Bill Peters resigned as coach of the Calgary Flames on Nov. 29 after it was revealed he used racial slurs toward one of his minor league players a decade ago. The resignation was the culmination of a tense week for the NHL, though things haven't exactly eased up. Peters isn't the only name implicated in a wide-reaching scandal that questions the prevalence of abuse from hockey coaches -- both psychological and physical.

Here is a primer on one of the biggest topics in hockey right now.

This happened 10 years ago. Why is this all coming to light now?

Kaplan: Hockey has long struggled with diversity; of the NHL's 700-plus players, only about 30 are black. The NHL has launched several sweeping initiatives to grow the game, but there has always been questions about inclusivity in the sport.

That conversation came to the forefront in early November when 85-year-old Don Cherry -- an institution in Canadian broadcasting -- was fired for calling immigrants "you people" in a television rant in which he said new immigrants are not honoring the country's fallen soldiers. Later in the month, Mike Babcock, the NHL's highest-paid coach, was fired by the Toronto Maple Leafs. Though Babcock was not alleged to have done anything racist, after his firing, stories began leaking about his treatment of players -- specifically how he used intimidation as a motivation tactic. That all led to Akim Aliu firing off this tweet on Nov. 25.

Not very surprising the things we're hearing about Babcock. Apple doesn't fall far from the Tree, same sort of deal with his protege in YYC. Dropped the N bomb several times towards me in the dressing room in my rookie year because he didn't like my choice of music. First one to

— Akim Aliu (@Dreamer_Aliu78) November 26, 2019

It didn't take long for people to realize Aliu was talking about Calgary Flames coach Bill Peters. And that's when things really ramped up.

Who is Akim Aliu, and what has he alleged?

Kaplan: Aliu, 30, is currently a free agent. A second-round draft pick of the Blackhawks in 2007, Aliu played seven NHL games with the Flames in 2012-13, but mostly played in the AHL and overseas during his career. Aliu last suited up for the ECHL's Orlando Stingrays in 2013.

Aliu was born in Nigeria but raised in Ukraine and Canada. In 2009, while still a Blackhawks prospect, he was playing for the Rockford IceHogs -- Chicago's top minor league affiliate -- while Peters was the coach. Aliu was in charge of the music in the dressing room for morning skate, when Peters walked in. According to Aliu's account to TSN, Peters walked in and said: "I'm sick of hearing this n-----s f---ing other n-----s in the ass stuff."

"He then walked out like nothing ever happened," Aliu told TSN. "You could hear a pin drop in the room, everything went dead silent. I just sat down in my stall, didn't say a word."

When asked why he waited so long to come forward, Aliu told TSN: "This isn't me being bitter. I sat on this a really, really long time. It broke my heart, I think it made my career go downhill before it started. This isn't to the degree of [Colin] Kaepernick by any means, but if you play the race card, it's most likely the end of your career."

Peters acknowledged the incident in a letter of apology to Calgary GM Brad Treliving. Peters said the comments were made in a "moment of frustration."

"Although it was an isolated and immediately regrettable incident, I take responsibility for what I said,'' Peters wrote.

Aliu again went to Twitter to say he thought Peters' apology was "misleading, insincere and concerning."

The Flames launched an internal investigation into Peters, and he resigned four days later. Aliu met with the NHL, and has hired the same law firm that represents Kaepernick.

Are Aliu's allegations the only ones against Bill Peters? What about other NHL coaches?

Wyshynski: After Aliu's accusation, former Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Michal Jordan tweeted on Nov. 26 that Peters was his "worst coach ever by far" and alleged that Peters had kicked him and punched another player in the head while coaching the Hurricanes. Current Carolina coach Rod Brind'Amour, an assistant under Peters, confirmed the incident happened. "Management handled it directly. We never heard of it again. Never saw anything else after that," he said.

This week, the Chicago Blackhawks put assistant coach Marc Crawford on administrative leave while the team conducts a "thorough review" of "recent allegations that have been made regarding his conduct with another organization."

Former NHL player Sean Avery told the New York Post that Crawford had kicked him during a game in the 2006-07 season, when Crawford was coaching Avery on the Los Angeles Kings. Two days later, in a Twitter video, Avery defended Crawford. "Marc Crawford had every right in the world to kick me in the ass. He should have spanked my ass a little bit more. I deserved it," Avery said. "I loved Crow. He was my second-favorite NHL coach. Fact."

Crawford was also accused of mental abuse by former NHL player Patrick O'Sullivan, who said on Twitter last week that Crawford "knew my abuse background as a child" and used that against him when both were with the Kings. Accusations made against Crawford last year by Brent Sopel, another former NHL player, were resurfaced as well. "He kicked me, he choked me, he grabbed the back of my jersey and pulled me back," Sopel told Barstool Sports' "Spittin' Chiclets" podcast.

Peters and Crawford have both been investigated by their teams. Babcock was already out of a job when allegations surfaced regarding his mental abuse of players. The Toronto Sun reported that Babcock had then-rookie Mitch Marner rank his teammates based on work ethic, and Babcock then shared the list with the players Marner ranked lowest. Leafs management eventually compelled Babcock to apologize to Marner, and Babcock told Sportsnet, "I was trying to focus on work ethic with Mitch -- focusing on role models -- ended up not being a good idea. I apologized at (the) time."

Another story of abuse was shared by Hockey Hall of Famer Chris Chelios, who alleged that Babcock had given former Red Wings forward Johan Franzen "a nervous breakdown" on the bench due to his verbal abuse. Franzen would tell a Swedish newspaper that he feared coming to the arena. "He attacked other players first. The nice players. Those who does not say much. When they disappeared, his energy went over to me and I got my run. It was verbal attacks. He said horrible things," Franzen said.

Babcock has yet to comment on these allegations.

Bill Peters resigned. Is that the end of the story with him?

Wyshynski: There are still a few loose threads. Treliving said that after Peters' resignation that "our review, for the most part now, is done. The information will be turned over to the league. But we consider the matter closed." The NHL said on Sunday that its "review of this serious matter is ongoing" and commissioner Gary Bettman had a sit-down with Aliu and his representatives on Tuesday in Toronto.

Then there's the Ron Francis matter. Francis -- now the GM of the expansion team in Seattle -- was the general manager of the Hurricanes when Peters allegedly assaulted two players. He released a statement, through the NHL, which confirmed that a group of players and staffers made him aware of the "physical incidents" and that he took "immediate action to address the matter and briefed ownership."

That statement stands in direct contrast with what former Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos told the Seattle Times. Karmanos claimed that he first heard of the incident through Jordan's tweets, and that Peters "wouldn't have lasted five minutes with me or most of our organization" had he known about it at the time.

Francis said in his statement that he would not comment further on the matter. It's hard to believe this will be the last word on it, given that Francis will need to hire a coaching staff in Seattle.

The NHL has said that it places a high priority on diversity and inclusion. How is the league responding to this?

Wyshynski: The meeting with Aliu is the first step in what should be a more comprehensive response from the league after the board of governors meetings in Pebble Beach, California, on Dec. 9-10. "We are pleased to have met with Akim Aliu and had a productive and candid conversation," Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a league statement. "[This] discussion is part of a broader, thorough review and process that the league is undertaking. We share a mutual objective: ensuring that hockey is an open and inclusive sport at all levels."

Aliu might speak at that meeting, where formal policies regarding protection for players who speak out about abusive coaches, as well as a revised harassment and discrimination standards, are expected to be presented. But the primary question facing the NHL is whether it will be proactive in enforcing these policies or leave it to its teams. While the league condemned Peters in a statement, it was the Flames that took action in removing him from the bench prior to his resignation, for example. Whose mess is this to clean up?

OK, so what is the NHLPA's role in all of this?

Wyshynski: The NHLPA supports those players who are taking to social media to make accusations. "I don't think guys are worried about the PA. The PA is there to have every player's back," former NHL player Anthony Stewart told ESPN.

The issue for the PA is that players don't always use it as a way to remedy situations. During preseason meetings and throughout the season, players are made aware that the NHLPA is a resource where they can take their complaints. But the PA can act on only what's presented to it. It wasn't, for example, made aware of the Bill Peters incidents with the Hurricanes, which were then handled internally.

The NHLPA hasn't commented directly on any of the controversies surrounding Peters, Crawford or Babcock via its Twitter handle or website.

For their part, the NHL Coaches Association released a statement this week saying they are committed to working with the NHL and NHLPA "to ensure respectful working environments for everyone."

We've heard that this is the tip of the iceberg. What is going to happen next?

Kaplan: According to some, we're about to see a reckoning in hockey. Former NHL forward Daniel Carcillo has been known as a league whistleblower in the past. Carcillo tweeted that he "personally witnessed" abuse from Darryl Sutter, his coach with the Los Angeles Kings during the 2013-14 season. Carcillo put out a call to action on Twitter last week, essentially telling players, "If you have something you want to get off your chest, DM me with your stories." Carcillo told ESPN that he received more than 300 messages in five days.

"Most of the things center around the rookie parties," Carcillo said. "Physical and verbal abuse, and there is some sexual abuse. There are a lot of mental health complications that have been derived from this."

Those actions span all levels -- including the NHL -- though Carcillo said many incidents involve junior teams. Carcillo is hoping some of the players who shared their stories privately will come forward. "This is the exact same thing as the Catholic church, because there is a systematic cover-up," Carcillo said. "Now you have Don Cherry, who tumbled, he's like the pope. Then you have Mike Babcock, who is like a bishop. Then all of the sudden, people are like, 'Holy s---, I can actually enact change if I say something? I'm going to say something now. I'm going to take my power back now.' And that's what it is. My whole campaign is waking former guys up, and waking current guys up, and letting them know that how they're being treated isn't even close to being right."

We're seeing a trickle down to lower levels. Just this week, the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League fired their head athletic trainer and equipment manager, Jamie LeBlanc, "following revelations of recent pattern of demeaning and derogatory comments, threatening behavior and unprofessional conduct."

However, many in the NHL believe that Peters is an isolated incident -- or that generally, the league is in a pretty good place.

"I played with Akim Aliu, I played with him in Calgary for a bit," Blues defenseman Jay Bouwmeester told ESPN. "You feel bad for the guy, I don't know what it's like to be in that position. But I've also played on teams with guys from all different ethnic backgrounds and cultures, and I know the hockey dressing room is generally a pretty safe space."

"I know there are some people saying, this is going to reach a point where things change," Bouwmeester, who has been in the NHL since 2002, said. "But I don't think it's going to be catastrophic and I don't think there is a need for huge changes because I think that is a pretty isolated incident from 10 years ago, and from that time. Things have changed. That's life. From a general standpoint on culture, it's evolved a lot in my career. I started in '02. Even at that point, it was probably a lot tamer than it has been in years past. The world is just a more transparent place now. Anybody can air their frustrations or problems on their Twitter or whatever -- whether that's a good thing or bad thing, it does keep things moving along."

Added Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher: "I started working full time around the NHL in 1991, and I've been around the game since the early '70s with my dad. The game has changed, so has coaching. I don't think there is a place in the game -- nor has there ever been -- for bullying behavior or for racist behavior. I certainly would say coaching styles have probably changed a little bit in terms of how demanding you are on the players, but I have to say in all my years I can't recall a situation where I have been made aware of a situation of abuse of conduct by a coach."

David Moyes is being considered for a return to Everton to replace under-pressure manager Marco Silva, but sources have told ESPN that there are divisions within the Goodison Park hierarchy over the Scot returning to the role he left in order to take charge of Manchester United in May 2013.

Silva, who replaced Sam Allardyce as Everton manager in the summer of 2018, is fighting to save his job after Wednesday's 5-2 defeat against Liverpool at Anfield left the club in the Premier League bottom three.

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The former Hull City and Watford manager retains the backing of Everton director Marcel Brands, sources have told ESPN, but with the club fearing a relegation battle in the second half of the season, there is also support in some quarters for Moyes to return to help inspire a revival.

Moyes, who was sacked after just 11 months in charge of United in 2014, suffered relegation as Sunderland manager in 2016-2017 and he has not worked since leaving West Ham at the end of the 2017-18 season.

A vocal section of the Everton fan base is against his return as manager, with anti-Moyes graffiti being daubed on the walls of Goodison last week.

Moyes' supporters regard him as offering stability and experience, however, and a proven track record of being able to succeed at Goodison, following his previous 11-year stint as manager.

Mark Hughes, a former Everton player, is another candidate, although sources have told ESPN that the former Manchester City and Southampton manager is an outsider to replace Silva.

The lack of proven and available candidates to succeed Silva could yet keep him in his job, however.

Everton face Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal in their next three league games, and if Silva survives, Sunday's home game against Chelsea is likely to be decisive.

Liverpool are set to field a youthful team in their Carabao Cup quarterfinal against Aston Villa after they named the squad to travel to the FIFA Club World Cup tournament.

The club announced they will use two different squads with the Villa tie on Dec. 17 and the semifinal in Qatar the following day.

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Liverpool named a strong 23-man squad for the tournament which includes youngsters Neco Williams, Harvey Elliott, Rhian Brewster and Curtis Jones who featured in the Carabao Cup victory over Arsenal in October.

Liverpool also confirmed Joel Matip and Fabinho would be unavailable to travel to Qatar due to injuries.

As a result of the announcement, Liverpool are set to play an inexperienced side against Villa which will consist of academy players.

Liverpool's under-23 coach Neil Critchley will manage the team that will play against Villa, while Klopp and his staff will travel with the first-team squad to Qatar.

Liverpool are looking to win the Club World Cup for the first time their history.

The limited-overs series between India and West Indies, which begin from Friday with a T20I, will have front-foot no-balls exclusively monitored by the third umpires. Announcing the development on Thursday, the ICC said that the on-field umpires would be responsible for all other decisions "in the usual way" while the third umpire would monitor every ball for overstepping. In case a bowler oversteps, the third umpire will inform the on-field umpire to signal a no-ball. Put simply, the on-field umpires will not be calling any no-balls without the assistance of the third umpires during this series.

In the scenario where even the third umpire finds it hard to call a no-ball based on the pictures, the ICC has said the "benefit of doubt" will be with the bowler. And in the case where a batsman has been ruled out on a ball that has been called a no-ball by the third umpire, he can be called back even after the ball has been called dead.

"It's important to note that any benefit of the doubt lies with the bowler, and if a late no-ball call is communicated, then the on-field umpire will rescind a dismissal (if applicable) and call no ball," the ICC said in a statement.

This is the second time that the ICC is trialling technology to monitor overstepping in international cricket, with the first one coming in a 2016 ODI series between England and Pakistan. The IPL is also considering an extra TV umpire for monitoring no-balls in its next edition.

"The outcomes of the trial will be used to gauge whether the system has a beneficial impact on the accuracy of no-ball decisions and whether it can be implemented while minimising disruption to the flow of the game," the ICC said.

In August, the ICC's general manager for cricket operations, Geoff Allardice told ESPNcricinfo that the technology to be used in these trials would broadly be the same as that trialled in 2016. A Hawk-Eye operator presented still images to the third umpire during that trial, where the average decision time to call a no-ball was found to be eight seconds. The idea is that those times will come down the more umpires get used to the system.

"The footage is shown on a slight delay, it goes to super slo-mo as the foot approaches the point of landing, and then it freezes," Allardice had explained. "The routine works well, with the third umpire judging the no-ball off a picture that is not always shown on the broadcast."

Umpiring, particularly with regard to front-foot no-balls, has been under the scanner over the last 18 months, with several high-profile errors being identified. For instance, In November 2018, broadcaster Sky had found that Sri Lanka's Lakshan Sandakan had overstepped 12 times without penalty in a passage where he had bowled only 30 balls. Umpire S Ravi was officiating during that spell, as he was earlier this year during the IPL when he drew Virat Kohli's ire for missing a no-ball in a tight match.

More recently, Pat Cummins appeared to have nothing behind the line after he dismissed Pakistan's Mohammed Rizwan in the Gabba Test last month, but the wicket was upheld even after the third umpire had seen a reasonable amount of slow-mo replays.

India's tour of Australia in 2021 could become the first series ever to feature more than one day-night Test.

A Cricket Australia (CA) delegation, led by its chairman Earl Eddings, is set to meet the new BCCI administration on the sidelines of a limited-overs series in January with the question of day-night Tests fairly and squarely on the agenda.

With the MCG and SCG Tests set in stone as day matches played opposite the Big Bash League, this may likely mean both of the first two Tests - to be played in two of Adelaide, Brisbane and Perth - are primed for the pink ball, especially given the better time slot for Indian broadcast audiences.

Negotiations have not yet begun, but "we'll mention that when we're over there in January talking during the one-day series," Eddings told ESPNcricinfo. "As you build that trust and build that relationship you have that chat.

"Pleasingly they've played their first day-night Test and won easily. Now they've got through that it might give them the right build up to it over here. I've got no doubt they'll consider playing one and maybe even more day-night Test matches. But that's down the track to when we catch up with them in January."

After a dominating victory against Bangladesh in India's inaugural pink-ball Test in November, Indian captain Virat Kohli was asked about the prospect of one during the Australian tour next year. Kohli said he was "open to do anything" as long as there was a practice match under lights. Then on Sunday, BCCI president Sourav Ganguly said: "When we tour, we will deal as per the request of the [host] board". CA are set to make the ask now.

The other question surrounding next summer will be the exact timing of the Tests, either a more traditional schedule concluding with the SCG Test in the first week of January, or stretching further into 2021, as was the case in 2011-12 and 2007-08. Eddings indicated that CA would like, in future, to play five Test series against India, as England now does.

"Still working through that, it's a normal tour in that they're playing four Test matches, we've got one against Afghanistan," he said. "Ideally we want to be playing five Tests against India, hopefully in the future we can do that as well."

Eddings wrote to Ganguly upon the announcement he had been named the new BCCI president, backed by a cadre of administrators including the former BCCI president and ICC chairman N Srinivasan. The complex dynamics of the BCCI are a key focus of Eddings as CA's chair, as demonstrated early in his job when the Indian board insisted that Australia play the ODI series in January, taking them away from home in the middle of a packed summer and pushing an ODI series against New Zealand into March.

"First of all I've congratulated Sourav and reached out to him," Eddings said. "The fact India are playing day-night Test cricket is a great thing. It shows that he cares about the game. We've exchanged letters, I'm going over there with some of our board members in early January for some of the ODIs where I hope to meet with the new BCCI administration. I want to stress we've got a very strong relationship with India, there's a lot of mutual respect there. While we have our differences because we've got different needs, the relationship is very strong."

Asked whether he was concerned that India's board may - now that they are free from Supreme Court control - look to dominate world cricket as they did before, Eddings was hopeful of a different approach this time.

"In my time being involved with the ICC we've had very good relationships - never been in that situation," he said. "So I'd like to think going forward everyone's got the best interests of the game at heart and we can maximises those opportunities for everybody. Doesn't mean we won't have our disagreements, but certainly in terms of what I've seen so far it's like anything, you build a relationship based on trust, you sit down, work through the issues and try to find some common ground.

"India's very generous, they rarely play many Test matches in their home summer because they're always travelling to support a lot of other countries. They're very cognisant of the importance they play in world cricket. I respect that enormously. If you look at international broadcasting for red ball cricket, that's where the challenge is, getting international broadcasters to value that over some of the T20 competitions and the like."

A guide to Sunday’s action in Lisbon, including previews, a timetable and TV info

After racing through a safari park on the outskirts of Tilburg in Holland to celebrate the event’s 25th staging 12 months ago, the SPAR European Cross Country Championships is now preparing to make its next stop in the Portuguese capital of Lisbon.

With the temperature on Sunday expected to reach around 16 degrees centigrade and the weather set fair, the Parque da Bella Vista should provide a somewhat different test to the usual cross country challenges to be found on UK shores.

A total of 602 athletes representing 40 countries – including Russian athletes competing as Authorised Neutral Athletes – have been declared across the seven races. The entry lists also include all six reigning individual champions – U20 winners Jakob Ingebrigtsen from Norway and Italy’s Nadia Battocletti, U23 gold medallists Anna Emilie Møller of Denmark and Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, as well as Filip Ingebrigtsen and Turkey’s Yasemin Can in the senior races.

Spain will defend their title in the mixed relay event, with Britain looking to replicate their gold medal winning performance of 2017 this time around.

Senior races

Andrew Butchart, an individual bronze medallist in 2017 and team gold medallist in 2016, returns to lead Great Britain’s charge in Portugal.

Butchart did not run the trials, opting instead for a tune-up on the roads in America, but is joined in the team by Liverpool trials winner Ben Connor.

Filip Ingebrigtsen is set to return after winning his first European cross country gold last year, while Isaac Kimeli of Belgium and Turkish 2016 champion Aras Kaya will also be ones to watch.

In the women’s race, Jess Judd pulls on her first senior individual Great Britain cross country vest after forming part of the mixed relay team which came fourth last year.

The trials winner will be joined by the likes of Kate Avery and Charlotte Arter, who was the leading Briton in seventh in Tilburg.

African born Turkish athlete Yasemin Can is aiming for her fourth consecutive title, while Ireland’s two-time winner Fionnuala McCormack makes her 16th Euro Cross appearance.

U23 races

Mahamed Mahamed makes his fifth consecutive Euro Cross appearance following his second place in the GB trials, where he was followed closely by Kent’s Alex Yee, the British 10,000m champion and triathlete who fell during his last Euro Cross in Chia.

The under-23 race will once again feature the colourful Frenchman Jimmy Gressier, who defends his title.

Anna Emilie Møller enjoyed a fine season on the track, winning European under-23 gold in both the 3000m and the steeplechase, and the Dane will be aiming to cap a memorable year with further cross country success.

Bronwen Owen was first under-23 home in Liverpool and leads the British line-up.

U20 races

It’s hard to believe he is still young enough to compete in this age category but, should he run, 1500m world championships fourth placer Jakob Ingebrigtsen will go in pursuit of a fourth consecutive junior men’s title.

GB’s Matt Willis has had two 14th place finishes in his previous European Cross attempts and is now aiming for a podium place.

Italy’s Nadia Batocletti, an emotional winner last year, defends her title.

Saskia Millard will cap her return from two years of struggles with injury and illness when she lines up for GB.

Entries

The final entry lists are available to download here, while the GB team is listed here.

Course map and timetable

09:45 Opening ceremony
10:00 U20 men (6225m; Ss + 4L laps + Fs)
10:30 U20 women (4225m; Ss + 2S laps+ 2L laps + Fs)
10:55 U23 men (8225m; Ss+ 1S lap + 5L laps + Fs)
11:30 U23 women (6225m; Ss + 4L laps + Fs)
12:05 Mixed relay (4 x 1500m; Ss + 4x1L lap + Fs)
12:35 Senior men (10.225m; Ss + 2S laps + 6L laps + Fs)
13:20 Senior women (8225m; Ss + 1S lap+ 5L laps + Fs)
S: Short lap (500m); L: Long lap (1500m); Ss: Start straight (125m); Fs: Finish straight (100m)

TV guide

10:00-14:00, live coverage via the BBC Red Button, Connected TVs, BBC Sport website and mobile app.

Highlights
17:15-18:15, BBC Two and online (may be regional variations)

Ireland's failure to prepare effectively for the humidity in Japan negatively affected their performance at the Rugby World Cup, Rory Best says.

The retired former Irish captain made his final international appearance in his side's heavy quarter-final defeat by New Zealand in October.

Best said Ireland underestimated the impact the humidity would have.

"People want definite answers as to what went wrong, but there just isn't one," he told 2fm's Game On.

He said the squad's pre-tournament training camp in Portugal was helpful, but that it did not do enough to fully prepare them for what they would face.

"We nailed the heat in Portugal but we possibly underestimated the effect the humidity would have, not on our conditioning but on our ability to handle the ball," he continued.

"I'm not big into gimmicks and when I heard about Wales were using baby oil on the ball, I thought it was just a nonsense - until I got out there and suddenly realised.

"I was drying my hands to throw the ball in but by the time you picked the ball up your hands were soaking because you were sweating so much.

"I think we could maybe have trained with dry balls to get confidence, but also trained with the ball soaking wet, to work out how our skill level could be improved by doing this.

"At the start we used an older ball which was more slippery but that tailed off a bit as the pressure of the games came on and you wanted to make sure you had enough confidence for them.

"I think, ultimately, we should have just been going right through thinking 'if these are the worst conditions we are performing in, then it is great because the games will be easy'."

Joe Schmidt's Ireland beat the All Blacks last year and were among the favourites to win the World Cup, but lost to the hosts in the group stages before being outclassed by the All Blacks in the last eight.

Best, who admitted considering reversing his retirement after receiving a number of club offers, also questioned whether an earlier arrival in Japan before the World Cup could have helped Ireland overcome the challenge of the humid conditions.

"It takes time to get used to the conditions and it was only as the tournament went on that our handling got better," he added.

"You're trying to balance being away from home for that extra length of time versus getting your preparations right. You have to find out what is right for your squad.

"Definitely, whatever we could have done to make the handling a bit more appropriate... maybe being out there earlier might have made a difference but you are dealing in hindsight."

Big picture

You look at the ICC T20I rankings and wonder, how the mighty have fallen. The reigning champions of T20Is enter the three-match series ranked tenth. But as it often is after the Caribbean Premier League, rankings mean very little because the team composition is so different from the one only six months before.

Neither Chris Gayle nor Andre Russell are around, nor is Carlos Brathwaite. So there are plenty of opportunities for some of West Indies' squad members to contest for a spot in the XI for next year's T20 World Cup. There's Fabian Allen, the allrounder who is expected to fill in for Russell in the XI. Then there's Brandon King, the highest scorer of CPL 2019. And finally, there's Hayden Walsh Jr, who will be determined to show that he made the right call by switching allegiances from the USA to the West Indies. The return of the experienced Lendl Simmons boosts their batting too.

There's also the fact that these youngsters are playing a T20I series in India that starts just a fortnight before the IPL auction. There will be plenty of eyeballs on them. The likes of Oshane Thomas, Shimron Hetmyer and Nicholas Pooran went for big bucks last year, and the opportunity to impress looms large for some others.

But even if you don't look that far ahead, West Indies would be brimming with confidence under new captain Kieron Pollard, especially after spending more than a month in the country for their series against Afghanistan. They face a side for whom the shortest format is arguably their weakest, and the visitors would look to capitalise on the frailties of the hosts.

For India, the come-from-behind win against Bangladesh in the T20Is has calmed some nerves over their consistency in the format. They'll be boosted by the rare appearance of Virat Kohli in home T20Is, as the captain has usually rested in the format over the last 12 months - like when West Indies toured India in 2018 - but with the World Cup less than a year away, it appears every game counts.

It's a young Indian team, but with Manish Pandey, KL Rahul, Washington Sundar and Sanju Samson entering the series after successful outings in the domestic T20 tournament, there couldn't be a better time than now for them to show their worth in the absence of the injured Jasprit Bumrah, Shikhar Dhawan and Hardik Pandya.

Form guide

India WWLLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

West Indies LLWLL

In the spotlight

With Deepak Chahar's meteoric rise, the pressure on Bhuvneshwar Kumar to succeed following his return from injury is high. He took only one wicket in two games in the domestic T20 tournament last month and since the end of the 2019 World Cup, he's gone wicketless in three of his last six white-ball internationals. With Bumrah unfit, there couldn't be a better chance than this series for Bhuvneshwar to show that he's still an important cog in the team's white-ball plans.

With Pooran sitting out the first T20I due to a for ball tampering, the series opener offers the best opportunity for Denesh Ramdin, the West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman, to make his mark. Although he's a safe wicketkeeper, he has not impressed in subcontinental conditions with the bat. Last year, he made only 27 runs in three innings (at a strike-rate of under 100) when West Indies toured India and in PSL 2018, he came under scrutiny for failing to rotate the strike adequately. With Shai Hope and Pooran possessing adequate keeping skills, Ramdin's days with West Indies may be numbered if he fails to get among the runs.

Team news

Since Sanju Samson replaced the injured Dhawan in the squad, he could be the second opener - instead of KL Rahul - beside Rohit Sharma. The other speculation is whether India play both wristspinners or choose multiple allrounders. India cannot ignore Pandey's form for too long either. He scored heavily in Karnataka's recent defense of their domestic T20 title. Although Mohammad Shami is part of the squad, he may be rested for the opener after delivering a heavy workload in India's home Tests.

India: (possible) 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Rishabh Pant (wk.), 7 Shivam Dube, 8 Ravindra Jadeja, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Deepak Chahar

Pooran's absence in the first match hurts West Indies' depth with the bat, and so they may play an extra allrounder. That could be Keemo Paul, unless they want to go with a third spinner in Khary Pierre.

West Indies: (possible) 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Brandon King, 4 Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Kieron Pollard (capt.), 6 Denesh Ramdin (wk.), 7 Jason Holder 8 Khary Pierre/Keemo Paul, 9 Fabian Allen, 10 Hayden Walsh Jr, 11 Sheldon Cottrell

Pitch and conditions

Two days before the start of the match, the pitch was covered for precautionary reasons because of overcast conditions. Since then, the skies have brightened. A cool evening is expected on match day, although weather reports claim that the air quality will be "very unhealthy." The Hyderabad surface has traditionally offered plenty for bowlers, with the home team in the IPL - Sunrisers Hyderabad - finding more success at the ground defending.

Stats and trivia

• Since January 2018, the average first-innings total for T20s at Hyderabad is 162.60

• Although Bhuvneshwar plays his IPL home games in Hyderabad, he has averaged 47.75 runs per wicket at the ground since IPL 2018

• For the first time since 2015, India have averaged more sixes per T20I than West Indies in a calendar year. In 2019, India have averaged 6.46 T20I sixes per game while West Indies have averaged 5 sixes per game.

Quotes

"We weren't a mile apart from India last year"
West Indies coach Phil Simmons lays down the facts in the build-up to the T20I series

A second independent director has resigned from the Cricket South Africa board, deepening the crisis within its administration. Mohamed Iqbal Khan, who also acted as chairperson of the finance committee, stepped down on Wednesday evening alleging serious misconduct in the organisation, including credit card abuse.

On Tuesday, Professor Shirley Zinn resigned as an independent director citing problems with CSA's "principles of corporate governance".

Khan's resignation letter, seen by ESPNcricinfo, points "all the fingers" at CEO Thabang Moroe, whom he accused of "bringing cricket into disrepute" given CSA's current situation. The board's problems at the moment include battles with the South African Cricketers' Association (SACA), projected losses of at least R654 million (USD 44 million approx) for the next four-year cycle, a lack of sponsorship for the Mzansi Super League, the suspension of three senior members of staff, and delays in appointing the director of cricket.

"I cannot believe you are not aware of the many issues that have caused this malaise and to that extent, you are also complicit, and perhaps even the entire board. However, I can no longer be part of an organisation that is fast ruining the game," Khan wrote.

Specifically, Khan appeared to agree with SACA, who had said Moroe was aware of the CSA's non-payment to SACA for commercial rights during the 2018 MSL, something which SACA claimed when other CSA employees were suspended. Interim director of cricket Corrie van Zyl, COO Naasei Appiah and head of sales and sponsorship Clive Eksteen are currently facing disciplinary action for alleged dereliction of duty related to the year-long delay in payment to SACA, which both SACA and now Khan say Moroe was aware of.

Khan is also the first person to mention financial irregularities on the record, after several insiders claimed CSA's expenses were running into the millions. In listing "some of the issues of concern to me", Khan wrote: "CSA never paid the South African Cricketers' Association a contractual amount in terms of a key stakeholder contract and the blame therefore was placed on three suspended employees despite the contract being signed by him [Moroe]", and cited "widespread credit card abuse in the office" as another point of contention.

The CSA Board comprised 12 members - president Chris Nenzani, the six presidents from the affiliated provinces - Beresford Williams, Zola Thamae, Tebogo Siko, Donovan May, Jack Madiseng and Angelo Carolissen - and five independent directors, namely Khan, Zinn, Dawn Mokhobo, Steve Cornelius and Marius Schoeman CS. Now it is down to 10. The inclusion of independent members came in 2012 after Gerald Majola was forced out because of the 2009 IPL bonus scandal.

Khan's letter also revealed that CSA were due to hold a board meeting on Tuesday, which was postponed to Saturday. More resignations are expected before then.