Nitin Menon will make his debut as a Test umpire when Afghanistan host West Indies in Dehradun from November 27 this year, making him the 62nd Indian to be an on-field official in the longest format.

Menon, who represented Madhya Pradesh at the age-group levels as a batsman, had a brief spell in List A cricket, playing two games for Madhya Pradesh in 2004 and scoring just seven runs in total. He then became a state-panel umpire in Madhya Pradesh in 2005, like his father Nadrendra Menon. He cleared the BCCI all-India umpiring exam in 2006 and started officiating in domestic matches from the 2007-08 season.

Over the years, Menon has officiated in 57 first-class games and 40 games in the IPL, as well as 25 ODIs (three as TV umpire) and 12 T20Is (three as TV umpire).

"The reason behind my smooth transition to international cricket is mainly because of the robust, competitive and professional structure of the BCCI domestic matches," Menon was quoted as saying on the BCCI website. "The experience that I gained from officiating in our domestic tournaments and the opportunity given to me by the BCCI for officiating in the IPL, as well as in first-class matches in Australia, England and South Africa as part of umpires' exchange programme, has helped me in my development as an umpire.

"I am happy to repay the trust shown in me and looking forward to facing the new challenges of Test cricket so that I can achieve my goal of becoming an ICC Elite Panel umpire."

When he makes his maiden appearance in a Test, Menon will become the first Indian to officiate at that level since S Ravi in October 2013 in Chattogram in a Test between Bangladesh and New Zealand, and also carry forward a long tradition that began with Dattatraya Naik and Jamshed Patel, who stood in the first Test during West Indies' tour of India in 1948-49 in Delhi.

The ECB have revealed 11 venues which will host women's matches for The Hundred, along with the selection process that will determine the make-up of each team.

Player registration for the new competition starting next July is open this month but, while the men's edition will have a player draft on October 20, the women's version will have a two-stage "bespoke player selection process", according to the ECB.

During stage one, which runs until the end of September, each team is obliged to sign two players from the current England Women's central contract list. During stage two, from October 1 until May 30 next year, each team will sign their remaining 13 players from three different player pools; remaining England Women's centrally contracted players, overseas players and domestic players.Teams can sign a maximum of one further England women's centrally contracted player during stage two and can sign a maximum of three overseas players.

The head coach of each team will lead their respective player selection process.

Former England captain Charlotte Edwards, recently appointed head coach of the Southampton-based women's team, said: "It's really exciting that we'll have an open market system and that all of the teams will be recruiting their own players for the first time. It shows how the women's game has evolved and developed.

"The depth of the women's game isn't yet at a stage where a draft would be the best way forward, and it's important that we don't just match the template of the men's game. There are areas in which the needs of the women's game are different and it's right that we find the right approach for them."

The women's venues have been "paired" with the host grounds for men's matches, with Old Trafford's partner ground yet to be announced.

Women's competition head for The Hundred Beth Barrett-Wild said: "The venues for the men's and women's competitions respectively are working together incredibly closely and that connection will help The Hundred inspire more people to attend, watch and play cricket.

"It's particularly exciting that the Women's Competition will be seen by fans across all 18 First-Class counties, this represents a huge opportunity to grow women's cricket - while the double-headers at the men's venues provide another chance to present the men's and women's teams on the same platform."

Men's venues - paired women's venues:

Sophia Gardens - The Bristol County Ground, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

Edgbaston - Blackfinch New Road, Worcester

Headingley - York CC, South Northumberland CC

Lord's - The Cloudfm County Ground, Chelmsford, The County Ground, Northampton

The Oval - The County Ground, Beckenham

Old Trafford - TBC

Trent Bridge - The Pattonair County Cricket Ground, Derby, The Fischer County Ground, Leicester

Ageas Bowl - The 1st Central County Ground, Hove

Stories of superstitious cricketers not moving round the dressing room during tense moments are not uncommon, but Joe Denly took the fear of bad juju to extremes when he found himself confined to to the loo during Ben Stokes' historic knock at Headingley.

Denly said while some of his team-mates were enjoying the best seats in the house as Stokes and Jack Leach carried England to the most unlikely of victories, the only throne available to him was of the porcelain variety.

"I'm not a very good watcher of cricket when I get out," Denly told BBC Radio 5 Live. "The first 10-15 minutes is sulking and reliving how I got out. That last hour I was stuck in the urinal - toilet area of the changing room.

"There were a few guys out back in the physio room, a few guys in viewing area and we all stayed in our position and patrolled our area for the final hour. I felt every time I sat down and watched a bit of cricket we seemed to lose a wicket. I took myself off to the lovely urinals and paced around there for the last hour."

Denly confirmed he would open the batting in place of Jason Roy, who will drop down to No. 4, as reported by ESPNcricinfo last week.

"I got a call from Joe Root after a bit of time off and he said he'd like me to go at the top of the order and try to get us off to a good start," Denly said.

"Obviously Jason is going to bat four and that's great for English cricket. With Jason Roy in the team we are a better team and with him coming in at four, hopefully with the new ball worn off and myself and Rory Burns doing our job at the top, it allows him to come in and play his way. He's a great player to have there."

Denly was England's top-scorer with 12 in their woeful first innings of 67 all out while his 50 in the second innnings was overshadowed by Stokes' match-winning 135. But Denly didn't mind.

"Obviously it was a proud moment but as any top-order batter you come off after getting out wanting more runs," Denly said. "Having made 50 it would have been nice to go on and get a bigger score, but thankfully we had 'King Stokes' coming in and finishing it for us.

"I don't think it's going to sink in for a while. It was a remarkable day and one that will be remembered forever, so to be part of it was very special."

Ricardo Vasconcelos has signed a new five-year contract with Northamptonshire.

Johannesburg-born opener Vasconcelos still had two years remaining on his previous contract but has penned the new deal to secure his place at Wantage Road until the end of the 2024 season.

"It was an easy decision for me to stay here." said Vasconcelos "Northants took a chance on me and picked me out of South Africa, so it was a no brainer for me to be loyal to the club that gave me a chance to live my dream."

Vasconcelos, 21, first appeared for Northamptonshire as a non-overseas player - he has a Portuguese passport - against Pakistan in 2018 before making his County Championship debut against Leicestershire later that year. He was on track for a thousand-run Championship season before an ankle injury ended his campaign early. At the time, he had amassed 750 runs at an average of 46.87 for the season.

"The club has really shown ambition this year with some top-class overseas signings so hopefully that ambition pays off and we can get promoted and continue to improve in Div One next year." Vasconcelos said.

"The injury is coming along well, I've started walking again now so this is where the hard work starts, I guess, but I'm prepared to put in the work and come back stronger and fitter than ever for what hopefully will be a really good season for us in Division One next year.

"I've been working hard to get back fit and I'll be playing some club cricket in South Africa over the winter to make sure I've got some cricket under my belt before the start of the new season."

Northamptonshire are third on the County Championship Division Two table with three rounds remaining.

India A 208 for 6 (Pandey 81, Dube 45, Nortje 2-41) beat South Africa A 207 for 8 (Klaasen 44, Malan 37, Krunal 2-23) by four wickets
30 overs a side

A counterattacking 59-ball 81 from Manish Pandey helped India A to an unassailable three-nil lead over South Africa A, as they ran down a target of 208 with four wickets and 13 balls remaining. The match in Thiruvananthapuram was reduced to 30 overs, and the hosts were tottering at 26 for 3, having lost Ruturaj Gaikwad, Ricky Bhui and allrounder Krunal Pandya within seven overs when Pandey joined Ishan Kishan in the middle. The duo not only brought respectability to the chase but also kept abreast of the required run rate, adding 70 in just 49 balls before the wicketkeeper fell to the left-arm spin of George Linde for 40.

Next man in Nitish Rana departed for a run-a-ball 13, leaving Pandey, who had gone past fifty by then, in the company of left-hander, Shivam Dube. Dube didn't disappoint as he got going immediately, clearing the ropes off just his eighth delivery. Though Pandey fell to the left-arm spin of Bjorn Fortuin - for the only fifty of the match - with 34 still required, by this time the equation was just over a manageable run-a-ball. But Dube knocked off the target with plenty to spare, finishing unbeaten on 45 off 28.

The visitors had relied on a series of small contributions from their top and middle order to set a challenging target. There were no fifties as Heinrich Klaasen top scored with a 21-ball 44 that included four hits over the fence and two fours. Opener Janneman Malan and No. 3 Matthew Breetzke were guilty of squandering starts but at least each of their thirties came at faster than a run-a-ball. For India A, pacer Deepak Chahar and Krunal, with his left-arm spin, picked up two wickets apiece, but Krunal was by far the most effective bowler in the match, having gone at under five an over.

The fourth unofficial ODI will be played in two days time at the same venue.

The Indianapolis Colts are filling their thin quarterback ranks by signing former Patriot Brian Hoyer to a three-year, $12 million deal that includes $9 million guaranteed, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Andrew Luck abruptly retired from the NFL this preseason, leaving Jacoby Brissett as the starter. Brissett was also a Patriots backup to start his career.

The Patriots went with rookie Jarrett Stidham as backup to Tom Brady, releasing Hoyer.

Hoyer, 33, started his career with the Patriots and also had stints with the Cardinals, Browns, Texans, Bears and 49ers before returning to New England last season. He has 37 starts in 65 NFL games. He started 13 games for the Browns in 2014.

The Colts had brought in veteran Brock Osweiler for a visit last week. The only other quarterbacks on the Colts' roster at that time were Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly.

Walker had never played a snap in a regular-season game and was subsequently waived before joining the Colts' practice squad on Sunday. Kelly has been placed on the suspended list for the first two games of the season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

One thing we know for sure about the College Football Playoff -- it's never too early to start picking which teams should be in the top four.

Throughout the season, our college football writers will pick their top four teams after each week's action. And Week 1 was very good to the sport's elite programs.

No. 1 Clemson rolled over ACC rival Georgia Tech 52-14, with Travis Etienne rushing for a career-high 205 yards and three touchdowns, including one for 90 yards.

No. 2 Alabama overcame a sluggish start (the game was scoreless after one quarter) and routed Duke 42-3. Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and four touchdowns for the Tide.

No. 3 Georgia started the season with a conference road game, and the Bulldogs dominated Vanderbilt in a 30-6 win. D'Andre Swift gained 149 yards on 16 carries, and Brian Herrien added 65 and a touchdown as Georgia rolled up 326 yards rushing.

No. 4 Oklahoma's new quarterback, Alabama transfer Jalen Hurts, looked right at home on Sunday night in charge of the Sooners' offense. He passed for three touchdowns and ran for three scores in a 49-31 win over Houston. Hurts finished with 508 total yards, the fifth most in school history.

No. 5 Ohio State also debuted a new starting quarterback in Georgia transfer Justin Fields, who tossed four TD passes in the Buckeyes' 45-21 win over Florida Atlantic.

Here's how our writers see the playoff field after Week 1, not their projections about how the season will end.

Andrea Adelson: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Edward Aschoff: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Texas
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Ohio State
Bill Connelly: 1. Alabama; 2. Clemson; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Heather Dinich: 1. Alabama; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Clemson; 4. Ohio State
Sam Khan Jr.: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
David M. Hale: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Ohio State; 4. Oklahoma
Chris Low: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Ivan Maisel: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Utah
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Oklahoma; 4. Georgia
Alex Scarborough: 1. Clemson; 2. Oklahoma; 3. Alabama; 4. Michigan
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Clemson; 2. Alabama; 3. Georgia; 4. Oklahoma

Two things are forever true regarding our reactions to the first week of a college football season.

1. We know we shouldn't overreact. We don't have enough context to know what's good and what isn't, and a team's first impression matters only until its second. After all, Week 1 Maryland is darn near a national title contender each year. Other weeks? Not so much.

2. We really, really want to overreact! We just had to deal with an eight-month offseason. We're starving here!

So let's compromise and say we have partial answers to our infinite list of offseason questions over the past few days. Below are partial answers to 13 questions that intrigued me the most heading into Week 1 of 2019.

Alabama

Question: With camp injuries to veteran linebackers Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon, and freshman DJ Dale already slated to start at nose tackle, the Tide's front seven is suddenly and alarmingly young. Is that a problem?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Eight of the 14 members of Alabama's front-seven two-deep for Saturday's game against Duke were freshmen or sophomores, and there were three true freshmen among the Tide's 10 leading tacklers for the game. But despite inexperience and an opponent willing to throw anything at the wall (Triple option! All-out spread! Everything in between!) the Tide gave up just three points and 3.8 yards per play.

Despite a slow start on offense, Alabama not only won handily but also covered a massive 34-point spread. Bama's next four opponents are New Mexico State, South Carolina, Southern Miss and Ole Miss. It might be a while before we learn whether this young unit will cost the Tide, and by then, the youth won't be as young.

Florida State

Question: Coach Willie Taggart's FSU debut last season was marred by some of the worst offensive line play in the country. Can you fix that in a single offseason?

Partial answer: Maybe.

Granted, the bar is pretty low. FSU lost at home against Boise State on Saturday, dropping Taggart to just 5-8 overall as the Noles' coach. But the line did its job -- for a while, anyway. The Noles enjoyed a 58 percent rushing success rate in the first half while bolting to a 31-13 lead, but basically the entire team, from blockers to defenders to playcallers, collectively lost the plot in the second half. FSU leaned heavily on the pass while trying to protect a wilting lead; and when the Noles tried to get back to the ground game, their success vanished. By the end, their rushing success rate slipped to 35 percent, and quarterback James Blackman took four sacks.

On the bright side, BSU has one of the best defensive fronts the Noles will face this year. If only because it can't get worse, we'll say the line might look better.

Michigan

Question: Coach Jim Harbaugh brought in new coordinator Josh Gattis to modernize* an occasionally stagnant attack. Will we actually see a difference?

Partial answer: Maybe.

The debut of Gattis' offense against Middle Tennessee suffered an inauspicious start: Quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled on the first play of the game, setting the Blue Raiders up for a short-field scoring drive.

It was fine (not amazing, not terrible, just fine) from there. Even without injured No. 1 receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, the Wolverines scored on four of their next six drives and posted 40 points in a comfortable win. Oft-injured blue-chip receiver Tarik Black caught four balls for 80 yards, and UM's primary tailbacks rushed 22 times for 156 yards.

Of course, scoring on lesser defenses hasn't been the issue for UM and Harbaugh. We'll probably have to wait a bit longer (Until Wisconsin on Sept. 21? Iowa on Oct. 5? Penn State on Oct. 19?) to get a more complete answer about Gattis' impact.

* What do I mean by "modernize"? In Michigan's case, it means minimal huddles (albeit with very little hurry-up), plays more aptly designed to respond to defensive formation, and more use of run-pass option and window dressing like fakes and motion. LSU's "modern" debut was more successful than Michigan's, but against a Georgia Southern defense that wasn't projected as high as MTSU's.

Michigan State

Question: Coach Mark Dantonio didn't fire anyone to fix his broken offense, he just gave a bunch of assistants different job titles. Did it work?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Dantonio made the most antisocial, Dantonio-esque move of the offseason in shuffling everybody's jobs instead of bringing in someone new. But just because it was amusing and totally in character, that doesn't mean it's going to work. In Friday night's 28-7 win over Tulsa, the Spartans looked ... like the Spartans. The defense was indestructible -- the Golden Hurricane managed just 80 total yards -- and the offense was, well, quite destructible. Against a Tulsa D that ranked 96th in defensive SP+ last season, Sparty averaged a useless 3.9 yards per play. State running backs gained 68 yards on 30 carries. Gross.

It didn't matter against Tulsa, and because of this defense, it will probably matter only a few times this year. But State's offense still looks like State's offense. That's not a good thing.

Nebraska

Question: The Huskers are back, right?

Partial answer: Probably not.

After winning four of its final six games in coach Scott Frost's debut season, Nebraska's expectations were considerably ratcheted up this offseason. But this is still a young team with a sophomore quarterback (albeit an exciting one), new players in the skill corps and a defense looking for answers. On Saturday against South Alabama, the Huskers scored on an interception return, a punt return and a fumble recovery. Despite that, they managed to beat the Jags by only a 35-21 margin, after being outgained by 38 yards and averaging a paltry 4.2 yards per play in the process. (South Alabama ranked 123rd in defensive SP+ last year, by the way.)

We shouldn't ring any alarm bells yet -- let's see what NU does at Colorado this weekend -- but Saturday was a reminder that building jobs don't always fall perfectly into place the way Frost's UCF build did.

North Dakota State

Question: New head coach ... freshman quarterback ... are the Bison still the Bison?

Partial answer: Probably.

The Bison wouldn't have become the dynasty of the Football Championship Subdivision if they couldn't handle turnover, but losing both head coach Chris Klieman (to Kansas State) and quarterback Easton Stick (to the Los Angeles Chargers) was a lot. The debut for head coach Matt Entz and redshirt freshman quarterback Trey Lance, however, went about as well as anyone could have hoped. At Target Field in Minneapolis, the Bison jumped all over Butler, leading 36-0 at the half and cruising 57-10. Lance went 10-for-11 for 185 yards and four touchdowns and rushed five times for 116 more yards. Goodness.

The tests get stiffer soon enough -- each of NDSU's next five opponents is either ranked or nearly ranked, and FCS No. 5 UC Davis comes to Fargo in three weeks, but at worst, we know NDSU's upside is as high as ever.

Ohio State

Question: Justin Fields was an all-world recruit who signed with Georgia in 2018, wasn't asked to do much and then transferred to Ohio State. Is he ready to look the part?

Partial answer: Probably.

Credit Fields for not wasting time. On the fourth snap of his first collegiate start, he rushed 51 yards over left end for a touchdown. On the sixth snap, he threw a touchdown pass. On his ninth and 13th snaps, he threw two more. Ohio State led FAU 28-0 after just eight minutes, then put the game into mothballs and cruised. Fields finished 18-for-25 for 234 yards and four scores and rushed 10 times (not including two sacks) for 67 yards. That'll do.

Cincinnati should offer more resistance in Week 2. But it was easy to envision Ohio State as either a top-five team or borderline top-15 or top-20 depending on the QB position, and Fields' first outing suggests the former is more likely than the latter.

Oklahoma

Question: Can a Lincoln Riley offense led by quarterback Jalen Hurts end up just as dominant as recent predecessors?

Partial answer: Probably. A very confident probably.

The biggest compliment you can give Oklahoma's offense in its 49-31 win over Houston is that Houston tackled pretty well. The Cougars didn't hand the Sooners too many free yards (aside from a busted coverage that led to a CeeDee Lamb touchdown in the second quarter). OU just took those yards via scheme and talent.

Hurts' first effort in a Riley offense after transferring from Alabama: 20-for-23 passing, 332 yards and three touchdowns through the air, plus 16 carries for 176 yards and three more scores on the ground. Better yet, it didn't feel like he was playing outside of himself. He was just being Jalen Hurts. In a Lincoln Riley offense. With amazing blocking everywhere you look. And players like Trey Sermon (11 carries for 91 yards), Charleston Rambo (three catches for 105), and Lamb (two for 46) in the skill corps.

But he did lose a fumble at one point. So there's still room for improvement.

UCF and Boise State

Question: The heavyweights of the Group of 5 are each starting new QBs in 2019 -- Notre Dame grad transfer Brandon Wimbush for UCF and freshman blue-chipper Hank Bachmeier for Boise State. Will they keep these respective trains a-rolling?

Partial answer: Probably.

Granted, there's quite a difference between a veteran from a high-major school starting off against an FCS opponent (UCF 62, Florida A&M 0) and a true freshman starting his first game in Doak Campbell Stadium (BSU 36, FSU 31). But despite missteps -- Wimbush (who suffered pass efficiency issues in South Bend) completed just 52 percent of his passes, and Bachmeier took five sacks and fumbled twice -- both got passing grades. Wimbush averaged 14 yards per completion with a pair of TD passes, and Bachmeier threw for 407 yards and led an 18-point comeback. Not bad.

Another true freshman -- UCF's Dillon Gabriel -- could insert himself into this conversation (he was 9-for-13 for 127 yards and three scores against FAMU), but Wimbush passed his first test, at least.

UCLA

Question: Is quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson ready to lead a second-year scoring breakthrough for head coach Chip Kelly?

Partial answer: Probably not.

Justin Fields will be the second blue-chip sophomore Cincinnati faces this year, but the Bearcats did quite a bit of damage against the first one: Thompson-Robinson. He made their job pretty easy, though.

UCLA entered the season as one of the biggest mysteries in FBS, but Thompson-Robinson basically picked up where he left off as a freshman. The last time we saw him, he was going 9-for-23 with a 94 passer rating against Oregon. On Thursday, he went 8-for-26 with a 91. He also let the ball squirt out of his hands, unforced, in two different failed red zone opportunities, and the Bruins fell 24-14.

Fumbles are random occurrences, but at this point, inefficient performances from DTR are not. And now he has to face an always-tricky and physical San Diego State defense before games against ranked Oklahoma and Washington State. Yikes.

UConn

Question: Is the Huskies' defense still historically awful?

Partial answer: Maybe not!

The Huskies were downright awe-inspiring in 2018, allowing at least 38 points and 516 yards in 11 of 12 games and giving up 50.4 points per game for the season. But they allowed just 21 points in defensive coordinator Lou Spanos' debut.

Sure, it was against Wagner, an FCS team that went 4-7 last year. And sure, after going nowhere for most of the game, Wagner drove more than 80 yards for a touchdown on two of its last three possessions in a 24-21 UConn win. Much larger challenges await as well -- Week 2 opponent Illinois gained 400-plus on Akron, and a trip to UCF looms -- but you have to start somewhere, and giving up 185 total yards and two offensive scores would have qualified as progress even if it had come against East Hartford High.

USC

Question: Did hiring offensive coordinator Graham Harrell fix the Trojans' sketchy offense?

Partial answer: Maybe, but now he has to do it again.

Things couldn't possibly have started better for Harrell and the Trojans' offense. With nary a third-down conversion required, quarterback JT Daniels led touchdown drives of 81 and 47 yards as USC hopped to an immediate 14-0 lead over Fresno State.

USC scored on only one of its next five drives, though, and then Daniels was lost for the season with a knee injury. Freshman backup Kedon Slovis led one scoring drive, and the run game was sturdy enough -- Vavae Malepeai and Stephen Carr rushed 29 times for 190 yards -- to get the job done in a 31-23 win. Still, the shine wore off a bit after a spectacular start. And now Harrell has to help the Trojans manufacture points, with a freshman QB, against a killer quintet of games: Stanford, at BYU, Utah, at Washington, at Notre Dame.

Utah State

Question: Quarterback Jordan Love is maybe the most exciting player in the mid-major universe, but he lost almost all of last year's supporting cast, including coaches. Can he thrive with all this newness?

Partial answer: Probably.

Granted, this one was more of a personal curiosity than a national storyline, but USU's 2018 offense was one of the country's most seductive, and I was hoping the Aggies would have enough talent around Love to keep things exciting.

USU ended up losing a heartbreaker at Wake Forest (one of the few Mountain West upset bids to fall short in Week 1), but Love still completed 33 passes for 416 yards, and he found a major go-to in Utah transfer Siaosi Mariner (eight catches, 118 yards). Three picks were all sorts of costly -- the first two set up 10 Wake points, and the third ended the game -- but the upside is still obvious, and Mariner could be a great dance partner.

Virginia Tech

Question: The Hokies bottomed out defensively last year, beset by both inexperience and injuries. Can simple continuity and development fix last year's woes?

Partial answer: Maybe.

Legendary defensive coordinator Bud Foster's final season at Tech began with the Hokies allowing 35 points and 432 yards in a one-score loss at Boston College. That wasn't great, but it also probably wasn't as bad as it seemed.

Tech held BC to just 3.5 sack-adjusted yards per carry, and after averaging 9 yards per play in the first quarter, the Eagles averaged 4.2 thereafter. If not for horrible luck with fumbles -- the Hokies recovered zero of the game's four loose balls, and two fumble-aided, short-field drives made the difference for BC -- Tech possibly wins. Of the Hokies' next five opponents, two are FCS schools, and the other three combined to average 16 points per game and 4.4 yards per play in Week 0/1. The Foster defense could look like the Foster defense again soon.

SHANGHAI -- The grandstands at the Oriental Sports Arena for Team USA's first game were like a rainbow of NBA fandom.

There were gold Steph Curry jerseys, a bunch of Giannis Antetokounmpo jerseys in various colors and plenty of Los Angeles Lakers attire. But then there were the Charlotte Hornets colors, with Kemba Walker's No. 15 on the back, and in at least one case, a fan who had already acquired a brand-new Boston Celtics No. 8 jersey with Walker's name. (Either that, or it could've been a well-preserved Antoine Walker version that was being repurposed.)

When Walker ran out of the tunnel about an hour before tip-off, a genuine roar exploded from the hundreds of Chinese fans packed trying to get photos and videos of the American team. Walker couldn't help himself -- he had to smile.

Say whatever you want about the lack of star power on this team -- there's truth there -- but don't think it's going to get Walker down. He's getting a level of attention he has not been used to on this level and, frankly, he's loving it.

"To know you have fans in other places, especially me, it was very humbling," Walker said after he had a 13-point, four-assist performance in Team USA's World Cup opening win against the Czech Republic on Sunday. "It's just a great feeling."

Putting this in perspective, it's not like Walker is obscure. He was a starter in the All-Star Game last winter, which is a verified mark of popularity since it's determined by fan vote. He made the All-NBA team this past season. He has a shoe contract with Jordan Brand and has made international trips promoting it where he has interacted with international fans.

Not to mention his college exploits at Connecticut, specifically a magical run through the Big East and NCAA tournaments in his final year, that have helped him reach legendary status in some pockets of the East Coast.

But since he has been in the NBA, he has rarely been a headliner. He did his best in Charlotte, where he bonded with the community and planned to retire before he and the franchise didn't see eye-to-eye on contract talks this summer. The Hornets, fair or not, are a bit of a league outpost.

However, as a member of Team USA, as well as one of the highest-profile pro sports teams on the planet, Walker's world is changing. He's a bona fide star on Team USA, and he has been the Americans' de facto captain as well as their floor general over the past month.

The fans coming to these games know it and they get excited when they see Walker. When he crosses over an opponent or knocks him off balance with his array of hesitation moves, which he did several times in Team USA's 88-67 win over the Czech Republic, they react like it was Kobe Bryant or LeBron James in the building.

"This is something I've been looking forward to being a part of for a long time. It's special to be a part of this team," Walker said. "I've been a part of USA Basketball for years, I was on a couple Select Teams where I didn't get this far. I appreciate it."

It's more than just fan attention, though, it's also attention from the opposition. Walker was the centerpiece of Sunday's game plan. That's not something he hasn't seen before, it just wasn't something that was expected wearing USA across his chest.

There's more of that to come. The Americans next play Tuesday against Turkey, which has good size and bashed Japan with physical play in their opener. Walker can expect to get another full dose. And there will be more after that.

But Walker is welcoming it, part of the overall national team experience that is expanding his horizons.

"It's always good to have respect from opposing teams, especially in FIBA basketball," Walker said. "I'm just a kid from New York, from the Bronx. It's a great feeling to have fans all around the world for me."

There wasn't any movement this week in the top five, with the Dodgers holding on to the top spot -- although not as firmly as last week -- with three of the five first-place votes. The other two went to the Astros, with the Yankees, Twins and Braves rounding out the top five.

Elsewhere in the top 10, the Nationals continued to surge, climbing up to No. 6. Washington has essentially locked up one of the two wild-card spots in the NL -- can it make up any ground on Atlanta in the race for the NL East title?

For Week 22, our panel of voters was composed of Bradford Doolittle, Christina Kahrl, Eric Karabell, Tim Kurkjian and David Schoenfield.

Previous: Preseason | Week 1 | Week 2 | Week 3 | Week 4 | Week 5 | Week 6 | Week 7 | Week 8 | Week 9 | Week 10 | Week 11 | Week 12 | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21

1. Los Angeles Dodgers
   2019 record: 89-50
   Week 21 ranking: 1

   The well-oiled Dodgers machine hit a couple of bumps this week. Max Muncy will miss two weeks with a small fracture in his right wrist. It could have been worse as a more severe fracture could have meant missing eight weeks. The only concern is whether his power will be affected when he returns. Hyun-Jin Ryu allowed seven runs for the second consecutive start and has now allowed 18 runs in 14⅔ innings over his past three starts. -- David Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Olney: Will Smith has earned Dodgers' trust

2. Houston Astros
   2019 record: 89-49
   Week 21 ranking: 2

   The new version of second baseman Jose Altuve is not quite as valuable as he used to be, but he remains among the best at his position. Altuve blasted his 25th home run Thursday to reach a career best, though some of his other numbers look different from what we've seen in the past. Altuve has three batting titles to his credit, but is fighting to stay above .300 this season. He also averaged 37 stolen bases from 2012 to 2017, topping 30 each season, but seemingly will not approach 30 over the past two years combined because of knee and hamstring woes. Still, Altuve should boast an OPS better than .900 and he remains really good. -- Eric Karabell

   ICYMI: How the Astros keep getting better and better

3. New York Yankees
   2019 record: 90-48
   Week 21 ranking: 3

   The Yankees closed the week with two dramatic walk-off wins over the A's: DJ LeMahieu hit a home run in the 11th inning on Saturday, then Brett Gardner and Mike Ford went back-to-back off Liam Hendriks on Sunday for a wild 5-4 win (the Yankees also scored three in the eighth). LeMahieu's home run was the Yankees' 74th of August, a major league record for one month. The old mark was 58 (the Twins also broke the old mark with 59). -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Law: Yankees prospect Clarke Schmidt is on the rise

4. Minnesota Twins
   2019 record: 84-52
   Week 21 ranking: 4

   Good news! Another hitter has stepped up as the Twins aim to tie the mark of last season's Yankees with 12 players reaching double digits in home runs. Outfielder Jake Cave has delivered a pair of multihomer efforts in the past 10 days and, despite limited playing time this season, could get there as he fills in for injured folks like Byron Buxton. Cave hit 13 home runs last season, one of seven Twins to reach double digits. Eleven are already there this year! Cave, a longtime minor leaguer who showed little power until reaching Triple-A, might not even make the playoff roster, but he could help the team make history. -- Karabell

   ICYMI: Are the Twins the best home run team ever?

5. Atlanta Braves
   2019 record: 84-54
   Week 21 ranking: 5

   So, who has been the Braves' MVP? Entering Sunday, Ronald Acuna Jr. had a minimal lead over Josh Donaldson in WAR (4.9 to 4.8) with Freddie Freeman at 4.0. Freeman, however, leads in RBIs and was just two runs behind Acuna. Freeman had a small edge over Acuna in win probability added (5.04 to 4.39) as he has hit .353/.439/.694 in high-leverage situations, with seven home runs and 36 RBIs in 98 PAs. And don't forget Mike Soroka: He actually leads the Braves with 5.2 WAR. -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: The Braves can't be counted out come playoff time

6. Washington Nationals
   2019 record: 77-58
   Week 21 ranking: 8

   The Nationals went 20-7 in August and outscored their opponents by 70 runs to strengthen their grip on a wild-card spot. Stephen Strasburg fanned 14 in eight scoreless innings on Saturday. His game score of 92 registered as the second best of his career. The Nats completed a sweep of the Marlins on Sunday, and since starting the season 19-31, they are 58-27 -- the best record in the majors since May 24. -- Schoenfield

   ICYMI: Nats closer Doolittle makes rehab appearance

7. Oakland Athletics
   2019 record: 78-58
   Week 21 ranking: 6

   Over the past two decades -- 20 different A's teams with almost 400 different A's players and four different A's managers -- Oakland has been under .500 in April and May but has won 56 percent of its games in August. Darndest thing. This year's A's went 17-9. -- Sam Miller

   ICYMI: Is Matt Chapman the key to the A's stretch run?

8. Tampa Bay Rays
   2019 record: 80-58
   Week 21 ranking: 7

   We're still a couple of weeks away from the Rays hopefully beginning to welcome back injured starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yonny Chirinos to the fold. Glasnow is likely slotted for a relief role, but the injury-battered Rays can use quality innings no matter where they come from. Tampa Bay has used 14 starters overall, though that includes opener appearances. Snell, Chirinos and Charlie Morton are the only Rays pitchers to have thrown as many as 100 innings this season. No one else has reached 60, so it's been quite a jigsaw puzzle for manager Kevin Cash and his staff to piece together. Getting some of the injured hurlers back will certainly help, but in the meantime, the mix-and-match project continues at the same time the Rays are fighting to keep pace with Cleveland and Oakland in the AL wild-card race. -- Bradford Doolittle

   ICYMI: Morton's Houston homecoming about far more than Astros

9. Cleveland Indians
   2019 record: 79-58
   Week 21 ranking: 9

   Partly because they rarely play good teams, partly because they've been terrible when they have, the Indians have the second-fewest wins in baseball this year against .500-plus teams, ahead of only the Tigers. -- Miller

   ICYMI: How Indians' deadline deal for Puig, Reyes is working out

10. St. Louis Cardinals
    2019 record: 76-60
    Week 21 ranking: 10

    The Cardinals have been scorching hot of late, their 17-5 record since Aug. 9 the best in baseball, granting them a three-game lead in the National League Central. Yadier Molina and Dakota Hudson have been the standouts recently, as Molina is a .344/.417/.594 hitter with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 18 games since his return from a thumb injury, while Hudson has won four consecutive starts while allowing only four runs combined in them. -- Tristan H. Cockcroft

    ICYMI: How did the Cardinals take over the NL Central race?

11. Chicago Cubs
    2019 record: 73-63
    Week 21 ranking: 11

    The Cubs welcomed Ben Zobrist back into the fold over the weekend. In addition to the boost in morale his return gives the clubhouse, Zobrist presents another possible solution for a second base position that has been a hodgepodge of underachievement this season. Chicago ranks just 26th in bWAR at the position and that figure has been pretty steady throughout the campaign. The main offenders have been Addison Russell (.696 OPS in 157 plate appearances at the position through Saturday) and Daniel Descalso (.612 in 150). David Bote and Robel Garcia have both hit well enough while playing the keystone, but Chicago likes Bote in a utility role and Garcia has struggled with the glove. Ian Happ has hit very well as a second baseman but has struggled when starting elsewhere. Zobrist didn't exactly light it up during his rehab stint at Triple-A Iowa, so Joe Maddon may end up playing the hot hand down the stretch. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Cubs lift own postseason hopes, sink Mets' with sweep

12. Boston Red Sox
    2019 record: 74-63
    Week 21 ranking: 12

    One of the big questions for Boston this offseason is whether J.D. Martinez will opt out of his contract, which has three years and $62.5 million remaining if he sticks around. While his poor defense and the tepid free-agent market of late would suggest he stay with the Sox (he has another opt-out after 2020), his hot hitting the past six weeks may lead him to test the waters. Since July 20, Martinez is either first or second in baseball in average (.399), OPS (1.254), home runs (15), RBIs (42) and wRC (45). -- Steve Richards

    ICYMI: Can Devers keep it up after breakout 2019 season?

13. New York Mets
    2019 record: 69-67
    Week 21 ranking: 13

    Right-hander Noah Syndergaard comes off the worst outing of his career, as he allowed six first-inning runs to the Cubs -- at home -- then gave up two-run homers in the second and third innings. With nine of the 10 runs charged to Syndergaard earned, his ERA ballooned to 4.14, its highest mark since July. Syndergaard has not finished a season with an ERA worse than 3.24, but he should get back on track against the Nationals and Phillies this week. After all, prior to the Cubs game, Syndergaard boasted a 1.82 ERA since the All-Star break. He gets a pass for an aberrant outing. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Mets' playoff bid takes hit after back-to-back home sweeps

14. Arizona Diamondbacks
    2019 record: 70-67
    Week 21 ranking: 16

    Ketel Marte has earned plenty of recognition for his breakout season -- and rightfully so -- but how about teammate Eduardo Escobar? The versatile 30-year-old entered September already having established career highs with 32 home runs, 109 RBIs (previous high: 84), 10 triples, 285 total bases and 84 runs scored. Having signed a three-year, $21 million contract last offseason, Escobar is looking like one of baseball's best bargains. -- Richards

    ICYMI: Diamondbacks end record streak of being average

15. Philadelphia Phillies
    2019 record: 70-65
    Week 21 ranking: 14

    Right-hander Vince Velasquez enters September with a 4.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 9.6 K/9, each number pretty much in line with his career performance, but the team really needs more. There is ace Aaron Nola, soft-tossing Jason Vargas and then a lack of rotation depth that the team can reliably trust. Velasquez has reached five innings and permitted no more than three earned runs in all but one of his past seven starts, which counts as reliable among this crew. With a road ERA more than a run worse than his home version, Velasquez must step up with his next scheduled starts, coming at Cincinnati and New York. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Law: Prospect Howard could be big part of Phillies' 2020 rotation

16. Milwaukee Brewers
    2019 record: 70-66
    Week 21 ranking: 15

    The hamstring injury suffered by rookie second baseman Keston Hiura on Friday was a tough blow for a Milwaukee team that is teetering on the edge of a free fall. Hiura ranks second on the Brewers in OPS+ (138) to MVP candidate Christian Yelich. While the Brewers have turned to the likes of Cory Spangenberg and Hernan Perez of late, the onus to maintain a semblance of Hiura's production likely falls to Travis Shaw. Shaw was recalled from Triple-A San Antonio when Hiura went on the IL, though he was due to be called up anyway when the rosters expanded on Sunday. Shaw hit well for the Missions but his season at the big league level has been disastrous, featuring a .556 OPS and just 13 RBIs over 228 plate appearances. Shaw, just 29, has been one of Milwaukee's cornerstone players the past couple of years and a return to form down the stretch would do more for the Brewers than simply aid their long-shot playoff push. It would assuage a lot of concerns heading into the offseason. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Handicapping the home run race: What are Yelich's chances?

17. San Francisco Giants
    2019 record: 66-70
    Week 21 ranking: 17

    Over the past three seasons, Buster Posey has hit one home run after the trade deadline -- on Aug. 8, 2017. That's 340 late-season plate appearances and one dinger. The Giants dropped him to fifth in the batting order this week. -- Miller

    ICYMI: Giants cut ties with Gennett month after trade

18. Cincinnati Reds
    2019 record: 64-73
    Week 21 ranking: 18

    Lost season or not, what Aristides Aquino has been doing for the Reds has been something special. He already holds -- entirely on his own -- the records for the most home runs hit by a player through his first 12 (8 homers), 14 (9), 16 (10), 17 (11), 22 (12), 27 (13) and 28 games (14) of his career; his 14 homers in August were the fourth most by any rookie in one month in history; and those same 14 August homers tied a Reds franchise record for a single month. Aquino is establishing himself as a surefire regular for the team in right field heading into 2020. -- Cockcroft

    ICYMI: Inside Aristides Aquino's amazing record-setting month

19. Texas Rangers
    2019 record: 67-71
    Week 21 ranking: 19

    It's been an ugly season for Rougned Odor, whose MLB-low .194 batting average is 20 points worse than that of the closest qualifier. But there were two pieces of good news for Odor last week. First, he broke an 0-for-28 slump Friday with a key hit in a win over the Mariners. Second, August ended. For the month, Odor had a brutal slash line of .144/.278/.268, yet played every game. -- Richards

20. Los Angeles Angels
    2019 record: 65-73
    Week 21 ranking: 20

    The Angels do not know if infielder Tommy La Stella will play in September, but he has been taking batting practice and it seems clear he wants to return. La Stella's All-Star season was interrupted when he fouled a pitch off his leg in July, resulting in a fractured tibia, and he had 16 home runs over 306 plate appearances at the time. La Stella hit 10 home runs in his first five seasons, covering 947 PA. It was a great story. The Angels are not playoff bound but a return from La Stella, even if it is brief, would be a positive and create momentum for him for next year, with La Stella's future unclear. -- Karabell

    ICYMI: Will Trout win his first home run title?

21. San Diego Padres
    2019 record: 64-72
    Week 21 ranking: 21

    A decision on Chris Paddack's workload will presumably come in the next several days, as the rookie right-hander has now compiled 124⅓ innings, or 34⅓ more than he totaled in the minor leagues in 2018. The Padres have given him plenty of rest all year, never pitching him on fewer than five days' rest, but despite that, Paddack is 3-for-8 in quality starts with a 5.36 ERA since the All-Star break. -- Cockcroft

22. Chicago White Sox
    2019 record: 60-76
    Week 21 ranking: 24

    The ascension of starter Lucas Giolito to ace status has been one of the brightest developments of the ChiSox's campaign. A similar but lesser-noticed breakout may have taken place for fellow righty starter Reynaldo Lopez. Lopez's overall numbers won't turn any heads, which is one reason his in-season improvement hasn't garnered as much attention as Giolito's strong performance. Lopez is 8-12 with 5.41 ERA and 138 strikeouts over 153 innings. Since the All-Star break, however, Lopez had gone 4-3 with a 2.82 ERA and 52 strikeouts over 54⅓ innings before coughing up six runs in just two-thirds of an inning against the Braves on Saturday. He has allowed three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts since the break. Lopez no-hit the Rangers for five innings on Aug. 25 before departing with flu-like symptoms. His improvement could be following a similar path to that of Giolito, who started poorly in 2018 but was better down the stretch. If so, Lopez will be a player to watch when we reach the 2020 season. -- Doolittle

23. Colorado Rockies
    2019 record: 59-79
    Week 21 ranking: 23

    The Rockies can't seem to catch any breaks on the pitching side, surrendering a National League-worst 55 runs during the past week, and they're now in danger of threatening their franchise worst for starters' ERA, with a 5.94 mark that is within range of the 6.19 that the 1999 rotation posted. The loss of ace German Marquez to right arm inflammation, which threatens to end his season prematurely, has forced the team to turn to three starters -- Chi Chi Gonzalez, Peter Lambert and Tim Melville -- who weren't even on the 40-man roster as recently as the beginning of June. -- Cockcroft

    ICYMI: Gray lost for season with foot fracture

24. Toronto Blue Jays
    2019 record: 55-83
    Week 21 ranking: 22

    The Blue Jays have four rookies with double-digit home runs this season (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rowdy Tellez, Danny Jansen, Cavan Biggio) with Billy McKinney (9) and Bo Bichette (8) not far behind. If both were to get to 10, it would set the record for the most rookies on a team with double-digit HR in a season with six. The two teams with five players doing so are the 1958 Giants and the 2006 Marlins. -- Michael Bonzagni, ESPN Stats & Information

25. Pittsburgh Pirates
    2019 record: 60-77
    Week 21 ranking: 25

    Even if too little, too late, the Pirates' bats, which had ranked among the coldest in baseball since the All-Star break, have shown up recently, their 7.6 runs-per-game average since Aug. 23 showing stark contrast to their 3.84 average -- that ranked third-worst in the game -- between the break and Aug. 22. Starling Marte has been the team's consistent hitting leader in the second half, whether those around him contributed or not, as he has slashed .325/.375/.581 with 11 homers and 12 steals. -- Cockcroft

26. Seattle Mariners
    2019 record: 58-80
    Week 21 ranking: 26

    Kyle Seager's August was one of the best months of his career as he hit .323/.417/.699 with nine home runs, eight doubles and 25 RBIs. He ranked seventh in the majors for the month in OPS and wOBA. The Mariners head to Houston for four games this week: They are 1-12 against the Astros and have a chance to go 1-18. Since 1969, no team has lost 18 games to another in one season. (Six teams have lost 17, including the 2006 Mariners, who went 2-17 against the A's.) -- Schoenfield

    ICYMI: M's Broxton hit with suspension for throwing equipment

27. Miami Marlins
    2019 record: 48-88
    Week 21 ranking: 27

    Twenty-two of the 25 lowest-attendance games in MLB this year have been in Miami, but the Marlins' draw hit a new low this week: Just 5,297 paid on Monday and 24,300 over a four-game set, fewer fans in the long series than 18 MLB teams average per game. -- Miller

    ICYMI: Anderson likely done for remainder of 2019

28. Kansas City Royals
    2019 record: 49-89
    Week 21 ranking: 28

    As the Royals hit the final month of another rebuilding season, the immediate future of the process became murky -- perhaps in a good way -- when the news dropped that the team was being purchased by a group led by Indians minority owner John Sherman. It'll be a bit before MLB's owners can sign off on the transaction, and Sherman still has to divest himself of his interest in the Indians. So we don't have a great gauge at the moment as to whether Sherman is simply going to assume the wheel of a ship already pointed in a certain direction or if he'll want to change tacks and remake the organization in the image of the Indians. What is that image? For one thing, the Indians have followed more of an analytically driven path than the Royals have in their own Braves-inspired system. But Sherman is a Royals fan going way back, so the John Schuerholz/Dayton Moore model could be just what he has in mind. -- Doolittle

    ICYMI: Royals sold to K.C. businessman, investors group

29. Baltimore Orioles
    2019 record: 45-91
    Week 21 ranking: 29

    It's been a rough couple of years for the O's, but there's always a silver lining. Through 80 games this season, Baltimore was the worst team in baseball (22-58, .275) by 5½ games. Since then, the Orioles' .411 winning percentage is ninth in the American League and 20th overall. And if we subtract the O's brutal 1-13 stretch in early August from that span, they are a respectable 22-20. Not so bad, right? -- Richards

    ICYMI: Orioles' tempers flare again in dugout incident

30. Detroit Tigers
    2019 record: 40-94
    Week 21 ranking: 30

    Travis Demeritte's rough week -- he's 1 for his past 22 -- knocked his season line far enough that the Tigers now have only two hitters with an OPS better than the league average: pitcher Matthew Boyd (1-for-2) and pitcher Gregory Soto (2-for-2). -- Miller

    ICYMI: Gardenhire wants to return as manager of struggling Tigers