As we put the first 10% of the season in the books, here are 10 things to check out:

1. We need to talk about Nikola

Nikola Jokic has probably racked up more "likes" in this space than any other player. And so it is with a heavy heart that I note: Jokic does not look right, and the issues appear to go beyond his early season, umm, conditioning.

His shots, free throws and assists are down. Jokic is recording only 8.8 post touches per 100 possessions, down from 12 last season, per Second Spectrum, and that's a problem considering he is a devastating scorer and passer on the block. Things are just ... weird.

Against Orlando on Saturday, Jokic did not even look to post up for the entire first half. The coaches must have gotten on him at halftime. On Denver's first possession of the third quarter, Jokic jacked a contested above-the-break triple as soon as he touched the ball. He did it again two possessions later. Those shots seemed like messages: Oh, you want me to shoot? How about this?

He is pouting more even by his mopey standards: waving his arms in frustration at inaccurate passes, and slapping opponents to stop play after what he considers bad calls.

We haven't even addressed defense. Jokic has never exactly been agile, but he makes up for it to some degree with canny positioning, quick meat-hook hands, and voracious rebounding. Awkward appearances aside, the Nuggets have always been stingier with Jokic on the floor.

They still are, per NBA.com. But Jokic is barely moving. He paws at bodies as they fly around him, like a toddler reaching for bubbles.

Jokic is contesting only 3.9 shots per game around the basket, per NBA.com, a remarkably low number for a starting center logging 30 minutes per game. Some players contesting at least that many close shots: Bruce Brown, James Harden, Lonzo Ball, Darius Garland, and Mason Plumlee -- Jokic's backup. (Jokic contested six such shots per game last season.)

It's easy to laugh this off -- oh, that Jokic! -- and assume all will be well by the postseason. It is a great sign that Denver is 5-2 despite unremarkable starts from everyone other than Will Barton. Their starting five has mauled opponents by 38 points in 98 minutes.

But winning a title is really hard. It takes full engagement from everyone on the roster. Franchise players set the tone. Fissures openly easily in the NBA.

The super-deep Nuggets will probably be fine. Jokic is still having a solid season. But this bears watching.

2. The arrhythmic greatness of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

There just aren't many humans this shifty:

A lot of players toggle between two gears: fast and slow, or (in the case of guys like Kyle Anderson) slow and a little less slow. Gilgeous-Alexander operates along almost the entire speedometer, and he's so limby, with such arrhythmic patterns, it sometimes looks as if different parts of his body are moving at different rates.

That's just filthy. Utter filth. That hesitation dribble followed by a one-handed lefty gather? Come on.

Gilgeous-Alexander is mostly deliberate, but he can explode in straight lines when he needs to -- and finish over and through bigger defenders.

His growth in Year 2 has been incredible. Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 22 points and shooting 40% from deep. He has already canned six pull-up 3s after hitting just seven all of last season. He's a menace on defense, good for a steal and a block per game. His arms are everywhere.

He has functioned well on and off the ball in Oklahoma City's triple point guard lineup, with Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder; Oklahoma City is plus-28 in the 47 minutes those three have played together. Hopefully Gilgeous-Alexander gets more solo point duty later in the season.

Regardless, this guy looks like a future All-Star.

3. Luka Doncic, faking you out of your shoes

Hypothesis: Doncic has the nastiest, most convincing up-and-under move on Earth.

Oh, Hassan.

Most players go into an up-and-under having made up their mind to shoot. They have no Plan B. Doncic digests so much visual information in real time -- and is so smart anticipating where every player is about to be -- he can pivot (literally) into Plans B, C or D:

Numbers alone tell you Doncic is off to a crazy start: 27 points, 10 rebounds, and 9 assists per game on 47% shooting, including a scorching 58% on 2s. He has almost excised long 2s in favor of shots at the rim and 3s.

The eye test tells you even more. Doncic is thinking two steps ahead of everyone. His trademark pass as a rookie was probably the LeBron-style crosscourt laser to corner shooters. Already this season, he has shown mastery of other tricky dishes that reveal themselves -- only for a flash, and only to the very best passers -- in the run of play.

He is putting exactly the right touch, speed, and height on lobs to Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber:

That is a really hard pass -- the straight-on, long-distance lob. The timing is just a little bit different than is typical. Genius lives in those differences. Doncic picks up his dribble abruptly, before Avery Bradley is ready for it, and releases the ball almost while leaning backward. A lot of his lobs are like this. They come a beat earlier or later than you would expect. Doncic might already be the league's best lob passer.

He has great chemistry with Powell and Kleber. His partnership with Kristaps Porzingis is a work in progress. Opponents have outscored the Mavericks by 4.5 points per 100 possessions with both stars on the floor. Meanwhile, the Mavs are plus-28 in the 67 minutes Doncic has played without Porzingis -- and a monster plus-25 in 44 minutes with both out.

Porzingis spends a lot time spotting up around the Doncic/Powell and Doncic/Kleber two-man games; Doncic and Porzingis have partnered for only about 19 pick-and-rolls per 100 possessions, compared to 40 for Powell and 31 for Kleber.

That spot-up role is valuable. Rick Carlisle has other sets to spring Porzingis. Doncic and Porzingis have complementary skill sets; they will discover their sweet spots, though to make this thing sing, Porzingis has to get better abusing smaller defenders when opponents switch the Doncic-Porzingis pick-and-roll. Fadeaways aren't cutting it. He's not Dirk.

4. What does DeAndre Jordan do here, exactly?

Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant coercing the Nets into signing Jordan to a four-year, $40 million deal was an underrated free-agency side plot. Opponents have outscored the Nets by 13.4 points per 100 possessions with Jordan on the floor, per NBA.com. That number flips to almost its photo negative -- plus-12 -- when Jarrett Allen replaces him.

As Dallas and New York witnessed last season, Jordan just doesn't do anything on defense beyond being large and near the basket. He's basically a boulder with arms. That has value! He munches rebounds. The Nets give up fewer shots at the rim with Jordan on the floor. That has been the case with every Jordan team since his rookie season. Some players see a tall person and stop in their tracks.

The ones that keep going? They're shooting 12 percentage points higher on shots within the restricted area against Brooklyn with Jordan on the floor, per Cleaning The Glass. He's challenging only 3.3 such shots per game, even fewer than Jokic. He's a solid post defender, but the few good post-up centers left aren't afraid of him; Domantas Sabonis punked Jordan for a dunk on the first Pacers possession of their win in Brooklyn last week, and ate Jordan's lunch the rest of the game.

If the Nets had a basketball justification for signing Jordan, it was to defend bangers who overpower Allen. If he can't do that, how much value does he have?

Jordan doesn't catch as many lobs as he used to. He's even off to an icy start at the line after remaking himself into a decent foul shooter.

Brooklyn needs much more from their other free-agent acquisition.

5. Ricky Rubio and Devin Booker, making music

One reason Phoenix is the happiest story in the league: Their starting backcourt has found some two-man synergy.

Good shooters always make good screeners; defenders are afraid to help off of Booker, and that fear gives Rubio driving lanes. Any unconventional pick-and-roll wrinkle -- a strange guard-guard combination, a bit of pre-screen disguise -- makes it harder for Rubio's guy to scoot under picks.

One counter for defenses: switch! But that unlocks Booker's underappreciated post game. He's kind of rude down there!

Booker is playing the best all-around ball of his career. The Suns have scored 113 points per 100 possessions when he plays, and just 94.7 when he sits. They have outscored opponents by about 11 points per 100 possessions when he plays without Rubio. Right now, Booker is an All-Star.

Phoenix reminds me of last season's 39-win Kings: I'm not sure the Suns can sustain this pace and make the playoffs, but they are solid. They are benefiting a little from bonky opponent shooting, but not to any outrageous degree. Other teams have been far luckier.

The Suns are busting it on defense, a credit to both Monty Williams and the players. Deandre Ayton's return might complicate things -- Aron Baynes is a winning player -- but Ayton should and almost certainly will get the chance to start again.

6. PJ Washington's hook shot

The Hornets aren't as good as their record. Every win has been close. Every loss has been a blowout. They are 4-4 with a minus-61-point differential.

But they are fun, and the trio of Devonte' Graham, Miles Bridges and rookie Washington -- along with the coming lottery pick -- provides reason for real optimism.

Washington's not a star, but he already does most of what you want from a supporting frontcourt player. He defends multiple positions, and has even played some center.

He has hit 45% from deep, meaning he's dangerous spotting up or picking-and-popping. When he rolls to the rim, he rolls hard. He rolls to inflict pain. Switch those plays, and Washington punishes smaller defenders. He already has one of the league's sweetest, softest jump hooks:

Oh, baby. Washington sees Richaun Holmes coming, and lofts that thing into the rafters. Charlotte has scored 1.32 points per possession any time Washington shoots from the post or passes to a teammate who fires right away -- a number that would have led all regular post-up threats last season, per Second Spectrum.

7. Holy smokes, Malcolm Brogdon

Brogdon is a perfect complement to Victor Oladipo. I thought he might be overtaxed until Oladipo's return -- one reason I was pessimistic about the Pacers.

Whoops.

Brogdon is averaging 22 points and 10 dimes on 47% shooting, but what stands out is how comfortable and under control he looks from all three levels on offense -- even after a mini-slump from 3-point range. He calmly takes whatever the defense concedes. The form on his jumper is precise and unwavering.

He still gets a lot of what he wants, too -- namely bulldozing drives to the rim. Brogdon isn't explosive, but he has a sneaky first step. He's so strong, he doesn't need to blow by most opposing point guards. He buries his inside shoulder into the chest of his defender, turns that victim sideways, and ambles in for a layup. Sometimes, he just plows right through smaller guys:

Even amid blah spacing and a much more burdensome role than he enjoyed in Milwaukee, Brogdon is still getting 42% of his attempts within the restricted area -- massive for a guard. The Pacers cannot score when he rests, though injuries to basically every other member of their guard rotation have impacted that.

His versatility on defense -- he can guard every perimeter position -- has come in handy as the Pacers mix and match around him.

It's early, but Brogdon is on track to be a deserving first-time All-Star. Sabonis has a shot, too. They have kept Indiana afloat.

8. Gordon Hayward's Boston promise, fulfilled?

The promise of Hayward in Boston, so much talent around him, was of Hayward finding his perfect place within the team hierarchy. He wouldn't be the No. 1 option. Boston's motion offense would get him the ball in the flow, with a head start. He could average 20 points without forcing anything, dish dimes on the move, and focus his energy on defense. He would be a classic No. 2 option -- a sort of floating star.

Hayward's leg injury in the opener two seasons ago obliterated that vision. It is a sneaky "what if" moment in recent league history given everything that happened in its wake: the fast rise of Boston's young players; the resulting tension between some of them and Kyrie Irving; Irving's departure; the death of Boston's Anthony Davis dreams.

And yet after all that, Boston has found a good team -- and Hayward has found that version of himself. He's third on the team in usage rate -- behind Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker, and a whisker ahead of Jaylen Brown -- but he's scoring 20 points per game on 56% shooting. He's second in assists at 4.6 per game, trailing only Marcus Smart (4.7). (Interestingly, Walker is third at four per game. Boston has an unusually democratic distribution of assists. Both Williamses coming off the bench can sling it.)

Very few of his buckets emerge out of static situations. Most look like this:

Ditto for his assists:

Hayward looks steadier on his feet. He's moving more fluidly, and defending with a renewed stoutness. He has been a part of almost every good Boston lineup.

9. Orlando's wretched offense

Orlando's offense is a merry-go-round to nowhere. It looks pleasing. Passes are made. Screens are set. The ball is on one side of the floor, and then it is on the other. The Magic actually get into the paint -- only Miami averages more paint touches -- but you never get the sense they have punctured the defense.

I suspect they brush the fringes of the paint a lot, and enter and exit it without doing anything dangerous.

Orlando is dead last in points per possession by a laughable margin. That is a little fluky. The Magic are shooting 27% from deep; they will make more shots.

But some of this impotence appears endemic. The Magic ranked 22nd in points per possession last season. They struggle to generate shots at the rim; they rank about average this season, a huge step up. Only two teams attempt fewer corner 3s. And (stop me if you've heard this for, like, the past seven seasons) they rarely get to the foul line.

They have too many power forwards, and not enough shooters and playmakers. Aaron Gordon has no defined role. D.J. Augustin has predictably regressed after an outlier season. Nikola Vucevic settles for flip shots.

Markelle Fultz still can't shoot; defenders go under every Fultz-Vucevic pick-and-roll, meaning Vucevic's man can stay home -- neutering his pick-and-pop looks.

I'm not even sure what the solution is. More fast breaks would help, especially with Fultz starting. (His promotion over Augustin felt a little premature.) That has not been their style, and they don't force many turnovers. Maybe they could run more basic spread pick-and-roll, and give both Gordon and Jonathan Isaac chances to work as rim-runners while Vucevic spaces the floor. They should avoid playing Al-Farouq Aminu, Isaac and Mo Bamba together.

They don't really have the personnel to play smaller. They could try more minutes with three of Augustin/Fultz/Evan Fournier/Terrence Ross on the floor, but that isn't moving the needle. Maybe they could lean even more on Vucevic post-ups against some opponents?

I dunno. But this is a one-way team, and one-way teams can't win big.

10. Take fouls gone wrong

The NBA needs to legislate out these fast-break-stopping clotheslines and hugs already -- they have done so in the G League; I don't get why this is so hard -- but in the meantime, I'll settle for occasional schadenfreude:

Nice work, Cedi Osman -- wrapping up a 90% career free throw shooter (Brogdon) with Indiana in the bonus! This is the basketball gods exacting revenge upon players seeking to exploit dumb loopholes.

Paralympic javelin champion hopes to become a four-time gold medalist at the World Para Athletics Championships

Javelin thrower Hollie Arnold has won Paralympic, European, Commonwealth and three world titles, but she wants more at the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai.

“I’m always motivated and still want more!” she says. “I currently hold all four titles, but I’d still love to go to Dubai and achieve more.

“I’m currently triple world champion, but if I could go out there and win the gold medal, I could become a quadruple champion, which is unreal.

“People think I’ve won all these medals and that’s that, but for me I want to continue pushing, every set and every mile, it makes it all worth it. I’ve always wanted to set myself goals, both small and large – I’ll never stop until it’s no longer possible.”

Arnold, who competes in the F46 javelin final on Monday, reveals she has started playing squash to complement her throws training, too.

“I occasionally do ‘fun’ cardio,” she explains. “I’ve taken up squash and I really like it. It’s fun, and active, you don’t even realise you’re doing a good workout for an hour or so.

“You need that fun element because training is hard and I don’t always enjoy it, but when you put fun stuff in it makes training a bit easier.”

Arnold was with wheelchair racer Kare Adenegan at a Nike FlyEase event and Adenegan added: “I’m really excited about Dubai. It will be my third world championships so that should be quite fun.

“I’ve progressed as an athlete quite a lot since I started so I’m hoping as I have been progressing though getting medals: silvers, bronzes. Maybe it will be time to actually win gold.”

England will go on a two-Test tour of Japan in summer 2020, the first time they have played the 2019 Rugby World Cup hosts in their own country.

England will play Japan in Oita on 4 July and in Kobe on 11 July.

Japan have risen to eighth in the rankings on the back of their run to the quarter-finals of their home Rugby World Cup last month.

The Brave Blossoms beat Ireland and Scotland en route to a defeat by eventual winners South Africa.

"Japan were fantastic Rugby World Cup hosts and we feel humbled to have been a part of it," said England coach Eddie Jones, who coached Japan before through their previous World Cup campaign in 2015.

"The England squad had a fantastic experience of the country and we are excited to return in July next year."

England have played Japan twice before, winning their most recent meeting 35-15 at Twickenham in November last year.

England also beat Japan 60-7 in the pool stages of the 1987 Rugby World Cup in Sydney.

PERRIS, Calif. — Brady Bacon earned his first victory in 27 starts at Perris Auto Speedway, leading all 30 laps on the opening night of the 24th annual Budweiser Oval Nationals presented by All Coast Construction.

“I think we’ve run second on prelim nights probably five or six times and been in the top five a couple times on the final night, so this is awesome to get this monkey off our back,” a relieved Bacon said. “Now, we can just go ahead and win a couple more this weekend.”

The long-awaited victory couldn’t have come a moment too soon for the 2014 and 2016 series champ from Broken Arrow, Okla., who hadn’t won with the series since a two-night sweep at Iowa’s Knoxville Raceway in July aboard the Dynamics, Inc./Mean Green – Fatheadz Eyewear – Tel-Star/Triple X/Rider Chevy.

“This late in the year, this win definitely helps going into the winter,” Bacon admitted. “We had a dry spell, a little bit of bad luck, led at Lawrenceburg and stuff like that. Hopefully, we can kind of get that momentum we had earlier this summer and carry it on for the rest of the year.”

Bacon started up front and was rarely challenged throughout the duration of the 30-lapper.

The first stoppage came early when the two USAC National Sprint Car title contenders C.J. Leary and Tyler Courtney collided in turn two on the fourth lap while battling for fifth.

The contact between Leary’s right rear and the left side of Courtney’s ride flattened Courtney’s left rear-tire.  As Courtney scrambled to regain control of his car, Leary’s teammate, Logan Seavey, came upon the scene and struck Courtney, heavily damaging the front end of Seavey’s car.

Both Courtney and Seavey returned to action following time in the work area.  Seavey struggled to a 21st place result while Courtney charged back through the pack to finish eighth. It was a night Courtney would rather forget after enduring a wild flip in turn three on the second lap of his qualifying run.

When action resumed, Bacon jumped back out to a one-plus second lead while seven-time USAC/CRA champ Damion Gardner began to close on Windom for the runner-up position.

Nearing the midway point, and in the throes of lapped traffic, Gardner made the move to second with an inside pass of Windom in turns one and two, but was stifled after encountering the lapped car of Chris Gansen on the low line of three, forcing Gardner to throttle back and allowing Windom to surge ahead on the top side for the position.

Once Windom cleared Gardner, he began to rapidly reel in Bacon.

However, just as Windom sensed the smell of blood in the water, a spin by Dennis Gile in turn three removed traffic from the equation for the time being and supplied Bacon with a clear track.

Windom resumed his chase of Bacon who held the advantage once again, but just as lapped traffic loomed, the yellow for the stopped car of three-time Oval Nationals winner and 10^th-running Bud Kaeding, who rested backward with eight laps to go.

On lap 24, Windom came as close as he’d get all night to Bacon, pulling within a half-car length of Bacon on the bottom between turns one and two. But Bacon was flawless the rest of the way, beating Windom by .974 seconds for his fifth victory of the season and 28^th of his career.

“I thought we had a pretty good balance there,” Bacon said. “We were good at the beginning, and still pretty good at the end. I felt like we were fading a little bit with those yellows at the end, but we’ll make some adjustments and be ready (for Friday and Saturday).”

Windom earned his sixth consecutive top-five finish aboard the Parallax Group-Goacher Racing/NOS Energy Drink – Parallax Power Supply/Twister/Claxton Mopar.

“Overall, it was a really solid night,” Windom stated. “Brady (Bacon) was better than us early on.  I think, once we moved up there, we were just as good as him, but he was probably just a little better than us overall tonight. I was hoping we would stay in lapped traffic there and we could race with those guys, but he got the restarts right when he needed them.  (My crew) has been working hard all night to get us in this position and I think we’ve got a good car for the rest of the weekend.”

Richard Vander Weerd finished third in his Ron Vander Weerd/Vander Weerd Construction – Maxwell Industries/DRC/Shark Chevy.

“These guys run 60 races a year or more, but I’ve run probably about 15 to 20 this year so far,” Vander Weerd explained. “But I run this track a lot more. Them racing a lot more is an advantage, but me running here more is an advantage too. (The car) was good at the end; we were a little too snug down in (turns) one and two, but it made up for it over in three and four where it was dry slick. Bacon and Windom are tough guys, so I can’t complain about finishing third behind them.”

Gardner and Leary rounded out the top five.

To see full results, turn to the next page.

We're a little more than one month into a 2019-20 NHL season that has included some major surprises, including the Buffalo Sabres in a playoff spot, the Edmonton Oilers leading their division, Darcy Kuemper leading all netminders in save percentage and goals-against average, and the San Jose Sharks ... well, the less said about their start the better.

To help digest some of these trends, we convened our panel to buy or sell a baker's dozen of hot takes based on the results after one month:

Jump ahead:

• The Lightning are still the team to beat

• The Sabres and Oilers will both make the playoffs

• The Caps should do a 50-50 timeshare in goal

• James Neal will score 40 goals

• Elias Pettersson will finish top-10 in scoring

• A defenseman will finish top-15 in scoring

• The Sharks will be a lottery team

• Arizona will trade a goalie before the deadline

• Mark Stone will be a Hart Trophy finalist

• The Islanders will finish second in the Metro

• The Rantanen injury is a bigger deal than Tarasenko's

• The Rangers or Devils will make the playoffs

• Pekka Rinne will be a Vezina Trophy finalist

1. Despite the Boston Bruins' start, the Tampa Bay Lightning are still the best team in the Atlantic Division.

Emily Kaplan, national NHL reporter: Well, they aren't playing like it. The Lightning seem haunted by last season's collapse. They need to regain their confidence. Meanwhile, the Bruins are buzzing. Entering the week, they had been trailing in games only about 10% of the time. Ridiculous.

Chris Peters, hockey prospects analyst: Sell. If the Lightning were better than the Bruins, they would be handling the absence of Victor Hedman a lot better than they are. In theory, they should have the depth to minimize the negative impact, but they're bleeding goals at an even more alarming rate.

Dimitri Filipovic, hockey analytics writer: Sell. The Bruins are the best all-around team in the league right now. Their stingy defensive system and ability to split starts evenly makes life easy for goalies Tuukka Rask and Anton Khudobin, they're a top possession team at 5-on-5, no one scores more quickly and frequently than their power play does, and they have the most dominant top line in hockey in Patrice Bergeron, Brad Marchand and David Pastrnak.

Rick DiPietro, radio host and former NHL goalie: Sell. The Bruins are not only the best team in the Atlantic Division right now, but also they're playing like the best team in the NHL. They have the most versatile line in the NHL and one of the league's best goalies -- not to mention their power play is currently clicking at 31.4%. Tampa Bay has tons of talent, but right now Boston is the better team.

Victoria Matiash, fantasy hockey analyst: Buy. Boasting the best top line in the league, the Bruins are the better team right now, but the Lightning, still sporting the greater wealth of talent overall, will be the better team by late January and thereafter (it's a long season).

Ben Arledge, associate NHL editor: Sell. You can't really claim any team anywhere is better than the Bruins right now, despite the talent on the Tampa Bay roster. Injuries to the Boston lineup might be the only thing that would cause a change in the Atlantic Division winds.

Sachin Chandan, fantasy hockey editor: Sell. The Bruins have decisive advantages defensively, offensively and on special teams, and though Tampa Bay's problems are fixable, I can't look away from the Bruins, who have been the best team in the league so far.

2. The Sabres and Oilers will both make the playoffs.

Kaplan: Sell that it'll be both. I feel stronger about the Oilers than I do the Sabres. Edmonton is too dependent on their top players to score. But the production Leon Draisaitl, Connor McDavid and James Neal have put up is too absurd, and they could drag this team in.

Peters: Buy the Oilers. Sell the Sabres. The Pacific Division is so tight right now, but I'm not sure how good it is. The Oilers have enough to keep above the fray, assuming their top three scorers stay healthy. It's a precarious situation for them. The Sabres, meanwhile, have shown a few cracks lately. I don't know if they have the depth defensively to keep pace with a division I expect to improve.

Filipovic: Sell. It's scary to bet against McDavid and Draisaitl, but the early wins the Oilers have been piling up have regression written all over them. They've been awfully fortunate to go 6-1-2 in one-goal games, they're somehow getting top-10 goaltending out of Mike Smith and Mikko Koskinen, and I can count on one hand the number of goals they've been able to squeeze out of their bottom six.

DiPietro: Sell. Buffalo is clearly headed in the right direction, but I'm not sure this is going to be the season. The Pacific hasn't been good, and the Oilers have arguably the most dynamic offensive duo in the NHL with McDavid and Draisaitl. Mike Smith is off to a great start in net with a .931 save percentage. If the goaltending holds up, the Oilers have a good chance.

Matiash: Sell. Based on the strength of the competition in the Atlantic, the Sabres are in a tough spot. The scene in the Pacific Division isn't nearly as menacing for the Oilers.

Arledge: Sell that both will be there. I think the Oilers will slide into the postseason if the eventual Smith/Koskinen implosion doesn't completely derail them, given the weakness of the Pacific Division and their hot start. But Buffalo is still a year away in the stacked Atlantic.

Chandan: Buy Edmonton. Sell Buffalo. I expect Buffalo to have trouble in a crowded Atlantic, but Edmonton has shown that it has the firepower, and if the goalie tandem can continue to maintain enough of its performance (.890 save percentage on high-danger shots), I can see this team claiming a spot in the West.

3. The Washington Capitals should do a 50-50 timeshare in goal.

Kaplan: I don't buy it. Ilya Samsonov is the Capitals' starter of the future, and I love that the 22-year-old is already getting NHL exposure. But Braden Holtby is still the No. 1 guy right now. Let Holtby play out his contract year as the starter, and then see what happens.

Peters: Sell. Samsonov has been really strong, and his upside is immense, but this is a player in his second North American pro season who has six total NHL games under his belt. Holtby's body of work stands above his slow start, and he deserves to keep his job, but there's no harm in limiting his workload relative to previous seasons.

Filipovic: Buy. Here's how many regular-season games were started by the No. 1 goalie of every team that won a playoff round last season: 62, 61, 45, 45, 43, 40, 33, 30. Every team that doesn't need to scratch and claw for a playoff spot should be playing the long game and keeping its top guy fresh.

DiPietro: Sell. The Capitals look like a team destined for another run at the Stanley Cup, and they will lean on Holtby to get them there. Keeping him fresh for a long playoff run should be a priority, so Samsonov will play, but it won't be a 50-50 split.

Matiash: Sell. As long as Holtby continues to compete more often than not, like he has since that key slump-busting win over the New York Rangers in mid-October, we're not in 50-50 territory yet.

Arledge: Buy more of a timeshare. Holtby seems to have turned the corner a bit from his early-season struggles, but the Caps are at their best when they can look to two goalies. With a good debut from Samsonov and the Caps' four-point lead in the Metropolitan Division, I'd call for a 60-40 split between the two netminders for now -- with Holtby on the 60 side -- to keep the team's 30-year-old No. 1 fresh.

4. James Neal will score 40 goals.

Kaplan: Sell, though I say he finishes high 30s. Neal's 23.4 shooting percentage is obviously high -- in fact, it's more than double his career average. That should come down a bit. Neal is a consistent 20-something goal scorer who plays best when he's confident. He's clearly feeling it these days.

Peters: Sell. My initial thought was that he had enough of a jump-start to make it happen, but looking more at the numbers, I'm less certain. Neal is tied for seventh in the NHL with 26 individual high-danger scoring chances at all strengths this season, per Natural Stat Trick. He drops to 119th when you look solely at even-strength individual high-danger chances and 113th in even-strength individual scoring chances. I think there's too much of a reliance on the power play for him to reach 40.

Filipovic: Sell. He has been a roughly league-average 12% finisher throughout his career, and if he were doing that this season, he'd be on pace for 28 goals. Let's bake in the early goals he has already banked, and something in the range of 30 seems reasonable. But this is still a home run for the Oilers, considering what they paid to get him.

DiPietro: Sell. Neal is off to an incredible start, but eight of his 11 goals have come on the power play, and a 23.4% shooting percentage isn't sustainable. The 11 goals already put him four ahead of the seven he scored in 63 games last season in Calgary, but I don't think he gets to 40.

Matiash: Sell. Unsustainable shooting percentage aside, he won't be able to hit 40 unless he scores 30 on the power play, which I'm suggesting he most certainly will not do.

Arledge: Sell. Eleven in 17 is a good start, and he's pacing toward 53 tallies, but Neal hasn't come close to 40 since he hit that in 2011-12 with the Penguins. Good start aside, these Oilers aren't the 2011-12 Penguins. Expect regression from a ridiculous 23.4 shooting percentage (eight points over his career high) sooner rather than later.

Chandan: Sell. I agree with Ben that Neal cannot maintain that astronomical shooting percentage, but I expect him to finish with mid-30 goals.

5. Elias Pettersson will finish in the top 10 in scoring.

Kaplan: Buy. As a team, I expect the Canucks to fall back to earth a bit. But I don't know if Pettersson will. Pettersson is building off his rookie debut -- in which he became a one-man highlight reel -- and is generating even more high-danger scoring chances. He has been especially effective at 5-on-5.

Peters: Buy. He's well on his way. Pettersson has shown marked improvement in each of his post-draft seasons from when he was in Sweden to now. He's only three points ahead of where he was at this point last season, but he has looked more dominant with the benefit of experience. The only way I think he falls out of the top 10 is if he gets injured again.

Filipovic: Buy. After a relatively slow start to the season, he has been putting up video game numbers, rattling off six goals and 14 assists in a 12-game stretch. It's almost impossible to defend him because he's such a dual threat, and he'll gladly take whatever the opposing team gives him and make them pay. Coach Travis Green feeds him all of the offensive zone starts he can handle, he gets to pass to a lethal trigger man in Brock Boeser, and he's the main man on what's looking like a dangerous power play now that Quinn Hughes is on it.

Matiash: Sell. Slight skirt-around answer, but based on his physical stature and the way he plays, I'm concerned about him not completing a full, healthy season.

Arledge: Let's go with buy -- if he stays healthy. It took 96 points to make the top 10 last season but just 89, 75 and 77 in the previous three campaigns. Pettersson's 82-game pace last season would have put him at 76, and he's pacing toward 109 this season. I think 92-95 could land him a top-10 finish.

6. A defenseman will finish in the top 15 in scoring.

Kaplan: I buy it. John Carlson is currently fifth in league scoring -- above his teammate Alex Ovechkin -- and Roman Josi and Dougie Hamilton are hovering one point outside the top 15. I think they'll stick around.

Peters: Buy. Carlson and Hamilton look like the two guys who are going to threaten, and I'm certainly not going to bet against Carlson, who has trended up offensively the past three seasons. He has been a great power-play performer, but 16 of his 23 points have come at even strength this season.

Filipovic: Buy. I'd bet against it, but for the purposes of this, let's have some fun. Carlson is off to a preposterous start, and based on the sheer volume of opportunities he's getting, there should be many more points to come. He's top-five in overall minutes and top-10 in power-play minutes, and he gets to play with a collection of tremendously gifted players.

DiPietro: Sell. John Carlson is well on his way to winning the Norris Trophy, but I think he comes up short of the top 15 in scoring. Last season, his teammate Ovechkin was 15th in the league with 89 points, and the last defenseman to reach that benchmark was Sergei Zubov in 1993-94.

Matiash: Buy. On pace for nearly 120 points, John Carlson is a legitimate threat to break 100, which should land him comfortably in the top 15, if not top the 10.

Arledge: Buy -- or at least very close. Over the past 10 seasons, the best we've seen is Brent Burns finish with 83 points in 2018-19. Carlson will reach 90 this season, thanks to an early 1.44 point-per-game pace and a spot on a talented Capitals power play.

7. The Sharks will be a lottery team.

Kaplan: Sell. I have faith that the Sharks can turn it around. They'll at least be a wild-card team. One of the issues for San Jose early is that their top defensemen are overtaxed. Getting Radim Simek back will help.

Peters: Buy. The Sharks are dead last in the NHL in even-strength save percentage, at .875, and have the third-worst team save percentage at all strengths, at .882. I don't know if they're going to be able to score enough to overcome that.

Filipovic: Sell. The early returns have certainly been quite alarming, but the Sharks still have enough star power on the roster to be better than they've shown. They also can't really afford to throw a season away at this point, both because they don't have their first-round pick and because most of their main players figure to get worse in the coming years.

DiPietro: Buy. The Sharks are currently giving up the fourth-most goals per game and are 26th in scoring. An .882 team save percentage is a glaring problem, and their inability to keep the puck out of their net will keep them out of the playoffs.

Arledge: Buy. There will be only 82 games for the Sharkies this season. Goaltending is somehow still a glaring issue that San Jose seems content with leaving to fix itself. It won't, and even if the Sharks finally break the cycle and deal for a goalie, it'll be too little, too late in the talented West.

Chandan: Buy. Look, last season's St. Louis Blues showed that anything can happen with a coaching change and a new goalie, but San Jose's problems -- and lack of flexibility to swing big trades -- mean they will likely be gifting the Ottawa Senators a lottery pick, thanks to the Erik Karlsson trade.

8. The Arizona Coyotes will trade a goalie before the deadline.

Kaplan: Sell. This season, Arizona seems fixated on getting over the postseason hump. Unless the Coyotes get a spectacular deal for one of their netminders (a top-six scoring forward or top-pairing defensemen), I don't expect them to subtract anything from this roster. They don't want to repeat last season, when they just missed the cut.

Peters: Sell. If there is a deal out there that fills a hole for a team with eyes on taking the next step, I don't doubt GM John Chayka will explore it. The issue, however, is that the Coyotes have a young goalie just starting his pro career in Ivan Prosvetov, and I'm not sure Adin Hill is quite ready for full-time NHL backup duty.

Filipovic: Sell. In today's game, it's a tremendous asset to have two goalies you can rely on. Plus, it's worth remembering that prior to becoming a revelation last season, Darcy Kuemper's previous career high for starts in the NHL was 28. Considering that Antti Raanta has eclipsed that mark only once himself, the Coyotes are better off keeping both of them and not overtaxing either one.

DiPietro: Sell. Kuemper has seized the No. 1 duties and is establishing himself as an elite starting goalie in the NHL. Coming off what was a career-best campaign in 2018-19, he leads the league in goals-against average (1.69) and save percentage (.940). Raanta is a nice insurance policy if Kuemper gets hurt, and I'm not sure the Coyotes would be offered enough for him to make it worth messing with a position that has to be considered one of their strengths.

Matiash: Sell. As the old, grizzled GM saying suggests, sometimes the best trade is the one you don't make. I envision that Arizona's management, with a hopeful eye to playoff competition, will lean in that direction.

Arledge: I'd say sell. Expect the Coyotes to be every bit in the middle of a wild-card race, and though many teams will be asking -- and the Yotes could use upgrades elsewhere -- goaltending is a position of immense strength for them, and they won't want to disrupt that, given Raanta's injury history.

9. Mark Stone will be a Hart Trophy finalist.

Kaplan: Not quite. He might sneak into the discussion for Selke Trophy -- becoming the first winger since Jere Lehtinen in 2003 to do it -- but I don't think we're talking Stone for Hart just yet.

Peters: Sell. He was my almost-off-the-board preseason pick, and a lot of that was tied to my thinking that the Golden Knights could be Presidents' Trophy contenders. He's averaging 1.13 points per game so far for a good Vegas club, but I think guys such as Connor McDavid and David Pastrnak are going to out-produce him for playoff teams, and that will edge him out.

Filipovic: Buy. He's the best player on what I still believe could be the best team in the West. He's somewhat quietly on pace for 41 goals and 92 points, and with the way Vegas is using him on the power play, he should easily be able to set career highs in both. It almost seems unfair for a player as good as he is defensively to be putting up the type of offensive numbers he is now.

DiPietro: Sell. Stone will be the MVP of the Golden Knights, but I'm not sure he'll have enough offensive production to make him the NHL's MVP.

Matiash: Sell because that means beating the odds of besting all but two of Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, David Pastrnak, Sidney Crosby, Jack Eichel, Nathan MacKinnon and all the other elite skaters who find their strides in the coming months.

Arledge: Sell. Here's what I think happens: Stone hits 95-100 points for a playoff-bound Vegas team -- an MVP-caliber campaign -- but misses the finalist list and is considered a "snub" when the results are released.

10. The New York Islanders will finish second in the Metro.

Kaplan: Sell. A 10-game winning streak (and counting) certainly gives them a cushion. If I were them, I'd be worried about the Pittsburgh Penguins making a late push -- especially when the Pens get everyone healthy.

Peters: Sell. The Islanders have more than earned the hockey world's respect with the way they've played. There's so much to like, but I don't think their .931 team save percentage is going to be an all-season thing, which could see them lose their grip on a top-two spot.

Filipovic: Sell. But that isn't a knock on the Islanders, who are once again completely sucking the life out of their opponents under the watchful eyes of Barry Trotz and Mitch Korn. I rank the Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes slightly ahead of the Isles in the Metro because of the different ways they can beat you on a nightly basis.

DiPietro: Buy. The 10-game winning streak is great, but what's even more impressive is the 1.70 goals-against average in that span. Last season was not a fluke. The Islanders are again the best defensive team in the NHL, with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage this season. They might not have the offense to overtake the Capitals, but that kind of team defense should be enough to finish second.

Matiash: Sell. Once it all works out in the 82-game wash, they won't finish above the Penguins and/or Hurricanes, let alone the Capitals.

Arledge: Sell, but they are a playoff team. Think No. 3 in the division or a wild-card-turned-playoff-spoiler.

Chandan: Buy. The Islanders' winning streak has proven that they can get balanced scoring, the goalie play has been sharp, and they spent only 16% of time trailing during this win streak. All of that puts them in the right position to continue picking up points.

11. Mikko Rantanen's injury will have a bigger impact on the Central race than Vladimir Tarasenko's injury.

Kaplan: Buy. So far, it has looked that way. The Blues have been scraping together wins without Tarasenko. The Colorado Avalanche have struggled without Rantanen (but are also missing Gabriel Landeskog off the top line). St. Louis simply has more depth.

Peters: Buy. I think the Blues have a deeper forward lineup than the Avs. I still like Colorado to make a lot of noise, but seeing what has happened to the Avs as injuries compound is impossible to ignore, as their losing skid has reached five games with goals drying up.

Filipovic: Buy. The Avalanche rely so much on their top line to do the heavy lifting offensively, and the Rantanen injury in conjunction with Landeskog's absence is a mammoth loss. Tarasenko is the best goal scorer and most dangerous offensive threat in St. Louis, but the Blues' depth and defensive structure at least give them something to fall back on in the meantime.

DiPietro: Buy. The Blues haven't skipped a beat in the six games without Tarasenko, going 5-1. The Avalanche are 1-5 without Rantanen and have lost five straight while scoring seven total goals. Nathan MacKinnon is great, but with Rantanen, he's an MVP candidate. If this team wants to have a chance to win the Central, that's who they need MacKinnon to be.

Matiash: Buy. In comparison to the top-heavy Avalanche, the Blues have the greater depth up front to compensate for the loss of Tarasenko.

Arledge: Absolutely buy. Consider that MacKinnon has an expected goals-for percentage of 71.2 with Rantanen on his wing and just 45.4 without him, per Natural Stat Trick.

12. One of the two offseason darlings -- the Rangers and New Jersey Devils -- will make the playoffs.

Kaplan: Buy. The Devils could still make it, despite their horrible start. New Jersey has responded well ever since assistant GM Tom Fitzgerald got behind the bench, and Jack Hughes continues to look more and more comfortable out there.

Peters: Sell. I think both are going to build over the course of the season and improve, but I don't think either organization can or should make the changes that might be necessary to be a more formidable playoff contender. More patience is needed.

Filipovic: Sell. Neither one of them can manage to keep the puck out of its own net nearly often enough, albeit for different reasons. The Rangers have absolutely no idea what they're doing in their own zone defensively, and the Devils' goalies rank 30th in save percentage and haven't given us much reason to believe that'll change.

DiPietro: Sell. Both teams had really impactful offseasons and bad starts to their regular seasons. The Rangers are young and inconsistent, and the Devils are still trying to figure out their goaltending situation. Kaapo Kakko and Jack Hughes will be great, but it's going to take some time.

Matiash: Sell. Although I think the Rangers have enough pieces in play to make it interesting late, the Devils don't have the goaltending to squeak it out this season.

Arledge: Buy. It has been a slow start for the rapid-rebuild Rangers, but I like them to steal a wild-card spot with a late run once they get out of their own way. The Devils? Not so much.

Chandan: Sell. Although the Blues showed it can be done, the Devils and Rangers would have to make up ground on the Bruins, Capitals, Hurricanes, Toronto Maple Leafs, Islanders and more ahead of them.

13. At age 37, Pekka Rinne will be a Vezina Trophy finalist.

Kaplan: Buy. Rinne has been great so far. I know all he cares about is getting over his personal playoff hump and winning a Stanley Cup. The Predators have a decent shot this season. I love how their offense has rebounded from stagnant to super-productive in one offseason.

Peters: Buy. I am absolutely sticking with my preseason Vezina pick. Rinne leads the NHL in high-danger save percentage with a .938 mark, but he's also not facing as many high-danger shots against as some of his peers, thanks to the team in front of him.

Filipovic: Sell. He's going to pile up the wins because the Predators are going to give him plenty of goal support, but I'm skeptical that his other ratio stats will be stingy enough to warrant top-three consideration. The team in front of him has really opened things up offensively and looks like it'll be involved in more high-scoring shootouts than in seasons past. His starts have been dipping from 66 to 61 to 59 to 55 in consecutive seasons and should drop even further, given his age and Juuse Saros' presence.

DiPietro: Buy. If you're Pekka Rinne, I'm not sure you could've asked for a better start. The Predators are well-coached and sound defensively, which will have Rinne where he needs to be in wins, goals against and save percentage.

Matiash: Buy. I had Rinne winning it in last season's early stages, too, so yeah, sure.

Arledge: Let's go with buy. Sure, Rinne will probably slow down a good deal in the second half. But just one loss in regulation through 11 starts, a pair of shutouts and solid numbers show he's still among the best when he is on his game.

Chandan: Sell. As good as Rinne has been so far this season, I expect backup Saros to pick up more starts as we get into calendar 2020, as Rinne has seen his games started total decrease the past four seasons. Moreover, Nashville has played the second-weakest schedule so far, and things will obviously get more difficult.

SHIGA, Japan – Hannah Green shot a 5-under 67 on Friday to finish the first round of the LPGA Japan Classic tied for the lead with local favorite Ai Suzuki.

Green carded five birdies at the par-72 Seta Golf Course to finish one stroke ahead of six golfers including Lydia Ko and Jennifer Kupcho.

Ko had an erratic round that featured seven birdies, a double bogey and a bogey in the final event of the LPGA Tour's Asia Swing.

Defending champion Nasa Hataoka shot a 71 and was tied for 35th place. Lexi Thompson, making her first start since the Indy Women in Tech Championship in September, struggled with her game and shot a 74.

Two-time Japan Classic winner Shanshan Feng was three strokes back after a 70.

United States national team co-captain Megan Rapinoe has said players who are not incensed by racism are "part of the problem" and has called for punishments that are more "damaging financially" in an effort to reduce the number of incidents.

There has been a number of racist incidents in football throughout Europe since the start of the new campaign.

Brescia striker Mario Balotelli threatened to walk off the pitch after suffering monkey chants last weekend, while an FA Cup qualifying round tie between Haringey Borough and Yeovil Town was abondoned when goalkeeper Douglas Pajetat was subjected to racist abuse last month.

"If there's ever an instance of racism, if every single player on the field is not outraged then to me they're part of the problem," Rapinoe told the BBC.

England's Euro 2020 qualifier against Bulgaria was temporarily halted during the first half following racist chanting.

Bulgarian head coach Krasimir Balakov and president Borislav Mihaylov both resigned after the incident, and UEFA subsequently handed Bulgaria a two-match stadium closure and a €75,000 fine.

When asked about UEFA's punishment, Rapinoe replied: "£65,000 is an absolute joke.

"For me I'm just like, make it super extreme so it's damaging to the team, to the federation, so it's damaging financially."

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku and Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly have suffered racist chanting from the stands in Italy, while Premier League players Paul Pogba, Marcus Rashford and Tammy Abraham have been abused online this season.

Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling has been vocal in his work to combat racism and Rapinoe has urged other players to make a stand.

She added: "I need all the players on Raheem's team, all the players in the Premier League and in the leagues abroad to make it their problem because it really is everybody's issue."

Rapinoe also reiterated her desire for the USWNT to be paid the same as the men's national team.

She won the Golden Ball award for best player after leading the U.S. to World Cup success in France last summer.

"Don't settle for anything less, go for equal, go for more, don't accept any of these sort of antiquated and BS answers," she said.

"Until we have equal investment and over investment really, because we've been so underserved for so long, we're not going to have any sort of meaningful conversation about compensation and revenues and TV viewership."

Big picture

Afghanistan lost their tenth 50-over game in a row when they went down by seven wickets in the first ODI. One doesn't envy a captain who inherits such a problem - Rashid Khan is once again in charge of trying to change things bigger than himself.

The primary problem with Afghanistan's ODI cricket is their batting. At the moment, they are not getting consistently quick starts, they are rarely making it past the opening Powerplays without losing wickets and, as a result, the middle overs are forced to be about rebuilding; unfortunately, at this stage of their journey, they are yet to find someone who can do that without compromising on the scoring rate.

Sample this: the team has made more than 250 only once in the last 10 matches, and that was in a botched chase of 312 against West Indies. They batted the full 50 overs or at least came close in each of the five matches before this series began, but apart from the chase against West Indies, those were all efforts at just pushing past 200. For now, this series, and perhaps the next few, are all about improving that aspect of their game.

Their opponents, however, are not the worst team around to seek some inspiration from. After all, who in modern cricket has tried to rebuild as many times as West Indies?

Form guide

Afghanistan LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
West Indies WLLWL

In the spotlight

Ikram Alikhil has shown something to the management that has convinced them to put him front and centre lately. The wicketkeeper-batsman was a nervous, shaky starter batting low down the order during the World Cup for which he wasn't originally picked; his first two innings were 2 off 22 and and 9 off 33. He had hit only two fours in his first eight innings - in 166 balls. The last man you would think of, chasing 312. And yet, Afghanistan decided to send him in at No. 3 and for at least 34 overs, Alikhil kept West Indies alert to a potential defeat. That 93-ball 86 was his last innings prior to the 58 he scored before being run out in contentious circumstances for 58 in the first ODI. In the absence of Hashmatullah Shahidi and Hazratullah Zazai's form, the 19-year-old is suddenly Afghanistan's most important left-hander.

Shimron Hetmyer is something of a crowd favourite for his belligerent batting style. That very style also makes him frustrating to follow sometimes - in his last ten limited-overs innings, Hetmyer has made eight single-digit scores. Since the end of September, Hetmyer's highest score in six limited-overs innings is just 9. Can he turn it around?

Team news

Afghanistan could be tempted to switch up their batting by handing a debut to the 17-year-old Ibrahim Zadran, who made 87 on Test debut against Bangladesh recently. A change in their seam-bowling options might also be on the cards.

Afghanistan (possible): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Javed Ahmadi/Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Asghar Afghan, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib/Karim Janat, 9 Rashid Khan (capt), 10 Naveen-ul-Haq/Yamin Ahmadzai, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman

West Indies have little to think about and may well be unchanged. Perhaps Alzarri Joseph's expensive spell could worry them - in which case they have sufficient back-up in Keemo Paul, or even Kharry Pierre as an extra spin option.

West Indies (possible): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Nicholas Pooran 5 Roston Chase, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Romario Shepherd, 9 Sheldon Cottrell, 10 Alzarri Joseph/Keemo Paul/Khary Pierre, 11 Hayden Walsh Jr.

Pitch and conditions

A haze continues to be a feature in the northern part of India, and while smog and pollution levels have only marginally decreased in Lucknow since the last match, it is still at an undesirable level. The visibility on Friday was measured at 3.2km, as opposed to Jaipur on the same day which had a visibility of 11.3km. It is expected to be overcast on match day.

Stats and trivia

• Javed Ahmadi is 24 runs away from becoming the 11th Afghanistan batsman to 1000 ODI runs

• West Indies have played more international games in Lucknow than any other team

• Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi have more ODI wickets between them than the entire West Indies team combined

When they beat Uttarakhand by nine wickets in a Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019 Group A match on Friday, Karnataka not only created an Indian record for most T20 wins in a row, but also moved to second spot in the overall list, joint with Otago. Ahead of them, by a long way, are Sialkot Stallions, who were as close to invincible as a T20 team has ever been, winning 25 games on the trot in Pakistan's National T20 Cup between 2006 and 2010. Here's a look at some of the most impressive winning streaks in the sport.

Sialkot Stallions, 25 wins, 2006-10

Competition: National T20 Cup

Long before Shoaib Malik became a sought-after allrounder in T20 leagues around the world, he was a serial match-winner for his regional T20 side in Pakistan: Sialkot Stallions. Stallions' stunning streak comprised five consecutive National T20 Cup titles, a feat unlikely to be bettered given how competitive the circuit has become in modern times. If the low-profile nature of a domestic T20 competition makes it sound like a mean feat, its superlative nature is emphasised by the fact that no other T20 side has come anywhere close in the decade since then.

With a core comprising players who featured in Pakistan's run to the inaugural World T20 final in 2007 - Malik, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Asif and Abdur Rehman - they were clinical in dispatching all comers through that five-year run. A significant part of their winning streak came under Nazir's leadership, when they won all 13 of their games between 2006 and 2009. Stallions' streak made them the first Pakistan side to be invited to the Champions League, in 2012, where they did not make it past the abbreviated qualifying stage. They would go on to win the 2011-12 edition under Malik, but that was the end of their golden age.

Karnataka, 15* wins, 2018-19

Competition: Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (ongoing streak)

It is rare in any T20 competition these days for a side to go through an entire tournament without being beaten, but that's exactly what Karnataka did in the 2018-19 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, India's other domestic T20 competition, away from the glitz and hype of the IPL. While they are blessed with a number of players who have made the step up to India colours, it was Karnataka's youngsters who stepped up through the tournament. The tournament's top run-getter Rohan Kadam and their highest wicket-taker V Koushik were both stars from the local Karnataka Premier League, while big names like Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey and Karun Nair stepped up in big games towards the business end.

The 2019-20 edition of the tournament kicked off on Friday, and there was no change in the team's attitude - ruthless and clinical - as they ran out nine-wicket victors in Visakhapatnam. Abhimanyu Mithun and Shreyas Gopal picked up two wickets each to stop Uttarakhand at 132 for 6, and Kadam, continuing his own streak, hit 67 not out and Devdutt Padikkal, another promising youngster, hit 53 not out to seal the chase in 15.4 overs.

Otago, 15 wins, 2012-13

Competitions: New Zealand Domestic T20 (HRV Cup), Champions League T20

Otago, led by the vastly experienced Derek de Boorder, were a cut above the rest of the teams in the six-team competition at home, starting with a 24-run loss to Northern Districts but then recording nine consecutive wins in the league stage and then topping Wellington by four wickets in the final.

That took their streak to ten in a row, which they extended to 15 after reaching India later in 2013 for the Champions League T20 tournament.

They started in the qualifiers. First up, Brendon McCullum hit a 65-ball 83 not out to give them victory against Faisalabad Wolves, then came a Ryan ten Doeschate starrer, as he picked up two wickets and then smashed 64 in 32 balls in a big win over Kandurata Maroons, and the other McCullum, Nathan, then led a brilliant bowling display to give Otago victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad.

All those games were played in Mohali, and Otago made it 14 when they beat Perth Scorchers in Jaipur in the main competition next, Neil Broom's 117 not out in 56 balls leading their cause. It could have been tricky for them had their match against eventual champions Mumbai Indians - before the one against the Scorchers - not been washed out, but they did go on to win the one-over eliminator against Lions to get to 15 after that before going down to Rajasthan Royals.

Kolkata Knight Riders, 14 wins, 2014

Competitions: Indian Premier League, Champions League T20

Kolkata Knight Riders were down and out in IPL 2014 with four points after seven matches when the tournament's most storied winning streak began. Away from their familiar home conditions at Eden Gardens till the 47th game of the tournament, thanks to the 2014 parliamentary elections, they struggled to get going, first in the UAE and then at different makeshift venues around the country. Robin Uthappa, shifted up to the top of the order, smashed his way to the top of the run chart, Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav led the pace attack, while the spinners - Sunil Narine, Shakib Al Hasan and Piyush Chawla - starred with the ball to revive their winning formula.

If they were unstoppable in the latter stages of the IPL, their continued dominance in the Champions League makes the case for this to be the most comprehensive winning streak in T20 franchise history. They beat the champions of Australia (Perth Scorchers), Pakistan (Lahore Lions) and South Africa's second-best team (Dolphins) on their way to the final, where Chennai Super Kings ended their run at 14 games.