh with Houston down by two runs. With the bases loaded and two outs, Alvarez went down on three pitches against Washington righty Daniel Hudson. Hudson climbed the ladder on him with three fastballs, and Alvarez just missed the 0-1 pitch letter-high, fouling it back.

Still, it was an encouraging outing -- especially if it points to a well-timed breakout. Alvarez's quiet October has denied fans across the country who perhaps haven't seen him play the chance to see one of baseball's most dynamic young hitters do his thing. Let's remember that Alvarez hit .325 with 50 homers and 149 RBIs across Triple-A and the majors this season. That's the guy the Astros would love to see show up for the rest of the World Series.

"Definitely felt more comfortable at bat today," Alvarez said. "I made some adjustments the last couple of days and was able to put those adjustments into the game today, and the results were there. Obviously I wanted to do more with that last at-bat than I did, but I took a good swing at it."

The other good news ought to be Houston's Game 2 starter. It's a guy named Justin Verlander, who happens to be the co-favorite with Cole to win this year's AL Cy Young Award. He led the AL this season in wins (21), innings (223) and WHIP (0.803). And now that CC Sabathia has retired, he's the active leader in career wins (225) and strikeouts (3,006).

He also has 14 postseason wins, a total that is tied for third all time. None of those wins has come in the World Series, though. He has started five times in the Fall Classic, losing four times, drawing a no-decision and posting a 5.67 ERA. However, his last World Series loss was actually a good start. In 2017, he lost Game 6 against the Dodgers despite giving up just two hits in six innings.

As Verlander tries to avoid becoming the first pitcher to lose his first five World Series decisions, he needs a line similar to the one he posted at Dodger Stadium two years ago. For one thing, the Astros desperately want to avoid an 0-2 hole with three games looming in D.C., a city that hasn't seen a World Series game in 86 years. And Houston needs Verlander to be sharp because his opposition is tough: Nats righty Stephen Strasburg taking the mound with a lineup behind him that has been providing big hits all postseason.

"I think they have a really good mix," Verlander said. "They have speed. They have power. They have patience. They have plate coverage."

Washington is the momentum team now. It's funny how quickly that designation can change. The Astros seemed to be that team just three days ago, when Minute Maid Park erupted into bedlam when Altuve rocketed an Aroldis Chapman slider over the yellow line in left field to give Houston its third pennant in franchise history.

After that game, and again before Game 1, a common question was this: Does momentum carry over?

"I don't know that momentum is necessarily going to be at the top of the list of the excitement when we take the field or we get the announcement of the national anthem and the lineups and we're on the big stage," Hinch said before the game. "I think you can probably put that one to bed when you're dealing with two teams that are getting to this stage."

Well, the Nationals have more momentum than one game. They've won seven straight, across three series. Four of those wins have come on the road -- in Los Angeles, St. Louis and now Houston. The momentum god is clearly in Washington's camp.

Thus it is obviously imperative for the Astros to jump out to a quick start against Strasburg, to give Verlander a comfort zone and to sap some of that ballooning confidence swelling in the Nationals' clubhouse. Or, maybe, if you're on the other side, it really is just about the Astros.

"We have a had a game plan since Day 1," Altuve said. "We have to keep caring about us. The moment that we stop thinking about us and start thinking about the other team, we change what we're doing. We don't really want that. We're playing great baseball right now."

For five months, the Astros could pretty much count on winning when Gerrit Cole was on the mound. Suddenly, at the pinnacle time of the season, it didn't happen. The challenge for any team facing the Astros in a seven-game series is knowing that you're going to have to beat Verlander or Cole at least once to get to four wins. The Nationals already have that item crossed off the to-do list.

Now, the Astros' World Series mettle is about to be tested.

"We've done it before," Springer said. "Losing at home, and then for some reason come back the next day and we win and start playing really good."

OSWEGO, N.Y. – Reigning Budweiser Int’l Classic champion Tyler Thompson and former Oswego Speedway track champion Michael Barnes will drive TQ midgets for Jason Simmons Racing during the upcoming Indoor Auto Racing Championship.

Barnes will join Thompson beginning with the series’ first event inside the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., on Jan. 3-4, making for a two car TQ Midget effort out of the JSR stable.

“Putting a deal like this together for Michael has been on my radar for a few years,” said team owner Jason Simmons.  “Putting Michael in another Lafler Chassis, alongside Tyler, will only help to improve our program. I am happy we were able to put it together.”

A 13-time supermodified winner at Oswego, Barnes copped the 2016 Oswego Track Championship and won most recently at the Steel Palace in the annual Grand Prix 75 on Fourth of July weekend.

A podium finisher in the last five Oswego Classics, Barnes is excited for the new opportunity.

“I can’t thank Jason enough for the chance to compete this winter,” said Barnes.  “I’m looking forward to running great equipment in one of the most competitive racing series there is.”

Joining Thompson and Barnes on the JSR indoor team for 2020 will be Champ Kart drivers Tyler Brown and Dan Kapuscinski.

Brown has two career Indoor Auto Racing Championship main events wins for JSR (Albany – 2018, Syracuse – 2019) and finished fourth in the series championship last year.

Kapuscinski, a former flat kart winner at the New York State Indoor Championships in Syracuse, will make his first career Indoor Auto Racing Championship start at Allentown January.

The Champ Kart division of the team will see each machine prepared out of the Performance Manufacturing and Slack Karts shop in Middleport, N.Y.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has assured the Indian team management led by captain Virat Kohli and head coach Ravi Shastri that his board will make "life easy" and not "difficult" for them but pointed out that performance would be the ultimate yardstick. Ganguly also said he was waiting to have a word with MS Dhoni on his future, pointing out "champions don't finish quickly."

The 47-year old former India captain was speaking after his formal election as BCCI president, marking the end of the 33-month tenure of the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA). Others elected today were Jay Shah (secretary), Arun Singh Dhumal (treasurer), Jayesh George (joint secretary) and Mahim Verma (vice-president).

ALSO READ - Meet the new BCCI officials

Ganguly was all praise for Kohli who he said had taken Indian cricket to a "different level" since he took over as captain in 2015. India are currently the No. 1 Test team and are perched comfortably atop the World Test Championship table. In ODIs, they are behind England and in T20Is they are ranked fourth.

In light of that success, Kohli and Shastri became two of the most powerful people in Indian cricket. Ganguly is scheduled to them on Thursday at the BCCI offices where the teams to play the home series against Bangladesh would be picked.

"Champions don't finish very quickly. I don't know what's in his mind, what he thinks about his career. When you sit down and make not of what he has done, you still say wow" Ganguly on Dhoni

"I really don't know what had transpired with the CoA [the previous regime] and Virat and Ravi," Ganguly said in his first media briefing as BCCI president in Mumbai. "But the new body has taken over, the new office bearers have taken over, it will be a proper discussion and everything would be mutually discussed. But be rest assured that we are here to make their life easier, not make their life difficult. And everything will be on the basis of performance. Performance is the most important thing and that's what will decide the future of Indian cricket."

Ganguly made it clear that Kohli was the "most important" person in Indian cricket at the moment. "We will be there to support him. We will there to listen to him because I have been a captain myself and I understand from that position and we will deal with it. It is a mutual respect which will be there, so discussions will be there and we will do what is best for the game."

On Tuesday, after India's 3-0 Test series win over South Africa, Kohli felt Test cricket should be hosted by a maximum of five key venues, a system which is followed in England and Australia. Kohli said it helped bring in better crowds and add to the Test-match culture in those countries and it might be something for the BCCI to look into.

The issue had come up in light of poor crowds in two of the three Tests (Pune and Ranchi) and there had already been a precedent - Dhoni had made a similar suggestion in 2010. Ganguly was open a discussion around it, saying "in terms of the Test venues, we have a lot of space, lot of venues. So we will have to sit with him [Kohli] and see what he wants and take it forward."

With a selection meeting scheduled for Thursday, the question on Dhoni's future came up once again. The 38-year old hasn't played for India since the end of the World Cup in July and it doesn't seem likely that he will be back to play the series against Bangladesh. "It is unlikely Dhoni would be picked for the Bangladesh series which comprises three T20Is and two Tests considering he has not played any cricket after the World Cup."

When asked if he had reached out to Dhoni, Ganguly said, "I have not spoken to him yet. Hopefully we will meet soon and have a word with one of the greats in Indian cricket."

Ganguly was not shy about recalling instances from his own career - which began in 1992 and ended in 2008 -when asked about how long Dhoni could continue playing for India.

"It depends on him," Ganguly said. "I've always said that even when I was left out [in 2005] and when the entire world said he'll never make it I believed in myself and came back [in 2007] and played for four years [domestic cricket included]. You know champions don't finish very quickly. I don't know what's on his mind, what he thinks about his career. So we will deal with that. He is one of the greats of the game. India is very proud to have MS Dhoni. When you sit down and make note of what he has done, you still say "wow"."

Ganguly also brushed aside the question of whether India needed to look at the split captaincy. "It is the job of the selectors (to decide that)," he said before adding, "India is winning, so the question is not necessary at the moment. India is the best team in the world right now so that question is not necessary right now."

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has revoked conditional No Objection Certificates (NOCs) given to its players to feature in the Abu Dhabi T10 league, which is due to start from November 15.

In a statement, the PCB said that the decision had been taken "to manage the players' workload, continued work on their fitness levels [and] to ensure primacy and participation of its player in its premier Quaid-e-Azam Trophy".

The tournament is set to clash with a fitness and medical assessment camp at the National Cricket Academy, as well as several round of the QeA Trophy.

The PCB added: "The decision has been made in the best interest of the players as well as to continue to enhance the credibility and reputation of the new domestic structure, which has been widely covered and reported across all media outlets."

The news is a significant blow to the T10 tournament, which was set to feature several Pakistan players. The majority of the Qalandars squad is Pakistani - including Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Hafeez, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf and Imran Nazir - while other players who could be affected include Mohammad Irfan, Shoaib Malik and Sohail Tanvir.

More to follow…

Saqib Mahmood may have landed in New Zealand as part of England's touring party, but it seems his feet are yet to touch the ground following his maiden senior international call-up.

Rewarded for a strong season with Lancashire in 2019, when he was the leading wicket-taker in the Royal London One-Day Cup, Mahmood is hoping to break into the England team during the tour, which starts with a warm-up match in the early hours of Sunday (UK time).

"It still feels weird to think that I've been picked for England," Mahmood told PA. "If I get the opportunity I want to go out there and just give it my all. It's the same at Lancs, where this year we had a very high level of competition in the bowlers.

ALSO READ: Root vows not to get 'swept away' as he reaffirms T20I ambitions

"England will be another step up but I'm used to dealing with that competition where you're fighting for places, you're not quite sure who's going to play or where you've got to up your game to get into that XI. It will be the same with England. I think it will be one of those where very quickly I'll have to learn and see what kind of areas that I've got to make sure I'm on top of."

A regular England Under-19s player, having made his first appearance at the age of 17, Mahmood has long been on the international radar and, after overcoming a side strain which ruined his 2018 domestic season, he missed the subsequent Lions tour of India because of visa issues. So there is a sense his senior debut, when it arrives, has been a while coming even though he is still only 22.

Having regularly been clocked at 90mph, Mahmood was relishing the prospect of lining up alongside the likes of Jofra Archer in the Test squad, just as he has enjoyed being a team-mate of James Anderson at Lancashire.

"If you look at Jofra and the speeds he's bowling and what he's achieving, I'm the type of player where that will make me hungrier for more," Mahmood said.

"In training if he's bowling quick you want to push yourself that little bit further. You've got someone who's doing it at top level and you want to almost try to get to his level as well.

"It's the same when Jimmy's at Lancs, I'm trying to work on my skill, I see that as the finished article and I want to work my way towards that. The level of skill he has, when you're surrounded by those types of guys, I think naturally you lift your own standards as well to match them."

Lancashire legspinner Matt Parkinson is also in line to make his England debut in New Zealand and he would love to do so with Mahmood nearly a decade after they first played together for their county as 13 year olds.

Parkinson told the Lancashire website he felt Mahmood was "making up for lost time".

"He had a tough year last year being injured from April onwards," Parkinson said. "It's probably come, like myself, a lot quicker than you would have thought but he deserves it completely. He's had a fantastic season and it shows that if he does stay fit he's an absolutely fantastic bowler. It would be amazing to play international cricket with Saqib."

England will play a second warm-up match against a New Zealand XI on October 29 before five T20Is starting on November 1 and two Tests from November 20.