The fifth edition of the WBBL - and the first standalone version - begins on Friday with the Brisbane Heat aiming to retain the title they won in thrilling style last year. Here's how the squads stack up with some names to keep an eye on.

Adelaide Strikers

Squad Darcie Brown, Tegan McPharlin, Alex Price, Annie O'Neil, Sarah Coyte, Katie Mack, Sophie Devine, Suzie Bates, Bridget Patterson, Ellie Falconer, Megan Schutt, Tahlia McGrath, Stafanie Taylor, Lauren Winfield, Amanda-Jade Wellington, Tabatha Saville

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

They began with victory against eventual champions the Brisbane Heat, but struggled for consistency until the backend if the group stage where they secured three victories in a row - including a Super Over win against the Hobart Hurricanes - but it was too late to make the knockouts. That was despite having two of the five highest run-scorers in Sophie Devine and Suzie Bates

Player to watch

Allrounder Tahlia McGrath was part of Australia's Test and ODI side but has not featured since 2017 although is a current member of the national performance squad. Last season she was the Strikers' third-highest run-scorer behind Devine and Bates and if she can increase her output from the 276 runs made in 2018-19 it will help take the pressure off the New Zealand pair.

Brisbane Heat

Squad Kirby Short (capt), Haidee Birkett, Maddy Green, Grace Harris, Laura Harris, Mikayla Hinkley, Sammy-Jo Johnson, Jess Jonassen, Amelia Kerr, Delissa Kimmince, Charli Knott, Lilly Mills, Beth Mooney, Georgia Prestwidge, Courtney Sippel

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

Ended the Sydney Sixers' quest for a hat-trick of titles with a three-wicket win in the final where Beth Mooney battled the heat for a matchwinning 65 then they held their nerve amid a late wobble. Their semi-final win over the Sydney Thunder had been a thriller as well with Haidee Birkett holding a stunning catch to secure victory. Mooney had an excellent tournament with the bat, making 486 runs, while Delissa Kimmince was the leading wicket-taker with 22.

Player to watch

Last season Grace Harris smashed the fastest WBBL hundred off just 42 balls against the Melbourne Stars and overall she was the Heat's second-highest scorer behind Mooney. Her strike-rate of 148.41 was the highest of the tournament. There were also 16 wickets at an economy rate of under six in a stellar tournament. And that's before we even mention the times she is on the mic in the field.

Hobart Hurricanes

Squad Nicola Carey, Stefanie Daffara, Erin Fazackerley, Katelyn Fryett, Maisy Gibson, Corinne Hall (capt), Brooke Hepburn, Heather Knight, Hayley Matthews, Sasha Moloney, Meg Phillips, Emily Smith, Chloe Tryon, Belinda Vakarewa, Tayla Vlaeminck, Fran Wilson

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

The Hurricanes made the semi-finals in the first two seasons of the WBBL but have been the competition anchors in the last two years. Last season they won just two matches and also lost two Super Overs. West Indies star Hayley Matthews only managed two games before being injured and India's Smriti Mandhana managed just two half-centuries in 13 games. The Hurricanes did score more runs than any other team but they conceded more runs than any other side as well. They had real trouble containing opposition sides and they have made a concerted effort in the off-season to bolster the bowling stocks.

Player to watch

Tayla Vlaeminck has made the move to Tasmania alongside fellow Australia player Nicola Carey. Vlaeminck hasn't shown her best form at WBBL level yet due to a multitude of injury issues but her performances for Australia recently suggest she could have a huge tournament. She has taken wickets in each of her last five international matches and has conceded under six runs an over. She will be the fastest bowler in the tournament and will give the Hurricanes some real strike-power upfront.

Melbourne Renegades

Squad Tammy Beaumont, Makinley Blows, Maitlan Brown, Josie Dooley, Jess Duffin (capt), Erica Kershaw, Claire Koski, Carly Leeson, Sophie Molineux, Courtney Neale, Molly Strano, Lea Tahuhu, Georgia Wareham, Courtney Webb, Danni Wyatt

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

The Renegades fell agonisingly short of the final. Sophie Molineux firstly went within millimetres of finding the match-winning boundary off the last ball of the semi-final and then she was inches short of the winning third run after her full stretch dive was just beaten by Alyssa Healy's direct hit. The Renegades did only just scrape into the semis, though, winning seven games for the season. Their attack was their biggest weapon last year with the spin trio of Molly Strano, Georgia Wareham, and Molineux complemented by the speed of Lea Tahuhu and the consistency of Maitlan Brown. But their batting was too heavily reliant on Molineux, who scored three of the Renegades' six half-centuries for the season, including her brilliant innings in the semi-final.

Player to watch

Allrounder Sophie Molineux is again the Renegades key player and with the absence of Amy Satterthwaite her runs will be even more important. She will get more support at the top of the order with the signing of senior England batter Tammy Beaumont. Molineux will be pushing to be part of Australia's T20 World Cup squad and runs and wickets will put her right in the frame.

Melbourne Stars

Squad Kristen Beams, Lucy Cripps, Mignon du Preez, Nicole Faltum, Holly Ferling, Tess Flintoff, Nicola Hancock, Emma Inglis, Alana King, Lizelle Lee, Katey Martin, Erin Osborne, Angela Reakes, Annabel Sutherland, Elyse Villani (capt)

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

The Stars started the season with a bang thanks to Lizelle Lee's stunning century on the opening day, and they won their first two matches, but their batting really fell away badly as they struggled to make winning scores. The South African pair of Lee and Mignon du Preez reached 50 just once each which meant their relatively inexperienced attack didn't have much to work with. Legspinner Kristen Beams, who has announced she will retire after this season, was only available for six games which made their task even harder and they only managed five wins for the season.

Player to watch

Elyse Villani returning home to Melbourne after a stint in Perth is a huge boost for the Stars. She takes over as captain and is very highly regarded as a leader but her batting will be where she can make the biggest impact. She was the sixth leading runscorer in the WBBL last season and only played 11 games. She has also been out of favour at international level and will be looking to push her case for the T20 World Cup having not played a T20I since the 2018 World Cup final in the West Indies.

Perth Scorchers

Squad Jemma Barsby, Samantha Betts, Nicole Bolton, Mathilda Carmichael, Piepa Cleary, Kim Garth, Heather Graham, Kath Hempenstall, Amy Jones, Emma King, Meg Lanning (capt), Taneale Peschel, Chloe Piparo, Georgia Redmayne, Nat Sciver

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

The much-vaunted Scorchers were arguably the biggest disappointments of WBBL04. Despite the star power in the top-order, they were unable to make the finals for the first time. Meg Lanning, Elyse Villani and Nicole Bolton missed 13 games between them which did test the Scorchers' depth from a batting perspective, but they really struggled with the ball. Heather Graham took 22 wickets in a season where she was named domestic player of the year but Bolton's 12 wickets from 11 games with her part-time offspin was the next best contributor, and she was the only bowler with an economy rate under seven.

Player to watch

Nicole Bolton will be important for the Scorchers. She has taken a step back from international cricket for the time being to focus on her mental health and she has enjoyed the domestic environment with Western Australia, scoring two WNCL half-centuries to start the season. Lanning will be the key wicket for opposition teams and that may allow Bolton to play with some freedom. Her offspin will be useful again, as she is particularly adept at bowling in the powerplay.

Sydney Sixers

Squad Sarah Aley, Alisha Bates, Erin Burns, Stella Campbell, Lauren Cheatle, Maddy Darke, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jodie Hicks, Emma Hughes, Marizanne Kapp, Ellyse Perry, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Dane van Niekerk, Lauren Smith

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

Pipped in the final by the Heat after the semi-final for the ages against the Renegades when the relay run out between Erin Burns, Sarah Aley and Alyssa Healy became one of the moments of the season. A stellar top order produced three individuals hundreds - two from Ellyse Perry and one for Healy - supplemented by further international class in Ashleigh Gardner, Erin Burns and Dane van Niekerk. Perry's tally of 777 runs was a new WBBL record.

Player to watch

It may seem obvious to pick out Ellyse Perry, but the strength of Australia's top order means she hasn't been needed much with the bat in recent times. Back on the domestic scene she can expect to be at the top of the order with the chance to set the tone for the innings. The Sixers aren't short on bowling options, either, but Perry will be looking to increase on her return of 10 wickets in 16 matches at last year's tournament.

Sydney Thunder

Squad Rachael Haynes, Sam Bates, Alex Blackwell, Nida Dar, Hannah Darlington, Rene Farrell, Lisa Griffith, Saskia Horley, Shabnim Ismail, Phoebe Litchfield, Rachel Priest, Kate Peterson, Naomi Stalenberg, Rachel Trenaman, Tahlia Wilson

2018-19 stats

What happened last season?

Finished second in the league stage and when Nicole Carey connected with her swing into the leg side off the final ball of the semi-final against the Heat it looked as though they were destined for the final, only for Haidee Birkett to grab the brilliant catch on the boundary. Rachael Haynes led the batting impressively with 376 runs with Stafanie Taylor, who this season will play for the Strikers, taking 19 wickets and contributing 212 runs.

Player to watch

It remains to be seen how often she makes the startling XI, but 16-year-old Phoebe Litchfield is an undoubted star of the future. Earlier this year a video posted by the NSW Breakers of her batting in the nets gained considerable attention and over the last 12 months she has scored her maiden first grade century, made her debut for the Breakers and been selected for Australia Under-19s and the Governor General's XI.

NEW YORK -- Houston Astros right fielder Josh Reddick called out Yankees fans for tossing water bottles, baseballs and other objects on the field during New York's 4-1 loss in the AL Championship Series on Tuesday.

"You throw a baseball hard enough and hit somebody in the head when they're not looking, it could do some damage to the player, so it's definitely disrespectful and at the same time very unsafe," Reddick said.

Fans erupted after a replay review changed Edwin Encarnacion's infield hit leading off the eighth to a groundout. Houston went on to take a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

"I don't think fans realize when they do that that you could hit a player. You hit a baseball player with a baseball from the third deck, it's got a little bit of movement on it, so it can definitely do some damage to you, and it's frustrating to see as a player in the outfield," Reddick said. "I saw water bottles and, like, two baseballs. There were two souvenir baseballs thrown in center and left field. I got all the water bottles in right."

Reddick homered off Luis Severino in the second inning for a 2-0 lead. Fans directed insults at him when he went to right field.

"It's a matter of all kinds of different things here, but you're used to that for nine innings. Pretty standard," Reddick said. "They're all yelling at the same time, so it all kind of mumbles together."

Restless Yankees fans cheered when Luis Cessa hit Alex Bregman on the back with a 92 mph fastball in the ninth.

WASHINGTON -- The Nationals are headed to their first World Series.

Fittingly, the player who led them there is going to his first one, too.

Veteran Howie Kendrick was named MVP of the National League Championship Series on Tuesday, with his big bat helping Washington to a four-game sweep of the Cardinals.

As he received his MVP trophy, the fans started chanting "How-ie! How-ie!" and his teammates gave him a huge ovation

"I can truly say this is the best time of my career, the best moment of my career this year," Kendrick said upon receiving the award.

Kendrick, 36 years old and in his 14th season in the majors, finished the series 5-for-15 with four doubles and four RBIs. He was at his best in Monday's Game 3 win, becoming just the fourth player to hit three doubles in an LCS game as part of a 3-for-4, three-RBI night that put Washington on the brink of a pennant.

He played a huge role in the regular season as well, hitting a career-high .344 in 121 games and 334 at-bats as one of the most valuable bench players in the league.

"When we were down and had a lot of players injured early on, Howie was the one big bat that carried us. He had such a magic season," general manager Mike Rizzo said.

Kendrick also hit the game-winning grand slam in the 10th inning of the clinching Game 5 of the division series against the Dodgers.

Kendrick came to the Nationals in the middle of the 2017 season in a trade with the Phillies and then re-signed with the Nationals after that season. His 2018 season ended in May when he ruptured his Achilles.

After the surgery, Kendrick remained with the team for about six weeks, but then returned home to finish his rehabilitation. He told his teammates he'd be back in 2019.

"I told them before I left, 'I'll be ready for spring training.' Some people were like, yeah, yeah, we'll see. I wasn't joking when I said that. To be able to be back with these guys ... it means a lot to be around those guys. I learn so much from them, and I love these guys just as much as they love me, and I know that 100%. I think that's the big reason why we have success, because we truly care about the next guy."

Germany’s going for a wire-to-wire victory at the LPGA’s second stage of Q-School.

Esther Henseleit grabbed a share of the second-round lead with a 5-under 67 Tuesday at Plantation Golf & Country Club in Venice, Fla., a day after fellow countrywoman Olivia Cowan took the first-round lead.

At 9-under overall, Henseleit is tied at the top with China’s Yan Liu (67), one shot ahead of Cowan (72), Thailand’s Prima Thammaraks (68) and American amateur Sierra Brooks, whose 66 equaled the low round of the day.

Henseleit is on her way to locking up the Ladies European Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award this season.

Brooks, 21, a senior at the University of Florida, finished runner-up to Maria Fassi at the NCAA Championships last May.

Lucy Li, the 17-year-old amateur from Redwood Shores, Calif., shot 72 and is tied for 28^th. Min A. Yoon, a 16-year-old amateur from South Korea, shot 74 to fall into a tie for 14^th.

A minimum of the top 30 and ties will advance to the Q-Series finale later this month, with the possibility  that as many as 48 players could advance. Li and Yoon aren’t eligible for Q-Series because of their ages, but they can earn Symetra Tour status by finishing all 72 holes in this week’s no-cut event. The minimum age to play the LPGA is 18.

Click here for full scores from LPGA Q-School.

Alphonso Davies scored in the 63rd minute and Lucas Cavallini added the clincher in the first minute of second-half stoppage time to give Canada a 2-0 win over the United States men's national soccer team in a CONCACAF Nations League match on Tuesday in Toronto.

The Canadians beat their neighbors to the south for the first time since posting a 2-0 victory in a friendly on April 2, 1985. Canada's most recent victory in a competitive match against the United States had come in 1980. The Americans had a 17-game unbeaten streak (9-0-8) vs. their rival end.

The match was part of CONCACAF Nations League A, which features the top 12 teams from the region placed in four three-team groups.

- U.S. player ratings: Pulisic, Yedlin struggle in nightmare loss

Canada (3-0-0, nine points) has command of Group A over the United States (1-1-0, three points) and Cuba (0-2-0, zero points).

Canada plays its final group match on Nov. 15 vs. the U.S. in Orlando. The Americans complete play four days later vs. Cuba in George Town, Cayman Islands.

The four group winners advance to the knockout-round semifinals in June 2020.

An uninspired U.S. finally paid for its mistakes to give Canada its second goal against the Americans in the past 12 meetings.

Michael Bradley, who plays in the stadium for Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, lost the ball in the midfield. The attack would have been stopped at the top of the penalty area, but defender Tim Ream's giveaway allowed Scott Arfield to get a cross from the right flank to the far post to Davies.

Cavallini later broke through the lax defense for an easy goal to make it 2-0.

Early in the second half, the United States had a chance for the first goal, but Christian Pulisic's unchallenged shot was saved by Milan Borjan.

Pulisic, the rising star who has spent most of the season on the bench for Chelsea of the English Premier League, was replaced by Paul Arriola in the 60th minute.

Borjan and U.S. goalie Zack Steffen each made three saves.

The U.S. men's national team's limped to a nightmare 2-0 defeat at Canada on Tuesday night at BMO Field in Toronto in which Gregg Berhalter's team was overwhelmed in every aspect.

Canada had not beaten the U.S. since 1985 and the hunger to change history showed in every way. The U.S. was second to almost every loose ball and came out on the losing end of many a 50-50 chance.

The two losses to Mexico earlier this year certainly raised concerns, and now this abject performance will sound the alarms that World Cup qualifying for Qatar 2022 will be fraught with problems.

Positives

Zack Steffen. That's the only one. Steffen left no doubt that he is the goalkeeper of choice for the U.S., with his stop of a Jonathan David shot from point-blank range the jewel of his performance on the night, plus a similarly excellent save on David in the second half after another poor U.S. giveaway.

Negatives

How much time do you have? The U.S. put forth as poor a performance as one will ever see, evoking memories of Jurgen Klinsmann's nadir in Costa Rica in late 2016.

They were slow, disjointed, lacked urgency and failed to put any pressure at all on the Canadian defense. Too often Christian Pulisic was left to go against up to four players, with none of the attacking players offering much in the way of support.

Things were just as shaky in the back, with a slew of giveaways and overall sloppy play. The pace of the Canadian attack made U.S. fans hold their breath anytime Alphonso Davies and David looked to make a run and all those things culminated in Davies' goal in the 63rd minute when giveaways from Michael Bradley and Tim Ream, plus DeAndre Yedlin failing to track back allowed the Bayern Munich man to score.

Manager rating out of 10

1 -- It was a surprise to see Berhalter not set up his team to come out and press the Canada center back tandem that was considered its weak point. The Canadian defense was hardly troubled, while at the other end the decision to start Daniel Lovitz was apparently warmly welcomed by the hosts, with the large majority of the Canadian attack coming down that flank. The U.S. failed to adjust to Canada's switch to move Davies central after the injury to Mark-Anthony Kaye but most concerning was to see Berhalter's team play with zero urgency even though it was down only a goal.

Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating)

GK Zack Steffen, 8 -- The man of the match for the U.S. Made an unbelievable save on David's shot from point-blank range in the first half, before repeating the feat in the second half amid the same circumstances. Without question, he is the No. 1 goalkeeper for the national team.

DF DeAndre Yedlin, 2 -- Rarely got to show his speed in pushing forward on the right flank, contributing to the U.S. struggles going forward. Also failed to get back on the Davies goal and had his fair share of lost balls.

DF Aaron Long, 3 -- He did have some key interventions to prevent David and Davies from going in on goal, but gift-wrapped a chance to David in the second half after failing to deal with a simple flicked back header. Also flat-footed on Lucas Cavallini's late goal.

DF Tim Ream, 2 -- Had the tough task of going up against Davies and got scorched on a particular play in the first half. Paid dearly for a poor clearance that led to the Davies goal and failed to close down on the Cavallini goal.

DF Daniel Lovitz, 2 -- Was targeted by the Canadian attack. Didn't even come close to pushing upfield in attack. Too many giveaways and was too slow to pressure when Canada bore down in attack.

MF Michael Bradley, 3 -- A tough night for Bradley. He made the mistake that ultimately led to the Ream giveaway and the Canada goal. There were other giveaways as well and little passing to move things forward.

MF Cristian Roldan, 2 -- Was lucky that his early first-half giveaway to Jonathan David went unpunished. So many lost balls, which you simply can't have from someone playing his position in midfield.

MF Weston McKennie, 3 -- It is hard for the U.S. to function at any type of level if McKennie is untidy in possession and that was the case Tuesday with the Schalke man. Passes were either too heavy or too soft.

FW Christian Pulisic, 2 -- Another frustrating night. Lost possession several times when trying to start a U.S. break and failed to finish the best U.S. chance. The fact that he was yanked off at the hour mark spoke volumes. Just 11 completed passes.

FW Josh Sargent, 2 -- Anonymous mostly. Had just a few touches. Had a really bad giveaway that led to a Canada break and too soft a ball when trying to lay off Jordan Morris.

FW Jordan Morris, 4 -- The best field player for the U.S., which isn't exactly saying much. He did create the best scoring chance for the U.S. by doing well to haul in a long ball to set up Pulisic's shot.

Substitutes:

MF Paul Arriola, 3 -- Came on for Pulisic at the hour mark, much to everyone's surprise, but like everyone else in a white shirt, did nothing to stir the Canadian defense.

FW Gyasi Zardes, NR -- Came on for Roldan in the 73rd minute but failed to make a difference.

DF Nick Lima, NR -- Replaced Yedlin in the 74th minute and did little.

Hayden Walsh Jr.'s call-up to the West Indies ODI and T20I squads is a reminder of one of the quirks in the ICC eligibility policy with regards to players representing two countries. A player who has played for a Full Member at senior level must wait three years after their last appearance before they can represent an Associate Member.

However, someone who has played for an Associate Member on Monday can make an immediate switch and play for a Full Member on Tuesday if called up. Here's a rundown of some players who have made a very quick move.

Mark Chapman: Hong Kong to New Zealand

The left-arm spinning allrounder was born in Hong Kong to a mother from mainland China and a father from New Zealand. Chapman was raised in Hong Kong though he did his higher education in New Zealand. After playing as a 15-year-old for Hong Kong at the 2010 Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand, Chapman made his Hong Kong debut in January 2011 as a 16-year-old against USA at ICC WCL Division Three. His last match for Hong Kong came at the 2016 T20 World Cup in India against Scotland. Consistent performances for Auckland in New Zealand's domestic competition finally earned him a New Zealand call-up in February 2018 for a T20I series at home against England.

Dirk Nannes: Netherlands to Australia

Born in Victoria, Nannes made his debut for the state in February 2006 and over the next three years he played 17 first-class and 15 List A matches them. But he carved out a much more prominent niche in T20 cricket, first for Victoria in the pre-franchise era of the Big Bash League, then for Middlesex in England's domestic T20 tournament before being taken by Delhi Daredevils in the 2009 IPL.

Two weeks after the end of the 2009 IPL, Nannes utilised his Dutch passport - through his lineage - to make his Netherlands debut in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England taking the new ball in their famous win at Lord's. He played against Pakistan four days later for his final match for Netherlands on June 9. Less than three months later, he was called up to make his Australia debut in an ODI against Scotland in Edinburgh before making his Australia T20I debut two days later against England at Old Trafford.

Eoin Morgan: Ireland to England

From Dublin, Morgan made his Ireland international debut in a 50-over match against Denmark five days short of his 17th birthday in September 2003. He went on to play in Ireland's first ever World Cup appearance as a 20-year-old in 2007, then helped them qualify for the 2011 World Cup with solid performances at the 2009 Qualifier in South Africa.

By that stage he had been playing for Middlesex long enough to qualify for England on residency. His final innings for Ireland was 76 off 62 balls in a six-wicket win over Netherlands in South Africa on April 15, 2009, a match which helped Ireland secure a spot in the 2011 World Cup. Just over a month later, he made his England debut in an ODI against West Indies.

Ed Joyce: Ireland to England

Another Dublin boy, he first played for Ireland as an 18-year-old against Scotland in 1997. But it was Joyce who blazed a trail for Morgan at Middlesex when he joined the county in 1999. He played in the final of the 2005 ICC Trophy (World Cup Qualifier) in Dublin, a tournament in which he scored two centuries and two fifties in his five innings to help Ireland qualify for their maiden World Cup, but 11 months later he was in an England shirt making an ODI debut for his new country in Belfast against his old Ireland team-mates. When his England career faded his focus returned to Ireland and in 2011 he made his first ODI appearance for them at the World Cup in India.

Boyd Rankin: Ireland to England

The towering Londonderry fast bowler made his Ireland debut in August 2006 against Italy and stayed in an Ireland shirt for the next six years, making his final appearance during his first stint in September 2012 against Australia in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka. Rankin had been on the books at Derbyshire and Warwickshire since 2006, who were grooming him for England colours. The switch finally happened nine months after that last appearance for Ireland - in his first go-around at least - when he suited up for England in an T20I against New Zealand in June 2013.

Gavin Hamilton: Scotland to England

The allrounder made his Scotland international debut as an 18-year-old against Ireland in a three-day match at Eglinton in June 1993. He impressed enough for Scotland at the 1999 World Cup to catch England's attention. After playing his last World Cup match for Scotland against New Zealand on May 31, 1999, he suited up in whites for England just six months later against South Africa in a Test at the Wanderers in November 1999. He's the only Associate player to play a Test as his debut match for a Full Member nation rather than a T20I or ODI. It wound up being his only match for England before resuming his Scotland career in February 2004.

Hayden Walsh Jr.: USA to West Indies

Born in St. Croix of the US Virgin Islands, Walsh moved to his parents' native Antigua when he was just a few months old and is a dual national of both the USA and Antigua. After playing first-class cricket for both Leeward Islands and Barbados, he utilized his US passport to gain selection for USA in November 2018 as part of their squad for World Cricket League Division Three in Oman.

Walsh made his USA T20I debut against UAE in March, then his ODI debut - which wound up being his lone ODI - against Papua New Guinea in Namibia this past April after they secured ODI status through a top-four finish at WCL Division Two. As recently as August 25, he was playing in a T20I for USA against Canada as part of the 2020 T20 World Cup qualifying process. But after a Player of the Tournament performance in the 2019 CPL for the champions Barbados Tridents, Walsh was called up into West Indies' ODI and T20I squads for a November series against Afghanistan in India.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel, desperately in need of a spark on offense, has elected to make a change at quarterback, naming Ryan Tannehill the new starter, a source confirmed to ESPN.

Tuesday's move, which was first reported by NFL Network, comes after Tannehill -- the former Miami Dolphins starting quarterback -- was inserted into the lineup in the third quarter against the Denver Broncos on Sunday. Vrabel gave Tannehill a chance to make some plays in relief of an ineffective Marcus Mariota, who threw two interceptions.

Tannehill finished with 13 completions for 144 yards on 16 pass attempts. He led the Titans on their only trips into the red zone, but an interception and a turnover on downs kept Tennessee from scoring in a 16-0 loss.

The Titans acquired Tannehill, along with a 2019 sixth-round draft pick, from the Dolphins this offseason in exchange for a for a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft and a seventh-round pick in 2019. Tannehill signed a one-year deal with the Titans worth $7 million with up to $12 million in incentives to facilitate the trade.

While with the Dolphins, Tannehill had a 42-45 record from 2012 to 2018. He missed the 2017 season due to a knee injury. Tannehill has proved in the past that he can put up respectable numbers as a quarterback, passing for over 4,000 yards in both 2014 and 2015.

Although he had been relegated to a backup role, Tannehill never lost the conviction that he can be a successful quarterback.

"I have a ton of confidence in myself. You have to, to play this position. I believe in myself a whole lot," Tannehill said Monday.

Mariota had been the unquestioned starter over the past three seasons. Moving him out of the lineup is a difficult situation for the Titans players, who are expected to support Tannehill going forward.

"Ryan was an elite QB in this league not longer than a year ago. He can take over a team. He can make plays," tight end Delanie Walker said Monday.

Added safety Kevin Byard, "It's a tough situation because I think this entire team is and has always been behind No. 8. As long as we've been here, that's been my guy. I support him throughout everything. But that's a coach's decision. If they feel like No. 17 can give us the best opportunity to win ball games, I understand they'll make the decision they feel is best for our team."

From Larry Bird to Ray Allen, the Boston Celtics have suited up some of the best perimeter shooters in NBA history.

None of them ever had a hotter hand from behind the arc in a quarter than rookie Carsen Edwards on Tuesday night.

Edwards made eight 3-pointers and scored 26 points in the third quarter, leading the Celtics to a 118-95 victory over the host Cleveland Cavaliers to complete an unbeaten preseason (4-0).

Edwards' performance was a surprise, because there have been few like it in any game, no matter whether it counted in standings. The second-round pick out of Purdue was 8-for-11 from behind the arc in the third quarter, all in just under nine minutes.

"I've never seen anything like that," Boston coach Brad Stevens told reporters after the game. "He was pretty special."

Edwards finished 9-of-15 from 3-point range and scored 30 points. He made four 30-footers in the third quarter alone; across the NBA over the past 20 seasons, the most 30-footers made in a regular-season quarter is two.

Not bad for a 6-foot rookie.

"You look at a guy that size and you try to figure out how he does it," Stevens said. "And he just keeps doing it."

Bird has raved about some of Klay Thompson's shooting performances, and the Golden State Warriors All-Star is the only player who ever made more 3s in one quarter. He hit nine during his 37-point third quarter -- also a record -- against Sacramento on Jan. 23, 2015.

Three other players -- Kevin Love, Joe Johnson and Michael Redd -- have drained eight 3-pointers in a quarter during a regular-season game.

The Celtics' record for made 3s in a regular-season game is nine, a mark held by Isaiah Thomas and Antoine Walker (twice).

Information from ESPN Stats & Information was used in this report.

SHANGHAI'S SKYLINE IS breathtaking. The Oriental Pearl Radio & Television Tower looks like a giant ray gun pointed up to the heavens. The Shanghai Tower twists and climbs 128 stories into the clouds. The Shanghai World Financial Center showcases at its peak a trapezoid-shaped aperture so big that a helicopter could fly through it.

But as the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets stared out the windows of the dining hall in the Ritz-Carlton Shanghai, Pudong on Wednesday, Oct. 9, it was difficult for them to notice anything other than the 30-foot banners of their likenesses being stripped off the side of a shopping mall across the street.

With the teams set to play the first of two scheduled exhibition games the next day and no explanation available as to why the promotional posters were being taken down, a state of confusion -- even fear -- enveloped the room, sources present in China last week told ESPN.

"Nobody knew what to do," one source said. As most NBA fans know by now, it all started with an image Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted on Oct. 4 to show support for protesters in Hong Kong. Morey quickly deleted the tweet, but the damage was done. What began on Twitter was becoming an international debacle.

"If this was tweeted by the Grizzlies' GM or Phoenix, it wouldn't have caused the same impact," an NBA China employee told ESPN. The Rockets, who drafted former NBA and Chinese player Yao Ming, are the most popular U.S. team in China.

The issue of China's sovereignty had been drilled into Team USA players who traveled to China for the FIBA World Cup just weeks before. One player from USA Basketball told ESPN that he "couldn't believe" Morey would take on the issue with a tweet after the way Team USA was warned about its complications.

It was with this backdrop that the Lakers and Nets buckled their seatbelts for their lengthy flights.

THE LAKERS DEPARTED LAX on Monday, Oct. 7, for a 14½-hour journey -- and their plane had no Wi-Fi connection. As the teams crossed 15 time zones and the Pacific date line, the reaction to Morey's tweet continued to escalate.

"We had zero knowledge of it before we took off," LeBron James said of the backlash.

By Tuesday, around the time the Lakers landed in Shanghai, NBA commissioner Adam Silver was conducting a news conference in Japan in which he defended Morey's tweet as "a freedom of expression."

Silver's stance didn't help ease tensions.

As the Lakers took the bus to the team hotel, they got wind that the NBA Cares event, scheduled to be hosted by the Nets, had been canceled earlier in the day by the Chinese government. When the Lakers got to the Ritz, they found out that the welcome reception for both teams that evening was canceled, too.

"We started to kind of get a sense of what was kind of happening," James said Monday.

By Wednesday, the league's second NBA Cares event, this one hosted by the Lakers, had been canceled by the Chinese government. Undeterred and hoping to get their jet-lagged legs moving and salvage a day of training camp for their group full of new faces, the Lakers went to the Mercedes-Benz Arena to practice.

The basketball didn't last long.

After about 30 minutes of practice, the Lakers were rushed off the court by arena workers, sources told ESPN. The workers were tasked with sanding down and resurfacing the hardwood to remove the logos for the presenting sponsors of the China Games because those sponsors had withdrawn.

While the games were losing corporate money, the players were feeling it in their wallets as well.

James, Anthony Davis, Kyle Kuzma and Rajon Rondo -- to name a few -- had appearances canceled. One Lakers player, sources told ESPN, had agreed to a $1 million endorsement deal with a Chinese company prior to the trip. When he arrived -- poof -- it was gone. A seven-figure payday went out the window.

James, after taking 15 consecutive summer trips to China, skipped it this year to complete the filming of "Space Jam 2," anticipating that the China Games would serve as a substitute. Some of his most important appearances of the year -- including two with Nike and one with Beats by Dre -- were canceled during this trip.

According to public financial statements, Nike and other companies' basketball shoe sales have been relatively flat in recent quarters in North America but have been surging in China, where millions of teenagers save up to buy the latest signature models.

Eating an early lunch back at the hotel, players watched as the banners featuring their images -- and the logos of former sponsors -- were peeled off and pulled down until they lay in a clump at the base of the building. The players could only shake their heads at the sight.

"Everything was getting canceled right before things were [supposed to be] happening," James said. "Everything was getting canceled."

Just three weeks before, Silver had been in Beijing for the FIBA World Cup championship game, where he was at the center of a feel-good basketball delegation. He had meetings and meals with some of the league's partners in the country and celebrated 10-figure deals that had been negotiated over the summer to expand business in China.

Now, Silver was flying from Tokyo to Shanghai and was unsure, according to sources, if the Chinese government would even let him into the country.

By early afternoon, the commissioner made it through customs, maneuvering through fingerprint scans and facial-recognition technology. He'd have players and front-office personnel waiting for him at the hotel.

The NBA moved up its scheduled 4 p.m. meeting between Silver and the Nets' and Lakers' traveling parties to 2:30, with urgency growing by the minute.

"It's a long way to go for a high level of anxiety," a Nets team source said.

What was supposed to be a commissioner's meet and greet with players had turned into a make-or-break moment for the China Games.

SILVER STOOD AT a microphone at the front of the beige-colored Grand Ballroom 2 on the same floor as the makeshift dining hall at the Ritz. With tall ceilings and rows of sturdy-back chairs in perfectly straight lines, the room looked like it could have been set up for a chamber of commerce convention the next day.

In the ordinary setting, the commissioner laid out the extraordinary situation, spending 10 to 15 minutes, according to a source present, appearing "vulnerable and transparent" as he detailed the issues and challenges facing the league.

He expressed to the players that the best thing for the league would be for the Nets and Lakers to become ambassadors for the sport, to show a positive front and face the questions that would come from the throng of nearly 200 reporters set to descend upon the hotel in mere hours. One of the league's core values is freedom of expression, Silver said. "It's what you guys stand for." And to not speak, he said, could lead to criticism for staying silent.

Silver opened the floor. James raised his hand.

His question was related to Morey -- and the commissioner's handling of the Rockets' GM. James, to paraphrase, told Silver that he knew that if a player caused the same type of uproar with something he said or tweeted, the player wouldn't be able to skate on it. There would be some type of repercussion. So, James wanted to know, what was Silver going to do about it in Morey's case?

Silver pushed back, reminding the players that the league never doled out discipline when they publicly criticized President Donald Trump. Morey was exercising the same liberty when he challenged China. Regardless of the financial fallout of one versus the other, that's not what should matter. Silver might have disliked the ramifications of Morey's tweet, but he would defend the right to say it.

But James wasn't finished.

"I never speak for just me, things that just benefit me. I try to be educated as much as I can and speak from a pure heart of how can I protect not only me, but protect the players as well in that situation."

LeBron James

Morey wasn't there to answer questions, he countered. Silver hadn't spoken to the media in China, either. Why would this fall on the players to address?

James told the room that it was too much for the players to take on in that moment -- to explain a complicated issue with racial, socioeconomic and geopolitical layers while visitors in China. It was time to follow the league's lead.

"Obviously, when he speaks up, people pay attention," a Nets source told ESPN.

Kyrie Irving, according to sources who were in the room, questioned whether it was worth playing the games in such a charged environment. He said he was there to play basketball games, and if a requirement for those games was dealing with the fallout Morey's tweet created, he would rather not play at all.

After about 30 minutes, Silver and others exited the room to allow for a players-only meeting. Once the others were gone, the players worked to find a consensus. James told the room that he wanted both teams in total agreement on how they would approach the rest of the trip. His instinct was to shield his colleagues from a nearly impossible public relations chasm.

"It's always a responsibility with me as far as players, a protection for the players," James said Monday. "That's always [on my mind]. I never speak for just me, things that just benefit me. I try to be educated as much as I can and speak from a pure heart of how can I protect not only me, but protect the players as well in that situation."

SILVER HAD A breakout session with the teams' ownership and front-office personnel on the ground while the players huddled.

Lakers GM Rob Pelinka, according to sources, echoed James' position to the commissioner. Advocating for the players, he thought, was a chance to build unity. If at the end of the day his 15 players believed their front office had their best interests at heart, then trust could be built. It would be a small victory in a tough situation.

Silver eventually came back to the players: If they weren't prepared to do media, then the NBA wouldn't make them do it. End of story.

But everyone involved wanted to salvage the games.

"We were just hoping to play a little basketball," James said Monday. "No matter what's going on in my life or what's been going on in any situation, the game of basketball has always put people in a great space. So we were just hoping we could get out there and play some ball."

The self-imposed media ban proved moot. The Chinese government canceled the pregame and postgame news conferences -- including Silver's -- for the Shanghai game, just as it had canceled the ancillary events that week. The feeling among NBA officials was that China viewed the games as the crown jewel. Anything that could potentially derail the games -- such as a player echoing what Silver said in Tokyo supporting Morey -- needed to be eliminated.

After days of agitation, Chinese officials seemed to relent and hint that they too wanted to see the games played. Although they didn't offer certainty that day, they essentially "nodded," according to an NBA China source.

For all the discomfort, the league had some leverage: There are hundreds of millions of NBA fans in China, after all.

As a tumultuous Wednesday concluded, everyone went to bed that night confident that there would be a basketball game the next day.

EVEN THOUGH THE first game was on, the Lakers were unsure what type of crowd would greet them at Mercedes-Benz Arena.

Would there be protests? Would the arena be empty? Would it feel like any other preseason game?

"We were there just to play," Lakers guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope said Monday. "Even if the fans didn't show up or they did show up, we still had to play a basketball game. That was our mindset."

It was almost like any other NBA game -- except it wasn't. There were rough patches on the floor where the logos had been scrubbed off. There were no national anthems -- neither American nor Chinese -- before tipoff. And many of the capacity crowd of nearly 16,000 toted handheld Chinese flags that were distributed outside. (A Lakers player, sources said, signed one of the flags that was thrust upon him when he was signing autographs for fans, causing some within the organization to question whether the well-meaning gesture would be taken as an affront on the flag.)

Two days later, the Lakers and Nets finished their two-game set in Shenzhen.

The Lakers took the 1½-hour bus ride to the airport immediately following the game, waited an hour in line to clear customs and boarded the team plane for the flight home -- where they would have to wait on the runway for another two-plus hours because of a tropical storm.

As they strapped in, more than ready to fly home, some Lakers personnel joked to one another that the Chinese government controls so much that even the weather is under their influence. It was the type of joke people make when they're delirious -- funnier in the moment than in the retelling, to be sure.

Still, the delay proved to be a metaphor. Even though the Lakers and Nets are now back in the United States, the story is far from over.

Morey is waiting to see if he truly weathered the storm or if his job could still be on the line. If the damages from broken broadcast partnerships and abandoned corporate sponsorships reach the multimillions, will pressure mount despite the league's initial backing?

Nike is waiting to see how much revenue it has lost from Rockets jerseys pulled off shelves in stores all over China and whether its losses will end there.

The Lakers are waiting to see if the trip will help or hurt their team chemistry this season. "Only time will tell. We'll see," James said. "Obviously, it's not going to be as great as everybody wants it to be to start off, but one thing about me ... I love the process. I'm extremely in love with being in the process with this ballclub."

The league, on the other hand, is waiting to see if it will ever be welcome in China again.

ESPN's Ohm Youngmisuk and Adrian Wojnarowski contributed to this report.