The landscape on the blue line is different than what we anticipated coming into the season in many ways. Through more than a month of action now, there are some names present -- and some names absent -- at the top of the ESPN Player Rater that are quite a surprise.

The top 12 defensemen in fantasy value (ESPN standard league) so far this season are, in order: John Carlson, Roman Josi, Dougie Hamilton, Morgan Rielly, Alexander Edler, Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Ryan Ellis, Torey Krug, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Dahlin and Mark Giordano.

While Hamilton, Ellis and Dahlin weren't projected to be here based on their ADP, it's at least understandable. Hamilton has taken over the point for the Carolina Hurricanes with Justin Faulk shipped out, Ellis shares the ice with Josi at all times and Dahlin is coming off one of the best seasons by a 19-year-old defenseman ever. It's Edler and Provorov that stick out like sore thumbs here.

Perhaps the biggest reason for it being a surprise is that both players are second on their respective clubs for power-play ice time by a defenseman. Quinn Hughes is quarterbacking the Vancouver Canucks man advantage, while Shayne Gostisbehere is still playing more time on the power play for the Philadelphia Flyers. All the same, it's Edler and Provorov who are bringing home the bacon at the moment.

Provorov is the one who is really being fueled by success on the power play. Six of his nine points have come on the man advantage. With Gostisbehere only boasting two assists on the power play, expect a transition to Provorov to continue. I've been among the chief Provorov truthers for several seasons now, and I promised I'd stop banging the drum for him if he didn't break out last year ... so I'll resist hyperbole here. Suffice it to say I'm -- quietly -- buying in.

Edler isn't being propelled by power-play points -- he only has three so far. This is good news as his overall stats profile is quite balanced, including some penalty minutes to touch on all the standard categories. The Canucks are a much-improved team/offense this season, and Edler has excelled while on good teams in the past (poor guy has waited around for the whole rebuild). I don't know that he's top 12 at the end of the season, but he could be close to it.

Taking a look at the next 12 on the list -- or your D2 players -- we have, in order: Jeff Petry, Alex Pietrangelo, Kevin Shattenkirk, Nikita Zadorov, Alex Goligoski, Mattias Ekholm, Neal Pionk, Mikhail Sergachev, Hughes, Oscar Klefbom, Aaron Ekblad and Radko Gudas. This list is more illustrative of the fact that, while a month in does seem like a long time, it's really not. A lot of these players are being pushed up in fantasy value by a strong showing in one or two categories -- often the more periphery categories, such as plus/minus or penalty minutes.

Gudas, for example, offers very little outside his plus-10 and 19 PIM, but that's enough at this stage to make him a D2 for value. Shattenkirk, Zadorov, Goligoski, Ekholm and Gudas won't be considered D2 by the end of the season. It will only take a couple of hot games by some of the players who are consciously absent for them to push up the value ranking.

So who is missing?

Victor Hedman was expected to be a top-five defenseman. He's been hurt, and there may be too many cooks in the kitchen for the Lightning, as evidenced by Shattenkirk and Sergachev offering D2 value thus far. I have some concerns about Hedman returning value this season.

P.K. Subban was expected to bring home the value as the new catalyst on the New Jersey Devils blue line. The team had a slow start, but they appear to be coming around.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson has not been having any luck on the power play, but he leads his team in ice time on the man advantage and will start getting some bounces.

Seth Jones is suffering from the same depression of value as many of his Columbus Blue Jackets' teammates that can be traced to the max exodus of offense this offseason. While he should improve, his new normal is nowhere close to his value last season.

Erik Karlsson seems to be on the ice for every goal scored against the San Jose Sharks -- at least it feels like it when you suffer his minus-13 rating. His other categories have been close to what we expect, so there is hope here if the Sharks tighten up on the goals allowed.

John Klingberg is being challenged internally by Miro Heiskanen and appears to be slowly losing the battle for the key role on the power play. Heiskanen has played more power-play minutes in the past five games.

There are inevitably changes to the pecking order every season. Fantasy success hinges on our ability to acknowledge and follow the true trends, while also sticking to our guns through some low times for other players. Look for ice time and power-play ice time, shots on goal and a team's overall offense when deciding which defensemen to buy in to (or hang on to).

Forwards on the move

Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning (down seven spots to No. 36): It would be easier to shrug off Point's slow start if it was just him. If Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos were both popping, we could be patient with Point and let him come around. But with the entire offense in the doldrums, we have to be concerned. Why? Because the Lightning need Kucherov and Stamkos to find their game more than they do Point. In recent contests, the Bolts have been lining up Kucherov and Stamkos together, while trying some new combinations on the wing -- including promoting and starting UFC heavyweight Alexander Volkov. ... Just joking, but their rookie winger in his third professional season does share a name with the mixed martial artist.

In the meantime, Point is being left to a line with Ondrej Palat and Tyler Johnson. We want him -- nay, we need him -- playing with Kucherov and/or Stamkos for him to return top value.

David Perron, W, St. Louis Blues (up 15 spots to No. 113): The possibly fantasy season-ending injury to Vladimir Tarasenko is going to help Perron more than anyone else, it appears. He was already locked in alongside Ryan O'Reilly and performing quite capably, but the lack of Tarasenko elevates this line to being the Blues' top line. No disrespect to Brayden Schenn and Jaden Schwartz, but without Tarasenko at their wing, O'Reilly's line becomes the de facto unit of choice. Perron has 15 points in 15 games with six points on the man advantage. For someone with an ADP of 180, Perron is going to return massive value this season as the Blues top winger.

Goaltenders on the move

Darcy Kuemper, G, Arizona Coyotes and Thomas Greiss, G, New York Islanders: You could arguably lump in Thatcher Demko here, too. These are goaltenders who, despite being in a platoon, are showing that you can get the job done for fantasy in a limited workload; you just have to be really good at stopping pucks. Admittedly, a slip in the ratios can quickly take a goaltender with less-than-workhorse opportunity down the ranks quickly, but Kuemper and Greiss, in particular, are shining examples of quality over quantity. While Semyon Varlamov makes more money and is the No. 1 in name, Greiss has split the crease evenly with him and matched him save for save. Both goaltenders have exceptional ratios, which is expected of a Barry Trotz-coached team of late. Kuemper, for his part, has played more than twice as many minutes as Antti Raanta, despite the latter coming into the season as the presumed starter. But Kuemper has a an ever-tightening grip on his current workload and is even presenting an argument for additional leash. Demko, for what it's worth, is charging into the same category by posting better ratios than Jacob Markstrom in his limited minutes.

It may cost an extra roster spot, and it may require you to pay closer attention to your lineups, but you can gain an advantage on the competition by rostering a couple of these timesharing tenders over the more traditional workhorse. Just keep an eye on the schedule with the Forecaster and learn the team's tendencies and rotation.

New to rankings

Tony DeAngelo, Ryan Strome, Demko, Jakob Silfverberg, Connor Brown, Palat, Zadorov, Anthony Beauvillier, Joel Armia, Jaccob Slavin, Brian Elliott, Duncan Keith

Just missed

Colin Miller, Jared Spurgeon, Hampus Lindholm, Zdeno Chara, Barrett Hayton, Linus Ullmark, Jordan Eberle, Zach Hyman, Derick Brassard, Brandon Montour, Jack Campbell, Sam Steel, Conor Garland, Warren Foegele, Christian Dvorak, Adam Boqvist

Dropped out

Patric Hornqvist, Jordan Staal, Andrew Shaw, Josh Anderson, Dennis Cholowski, Kevin Fiala, Ryan Pulock, Henrik Lundqvist, Kevin Hayes, Patrick Marleau, Ryan McDonagh, Cody Glass, Bryan Little

Welcome to the NHL Player Confidential. We canvassed the league, asking 50 players some pressing questions about the hot-button issues in their sport. Ever wonder what club has the worst visiting locker room? What road cities players dread the most? (Spoiler alert: The Winnipeg office of tourism will not be tweeting this story out.) How about recreational drug use, burner Twitter accounts, playing in Seattle and that big, fuzzy, orange mascot in Philadelphia? Our panel of pros got in their share of cross-checks.

Note: The illustrations are representations of the answers we received, as all players provided answers on the condition of anonymity.

1. Which team has the worst visiting locker room?

Washington Capitals: 42%
Boston Bruins: 34%
Carolina Hurricanes: 18%
New York Islanders: 4%
Florida Panthers: 2%

What the players said:

"Washington's showers are so bad. They're like a prison shower. There's a pole in the middle, then just spews that come out of that one pole. Not that I care if someone is showering next to me, but it's just a really weird setup."

"Boston is brutal. You're right there next to the rink. It's cold. You're not comfortable. If you feel comfortable, you're going to play well, so that's probably why they do it. It's a competitive advantage for them."

"I'm not a fan of the old Coliseum in Long Island. It's too long of a walk from the locker room to the ice. I hate making that walk."

"I don't really like Florida. Your gear is, like, never dry. It's just, like, swampy and sticky, and you feel like it smells worse than usual, which says a lot."

"Carolina isn't great. It could definitely use an update."

2. Which team has the best visiting locker room?

Edmonton Oilers: 40%
Vegas Golden Knights: 28%
Detroit Red Wings: 20%
Minnesota Wild: 12%

What the players said:

"Edmonton is like a penthouse. There's so much space."

"The visiting locker room is the best thing about going to Edmonton."

"Vegas is huge. Good showers. No one is close to each other. The trainers have their own space, coaches have their own space. Usually you don't have that as the road team."

"Detroit's visiting room is super nice. But it's not my favorite. Because in Detroit, you walk out and they have this restaurant there for fans right before the entrance to the ice. I usually go out first and like to stand there for a minute or two. But all these fans are knocking on the glass. It's pretty annoying."

3. Would you play for Seattle in Year 1?

Yes: 60%
No: 40%

What the players said:

"The success of Vegas has definitely opened guys' minds up to it a little more. I'd probably like playing there, but I wouldn't want my team to give me up."

"The travel would probably suck, but other than that it would be sick."

"I think it would be a lot of fun. It's a great city, and it seems like they're putting a lot of money into that rink, so it's going to be cool. And it worked out last time with Vegas, so why not?"

"Personally, it's just too far for me. I need to play on the East Coast."

"I love my current situation and wouldn't want to play anywhere else."

"I've never been to Seattle, but I know guys who have played junior there. They all say really great things."

4. Would you feel comfortable appearing in a national ad campaign for, say, Nike or Gatorade -- or do you feel that would be too much of a distraction to your team?

Yes: 64%
No: 36%

What the players said:

"I wouldn't do it. I probably fall on the wrong side of that debate -- which is probably outdated or unpopular -- but I wouldn't want to do it. I don't really want to put myself out there like that."

"It would be fun, for sure. But if my face was on TV all the time, I'm sure I'd get chirped all the time by the guys."

"I think the right guys should do it. We need to have the elite superstars more out there. They also need to start wearing something other than suits, switch up their style. Not to the extent of NBA style. They should wear suits, but not suits and ties, or suits and dress shoes. Maybe nice white shoes or sneakers. I know this isn't what you asked, it's just something I talk about a lot. I think that would be really good for our sport."

"I wouldn't mind it. I think it's fun when big companies like that have interest in hockey players and come get you. I like that."

"I'd do it, yeah. I wouldn't do the Body Issue, though. That's too much."

"I like being able to fly under the radar. So that's probably a no for me."

5. The NHL doesn't punish for recreational drugs. Is that good or bad?

Good: 24%
Bad: 14%
Indifferent: 62%

What the players said:

"I think it's both. If you're talking about marijuana and cocaine ... one of those drugs is probably beneficial, the other one is not. So maybe [the policy] needs to be redefined."

"If it's not performance enhancing and it doesn't give you an edge, then whatever."

"If you're a pro athlete, you should know what's good for you. Marijuana -- we all grew up [hearing that] it was so bad for you. And now it's legal. Our kids are going to grow up [thinking] it's just normal. It's like beer is for us. But cocaine? I don't think there is any room for that."

"I think it's good. In the other sports, you see guys getting suspended for weed. It's their body. I'd rather have that than opioids, right?"

"I don't think it's a problem. We're all professional athletes. We take care of our bodies and know what to do."

6. Given the league's approach to recreational drug use, does the NHL have a cocaine problem?

Yes: 10%
No: 58%
I don't know: 32%

What the players said:

"Has anyone said yes to this question? I really don't think there is one, so I'd be shocked if someone said yes."

"I've never seen it. I don't know if it's just my team, but I've never seen it."

"You hear stories of it, and they're kind of shocking. Maybe in the summer guys get into it. And maybe 10, 20 years ago you would see it more often and it was around the team more often. But I've never really been on a team where guys are doing it all the time. I've actually never seen guys do it during the season or anything like that."

"I don't think there is a problem compared to the problem outside the NHL. It's probably the same. I'd guess some people would use it to party, I'd assume, but what is a problem? How would you define 'problem'?"

"Honestly, I've been lucky because I've never been on teams where it is there. I have heard of some teams, though, where they're going to go party and they have a day off the next day. And they will have some."

"No. I think the majority of players are way too conscious of what we put into our bodies these days. Guys don't even drink that much anymore. You'll have a glass or two of wine at dinner or a beer on the plane. As far as harder drugs, I definitely don't think most guys get into that."

7. Which road city do you dread the most?

Winnipeg: 42%
Buffalo: 34%
Edmonton: 10%
Calgary: 4%
Ottawa: 4%
Carolina [Raleigh, N.C.]: 4%
Columbus: 2%

"Winnipeg. It's always cold. Tough rink to play in. It's just dirty -- you walk around the city and feel like you need to wash your face after you go outside. So nothing about it is very exciting."

"Winnipeg is just depressing. You don't even want to leave the hotel to get a cup of coffee."

"I'm sure a lot of people said Winnipeg, but I always like Winnipeg. There's stuff to do there. We're close to the casino, if you want to go for a half hour or whatever. Wherever you go, they always have TSN on. I can't get that here [on my U.S.-based team]."

"Carolina. The arena is far out. It's in the middle of nowhere. There's never anything going on. There's nice golf, but it's not like you have time to go play a round. You usually end up spending your whole time there in your hotel."

"Buffalo is brutal. I don't think anyone looks forward to going to Buffalo."

"Buffalo always feels cold and dark. I have an eight-team no-trade list, and that's one of my cities on it."

"Did a lot of guys say Buffalo? I actually like Buffalo. I get an unreal steak there every time. You really only need one good restaurant, and there's a great steakhouse there we always go to."

"Buffalo never bothered me because I played for [Atlantic Division team] and we were always in and out. I also found a decent little restaurant downtown, and that's all I need. You only need to eat out once. The hotel is clean. Although one time I almost got stuck in a jump setup [in Buffalo], on the street walking home from dinner. A guy asked me for my phone. He just said, 'I need to call.' He didn't even say call someone, just 'I need to make a call.' I said no. My two teammates were 40 yards away. I was like, 'Boys, thanks for nothing. I'm on own.'"

"I feel like we always play Edmonton in the middle of winter and it sucks."

"I'll say Columbus. Mostly because I can't think of any other answer, and I really can't remember any memorable experiences there."

8. Do you have Gritty fatigue?

Yes: 28%
No: 72%

"I think it's perfect right now. Ask me in another year and I may have another answer."

"I'm surprised there's not more of that in the league. It's pretty well done. It's super on-brand for what they represent and how they orchestrate their image."

"I think it's hilarious. Anything that helps the NHL promote itself -- and people love Gritty, he's everywhere -- is a good thing."

"He's hilarious to me. Did you see what he did the other night, trolling P.K. Subban with the sign that said, 'Lindsey Vonn could do better'? That was so funny. I was dying when I saw that."

"I love Gritty. My kids do too."

"Yes. It's too much. He's everywhere. I feel kind of bad for the other teams' mascots. It's like everyone forgot about them."

"I'm surprised he's still getting so much attention, to be honest. I thought it would wear out by now. I guess I don't really mind him -- he's, like, not affecting me -- it's just a lot."

9. Do you have a burner Twitter account?

Yes: 32%
No: 68%

What the players said:

"I guess you could call it a burner Twitter account, but I'm not using it like Kevin Durant or anything like that. I don't have any followers. I don't even know if I follow more than 20 people. I usually just search things. I really just use it to follow golf. That's how I get results of golf tournaments."

"I have one that I've never tweeted from. I'm a ... what do you call it? Oh yeah -- an egg."

"I have one, but just to keep up on news and follow the media guys in our market. See what they're saying about me. I would never respond to them, though."

"No, I'm not a big social media guy. Honestly, I wouldn't trust myself to not post or accidentally like something. You see athletes in other sports get in trouble for just liking posts. It's crazy to me."

"I don't think that's a hockey player thing."

"No. I don't even know what I would do with it."

"I've never logged on to Twitter in my life."

Each week on GolfChannel.com, we’ll examine which players’ stocks and trends are rising and falling in the world of golf.

RISING

Rory (+9%): He can’t do enough to take over the No. 1 ranking, but McIlroy is barreling toward the finish line in 2019. Though he may have been a controversial choice for PGA Tour Player of the Year, there’s no debating now that he’s had the best calendar year.

Brendon Todd (+6%): Most players who miss 39-of-44 cuts and plummet out of the top 2,000 in the world would look for work elsewhere – but no, not Todd, who survived yet another miserable slump and came out the other side as a Tour winner. Respect.

Xander (+5%): Even while battling the remnants of the flu, Schauffele was able to piece together a stout title defense in Shanghai: 28 birdies (five more than any other player) and a playoff loss to the hottest player in the game.

Haley Moore (+3%): Of the many cool stories to emerge from the Q-Series grind, none was better than Moore, the young, cash-strapped pro (and feel-good NCAA hero) who advanced through all three stages to earn her LPGA card. Can’t wait to see what she does in 2020. 

Patrick Reed (+2%): The erstwhile Captain America might still get passed over for Rickie Fowler, but he’s at least made it hard on Captain Woods: Reed’s T-8 at the HSBC was his 10th top-20 in his past 13 starts.

FALLING

Tony Finau (-1%): If the Asian swing was a de facto audition for cup hopefuls, then Finau failed to deliver. His tie for 53rd in Shanghai was his second consecutive finish outside the top 50 – but it’d be a stunner if Woods left him at home.

Bernhard Langer (-2%): It’s a testament to Langer’s absurdly high level of play this decade that his two-win 2019 season has been viewed as disappointing, but the way he lost Sunday certainly didn’t help matters. It took him FOUR shots to extricate himself from a difficult spot in a greenside bunker, essentially handing the senior title to Monty. Oy.

Phil (-3%): Sure, it was inevitable with how miserably he’s played the past eight months, but there was still a sense of sadness as Mickelson dropped out of the top 50 in the world, signaling the end of an era. A few months off could do Lefty’s game some good.

College choices (-5%): After earning at least some LPGA status for 2020, Stanford stars and top amateurs Albane Valenzuela and Andrea Lee now face an undesirable scenario: Turn pro and abandon their teammates ... or finish out their senior season and risk falling behind in the race to retain status once they get out on tour in June. It’s unfortunate they even have to decide.

Q-Series kerfuffle (-7%): No one came out clean from the rules drama that overshadowed the new LPGA graduates. Not Christina Kim, who looked unprofessional airing her grievances on social media. Not Kendall Dye, who didn’t know the rules of her profession. And not Dewi Weber, the third member of the group who sadly was hit with a two-shot penalty even though her caddie erred in giving advice. Ugly stuff, all around.

A group of local Verona councillors want the city government to take action against Mario Balotelli after he complained about racist insults from the crowd during a match at the Bentegodi stadium on Sunday.

The Brescia striker kicked the ball into the crowd and threatened to walk off the pitch early in the second half because he said some fans were making monkey noises. Serie A's disciplinary tribunal handed Verona a one match partial stadium ban on Tuesday for racial abuse.

Balotelli, who was born in Sicily to Ghanaian parents and given up for adoption when he was three, has faced racist abuse throughout his career in Italy. He was backed by Napoli coach Carlo Ancelotti and AS Roma, among others, for his reaction on the weekend.

But the club and city's mayor Federico Sboarina, who said he was at the game, denied the racist insults took place.

On Tuesday, the Gazzetta dello Sport published a motion sent to the Verona council by four councillors proposing that "the mayor and the legal offices of the municipality should take legal action against the footballer and all those who attack Verona by unjustly defaming it."

The motion added: "It is no longer fair that Verona is put in the dock when, as in this case, nothing happened."

Meanwhile, Verona banned ultras leader Luca Castellini for 11 years after he claimed that Balotelli will "never be completely Italian."

Verona said that his comments were against the "ethical principles and values ​​of our club."

Italian authorities have long been criticised by anti-racism campaigners for not doing enough to tackle the problem, and last month Cagliari escaped sanctions after Inter Milan forward Romelu Lukaku allegedly suffered racist abuse from their fans.

The insults against Lukaku were judged by the tribunal to be too limited in terms of "real perception" for it to take action.

Barcelona will watch Bayer Leverkusen's Kai Havertz in this week's Champions League game against Atletico Madrid as they step up their interest in the Germany international, various sources have told ESPN FC.

Havertz, 20, has been tracked by Barca for a while. Scouts from the Spanish champions have been following him closely this season and the club will take advantage of Wednesday's match against La Liga side Atletico to take a thorough look at him as they contemplate bidding for him in the future.

However, Barca know that Havertz will not come cheap. He's the subject of interest from a range of European sides and is expected to cost at least €80 million, although sources at the Catalan club insist that "there have not been any talks so far."

Barcelona have reports on the German midfielder dating back four years, when he was still playing in Leverkusen's youth teams. The reports were frequently very positive, and the club feel that he still has even more room to develop as a player.

Havertz made his first-team debut for the Bundesliga side in 2016 and has made 118 appearances for the club, scoring 31 goals. He scored 20 times in 42 matches last season.

Barca are well-stocked in midfield, with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Arthur, Arturo Vidal, Ivan Rakitic and Carles Alena all vying for a first-team place. The competition for places has meant diminished playing time for Rakitic and Alena, though, and both players are candidates to leave Camp Nou in January.

Meanwhile, Barca B midfielder Riqui Puig is also pushing for a first-team spot. He called for more minutes at the weekend and suggested he could leave on loan in the winter if that is not possible. Coach Ernesto Valverde has said the youngster will be a first-team player eventually but he doesn't know when.

Despite that, Barcelona continue to follow the best youngsters coming through in Europe. Since Robert Fernandez -- who has since been replaced by Eric Abidal -- became the club's sporting director, they have expanded their reach in France and Germany as they comb the market for the best up and coming talent.

Havertz fits that label, and he's passed every test so far after being watched by a number of scouts from the club. Leverkusen know they have one of Europe's most in-demand players on their hands, though, and will be able to command a lot of money if they eventually sell.

Barca are not in a strong buying position at the moment, either. They need to bring in €124m before the end of June to balance the books. Philippe Coutinho, on loan at Bayern Munich, who have an option to buy, and Rakitic are both players they're keen to move on. The Croatian has drawn interest from Juventus and Inter Milan.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has identified the right-side of midfield as the priority area for strengthening at Manchester United, sources have told ESPN FC.

United go into Saturday's home game against Brighton already 10 points adrift of the top four, with Solskjaer's team winning just three of their 11 Premier League games so far this season.

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The Norwegian has been told by United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward that his position as manager is not under threat, despite recent results, and Solskjaer is pressing ahead with plans to reshape the squad he inherited from the sacked Jose Mourinho last December.

And although United sources have told ESPN FC that the club will only make signings in January if long-term targets become available, reinforcements down the team's right-hand side have become a key aspect of Solskjaer's recruitment drive.

United solved their long-standing issues at right-back by completing the £50 million signing of Aaron Wan-Bissaka from Crystal Palace during the summer, and Solskjaer has been impressed by speed of the 21-year-old's adaptation to life at Old Trafford.

But Solskjaer and his coaching staff believe that United now need an attacking right-sided midfielder to complement Wan-Bissaka's defensive strengths and boost the team's creativity and goal threat from that side of the pitch.

Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Daniel James can operate down the right flank, but each of them has proved to be more effective on the left, leaving Solskjaer with limited options down the right, including the 31-year-old Juan Mata.

Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho has been a long-term United target, but Solskjaer's immediate preference is for a player who can strengthen his midfield, as well as the right side of the pitch.

Solskjaer has already made clear his determination to add to his strike-force, having failed to replace Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez following their summer moves to Inter Milan.

A new central midfielder is also on Solskjaer's wanted list, but solving the right-sided problem has emerged as the priority.

It's the vicious circle that confronts young aspirants to any plum job anywhere: must have experience but can't get it without working in the field.

Now that they've been handed the opportunity to gain valuable experience on England's tour of New Zealand, Eoin Morgan wants his fringe T20 World Cup hopefuls to learn from it - fast.

Morgan cited inexperience as a factor in England's 14-run loss to New Zealand in their third T20I after a batting collapse which saw them lose 5 for 10 in 18 balls after they had needed 42 off 32 balls with eight wickets in hand.

Also read: England throw away chase as NZ squeeze home

The England side featured all six players who had not played a T20 international before this series and when Morgan, who was at the crease with James Vince, fell for 18 with five overs remaining, England crumbled.

"It is the most inexperienced side that we will field," Morgan said. "We can't come out expecting to win 5-0, we do need to learn and make mistakes throughout the whole series.

"An important part of learning is recognising exactly where you were and what you did wrong. You can't be blindsided or be stubborn enough to not take in good information.

"It has been a great learning day for us and hopefully the guys take in the information and learn from that, hopefully pretty quickly. They have to, and they have to play games so in situations like that you have to throw them out in the middle of it, you can't say your senior players always have to support them and nurture them."

Sam Billings, with 24 T20I caps, was run out by Colin Munro in a moment hailed by the Black Caps as a turning point and Vince fell a short time later, having reached 49 off 39 deliveries. From there only Tom Curran reached double figures with 14 not out as the tourists managed just 166 for 7 chasing 181.

"With a lot of wickets in hand you'd expect us to win," Morgan said. "Certainly we did, we were in control pretty much up until that point. The guys that came in, we didn't do the simple things right.

"We didn't establish a partnership, we didn't hit with the wind, things that the Black Caps did throughout. We do have to get better and calmer in those situations and when we're chasing."

Dawid Malan was England's top scorer for the second match running, following his 39 off 29 balls in the second match - which England also lost - with 55 off 34. Malan expressed his disappointment at not being able to build on a strong start in Wellington and Morgan thought he would feel the same after his latest innings in Nelson.

"It's extremely disappointing for him," Morgan said. "He's one of the only opening batters that ever talks about seeing the majority of the innings through and being there at the end. It will hurt him."

Opener Tom Banton - one of the six debutants on this tour alongside Matt Parkinson, Sam Curran, Saqib Mahmood, Lewis Gregory and Pat Brown - made 18 off 10 in his first international match before he was bowled trying to ramp Blair Tickner in a knock that pleased Morgan.

"I thought he came out beautifully," Morgan said. "He's a free-spirited guy who plays expansive cricket, and we want him to do that. He gets out playing one of his strongest shots. We'll encourage him to keep doing that. We don't want him to go away from his natural game."

England must win the penultimate fixture in Napier on Friday to keep the five-match series alive with New Zealand leading 2-1.

Heinrich Klaasen, appointed captain of Tshwane Spartans by head coach Mark Boucher, expects the contingent of home-grown players to give his squad an advantage at the upcoming Mzansi Super League.

Klaasen, who turned out for Titans in the CSA's 4-Day Franchise Series in late October after returning from India, where he made his Test debut, joked, "I had a conversation with Boucher, he said I got fired from the previous job (as Titans captain), so I can get a chance here. I'm looking forward to this, especially with guys who have heaps of experience around the world.

"I'm quite a relaxed captain. I try to get everyone's point of view. Everyone has different ideas, so it's always been my way."

Klaasen captained Titans with some success, even winning the 4-Day title in 2017-18, but with South Africa using him in all three formats in recent times, Titans turned to Grant Thompson to lead them.

Last year, Klaasen played for Durban Heat, but playing for the Spartans means playing with many players who have intimate knowledge of SuperSport Park.

"There's a lot of old Titans players like Roelof van der Merwe and Morne Morkel," he pointed out. "The characters and quality of players we have is unbelievable. It's going to be good fun and hard cricket."

AB de Villiers is part of the set up, as are current Titans players Lungi Ngidi, Dean Elgar and Tony de Zorzi. "There are a few warm-up games, for us to find our feet, to get to know each other, it's a good and exciting season ahead," Klaasen said.

'Don't think AB needs that burden'

De Villiers was the captain of the team last year, but Boucher explained that the team was happy to have him in their midst as just a player.

"AB won't be captain, we've discussed that," Boucher was quoted as saying on the MSL website a day before announcing Klaasen as the team leader. "He's a fantastic player but he must go out there and play and perform like he's been performing in the last while.

"I don't think AB needs that burden, he's in that stage of his life where he must enjoy his cricket and that's probably when he plays his best."

Mahedi Hasan put on a superb all-round show in Khulna Division's nail-biting one-wicket win over Rangpur Division at the Shere Bangla National Stadium. No 11 Abdul Halim hit the winning runs after he and Moinul Islam kept their cool in a last-wicket stand that lasted 7.5 overs. But it was Mahedi who kept Khulna in the game with his fifth first-class century followed by a fifty and five wickets as well.

There was, however, no drama in Tier-2 as Dhaka Metropolis and Sylhet Division completed crushing victories on the third day.

Best batsmen

After Khulna slipped to 80 for 8 in reply to Rangpur's 224 in the first innings, Mahedi and No 10 Rubel Hossain put together 133 runs for the ninth wicket. Mahedi struck 15 fours and a six in his 150-ball 119, while Rubel remained unbeaten on 36. The partnership gave them a lead of nine runs, after which Rangpur set Khulna a target of 203. Mahedi, this time promoted to No 6, came to their rescue again with 56 off 89 balls, which paved the way for their win.

Shadman Islam's 178 put Dhaka Metro on course for victory against Chittagong. He struck 23 fours and two sixes in his 276-ball knock that spanned nearly seven hours.

Dhaka Division, meanwhile, had three centurions in their first innings against Rajshahi Division, with Taibur Rahman (102), Shuvagata Hom (104) and Nadif Chowdhury (101*) helping them declare on 475 for 7. Taibur and Shuvagata added 190 runs for the fifth wicket.

Best bowlers

Abdur Razzak also had a memorable game for Khulna against Rangpur as he became the first Bangladeshi bowler to take 600 first-class wickets, on the way to a 12-wicket haul in the match. He took 7 for 69 in the first innings, with his sixth wicket being the 600th, before taking 5 for 71 in the second innings.

Two quicks also took five-fors in this round. Robiul Haque took 5 for 41 against Khulna, while Ebadat Hossain took 5 for 36 against Barisal.

Best match

Khulna became the first NCL team in 15 years to win a first-class match by one wicket. In a low-scoring encounter, they first bowled out Rangpur for 224 runs before taking a slender lead. They again bowled out Rangpur for 211 runs, before slipping into trouble in the middle order. Mahedi rescued them both times, before the last pair of Hamid and Moinul got them to the target.

Points to note

Khulna took a bigger lead in Tier-1 with 26.46 points while Dhaka climbed to second place following their big win over Rajshahi. Sylhet, with 22.54 points, now top the Tier-2 table after their emphatic win over Barisal.

Players to watch

Shadman and Ebadat warmed up well for the India Tests but the selectors must have taken notice of Mahedi's all-round performance under pressure, that too in Mirpur.

The IPL is planning to have an exclusive TV umpire to monitor no-balls from the 2020 edition. It is understood this extra match official will be separate from the third and fourth umpires and will use technology to help on-field officials monitor no-balls.

The decision to use technology more in order to reduce the errors made by the on-field umpires was taken by the newly-formed IPL governing council, headed by former India batsman Brijesh Patel, at a meeting in Mumbai on Tuesday.

One governing council member confirmed that they were first looking to try out this additional umpire in a domestic tournament. With the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20 tournament beginning on Friday followed by the Ranji Trophy next month, the official said the new idea could be tried out in either of the tournaments.

The development is likely to be welcomed by players and teams considering umpiring standards in the IPL have been a talking point for several years, which saw the introduction of DRS in the tournament in 2018. In IPL 2019, India's two senior-most players - Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni - pulled up match officials in separate matches over controversial no-ball decisions.

Kohli called a missed no-ball opportunity "ridiculous" after a match against Mumbai Indians when Royal Challengers Bangalore needed seven off the final ball and Shivam Dube only managed a single. TV replays on the big screen later showed Lasith Malinga had overstepped, and had the no-ball been called, AB de Villiers, who was on 70 off 41, would have taken strike and faced a free hit with five needed off the last ball.

"We are playing at IPL level, not club cricket," Kohli had said at the post-match presentation. "That's just a ridiculous call off the last ball. The umpires should have their eyes open."

Earlier in the tournament, in Chennai Super Kings' away match in Jaipur against Rajasthan Royals, Dhoni controversially walked on to the field to engage with the on-field umpire Ulhas Gandhe over a no-ball call. The incident took place in the final over of Super Kings' chase with the visitors needing 18 to win. With eight needed off the last three balls and new man Mitchell Santner on strike, Ben Stokes bowled a full toss and Gandhe first signalled a no-ball for height, only for his square-leg colleague Bruce Oxenford to overrule the decision.

The IPL's idea comes on the back of a similar decision taken by the ICC which recently decided to conduct trials in which a TV umpire will monitor front-foot no-balls. The ICC said it was looking to try it out in a few limited-overs series first, similar to how it was used during an England-Pakistan ODI series in 2016.