Big Picture

Amid Delhi's air quality plummeting to hazardous levels, a severely depleted Bangladesh team will run into an Indian side that has hung up caution in trying to adapt to the changing T20 landscape. India will be without their rested captain Virat Kohli, but still have the wealth of experience and a variety of options at their disposal.

ALSO READ: Pollution-related emergency in Delhi but T20I to go ahead

However, the same can't be said of Bangladesh who are desperate for some breathing space (both literally and figuratively). No Shakib Al Hasan. No Tamim Iqbal. Mashrafe Mortaza has retired from the shortest format. The promising Mohammad Saifuddin isn't available because of a back injury. They've recalled Arafat Sunny and Al-Amin Hossain - both of whom last featured in a T20I over three years ago.

As Bangladesh prepare for life after Shakib's ban, the onus is on Mahmudullah, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mustafizur Rahman to step up. This Mustafizur, however, isn't that Mustafizur who had (off)cut through India in 2015. He has lost some fizz - no pun intended - since then, but his knowledge of Indian conditions, having turned out for Sunrisers Hyderabad and Mumbai Indians in the IPL, might come in handy.

ALSO READ: Calm Mahmudullah must guide Bangladesh through choppy waters

In their most-recent T20I, against South Africa, Kohli challenged himself and his team-mates to break out of their comfort zones and although the bat-first experiment didn't quite come off, it highlighted India's new, daring T20 approach. This series presents India another opportunity to test out their allrounders - Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar and newbie Shivam Dube. Yuzvendra Chahal is back in the mix once again and while India have been going big on batting depth in recent times, his wicket-taking threat can't be ignored.

Form guide

India LWWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
BangladeshWWLWL

In the spotlight

Twenty-six-year-old Mumbai allrounder Shivam Dube has stepped in to try and fill the Hardik Pandya-sized hole. Dube has a reputation of being a ferocious ball-striker in domestic cricket as his T20 and List A strike rate of 142.35 and 121.34 respectively suggest. He's a decent medium-pacer to boot, but he had a tepid debut IPL season in 2019. Can he shrug that off and show the world that he belongs to the biggest stage?

Liton Das has a variety of sparkling shots in his repertoire and India will be wary of it, having watched him crunch a century against them in the 50-over Asia Cup last year . After being called into Jamaica Tallawahs' roster in CPL 2019, Liton will aim to enhance his limited-overs reputation further on this trip.

Team news

India are set to hand an international debut to Dube while it remains to be seen if the returning Sanju Samson fits in the top three. Chahal has returned to the side, and might get the nod ahead of Rahul Chahar. India will also have to make a choice on the fast-bowling front: Shardul Thakur or Khaleel Ahmed?

India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Sanju Samson/KL Rahul, 4 Shreyas Iyer, 5 Rishabh Pant (wk) 6 Shivam Dube, 7 Krunal Pandya, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal/Rahul Chahar, 10 Deepak Chahar, 11 Shardul Thakur/Khaleel Ahmed

Bangladesh's XI is harder to predict, with only the middle order wearing a fairly familiar outlook. Mohammad Naim, who made back-to-back one-day fifties against Sri Lanka A last month, might be rewarded with his international debut while Al-Amin and Sunny are set to slot back into the XI.

Bangladesh (possible) : 1 Liton Das 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Mohammad Naim/Mohammad Mithun, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk) 5 Mahmudullah (capt) 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Afif Hossain, 8 Arafat Sunny, 9 Mustafizur Rahman, 10 Al-Amin Hossain, 11 Abu Hider/Taijul Islam

ALSO READ: Dube ready to 'be the player the Indian team needs'

Pitch and conditions

The after-effects of Diwali have led to a public-health emergency in Delhi, and conditions will continue might continue to be hazy on Sunday as well. The pitch for the last international game - an ODI against Australia - at the Feroz Shah Kotla offered some purchase for the spinners as the match progressed. Expect some assistance for the spinners on Sunday as well.

Stats and trivia

• India have played eight T20Is against Bangladesh and have won all of them. This is the second time India are playing Bangladesh at home, the first being the nerve-wracking World T20 encounter in Bengaluru in 2016.

• Since the 2016 T20 World Cup, India have had a run rate of 8.66. Only Australia and New Zealand have scored faster than India in this period.

Big Picture

There has been plenty bandied about in the build-up to this series about the World Cup final and New Zealand trying to erase some painful memories - perhaps a trip to Wellington can provide a psychic salve. Not only did their last outing at the Westpac result in an 80-run T20I thrashing of India, but it was also the scene of England's lowest moment at the 2015 World Cup.

That "Cake Tin" creaming at the hands of Brendon McCullum's gung-ho New Zealand side eventually set England on the path to ODI reinvention under Eoin Morgan. The "no fear" philosophy developed since then has given their white-ball cricket a previously unimaginable edge, and even with a mix-and-match group to pick from on this tour, it shone through again in the first T20I in Christchurch.

ALSO READ: Seifert the top-order outsider looking in

New Zealand acknowledged after that seven-wicket defeat that there was a bit of rust around, with their season only just beginning and England having enjoyed a couple of competitive warm-up games. An aggressive top order, missing the reassurance of Kane Williamson, struggled to get going and England's attack - including two debutants in Sam Curran and Pat Brown - was able to pick off timely wickets throughout the rest of the innings to leave them a comfortable chase.

For England, this is a tour of opportunity - and James Vince has pronounced himself determined to take his, after setting up victory with his maiden T20I fifty. However, the chance for Joe Denly to further his claims in this format has already disappeared, an ankle injury sustained on the eve of the Christchurch game ruling him out of the rest of the series. Tough luck for Denly but the rest of England's party are again hoping to create happier memories at New Zealand's expense.

Form guide

New Zealand LLWWW (completed matches, most recent first)
England WWWWW

In the spotlight

He may have been a little unlucky to drag on to his own stumps, but an innings of 2 off 7 balls did little to assuage concerns about the form of Martin Guptill. After the struggles of his World Cup, in which he opened with 73 not out against Sri Lanka and then ploughed slowly into the dirt, he has now gone 11 international innings without passing 35, including six single-figure scores. A return to Wellington, where he averages 41.00 in T20Is whilst also recording his ODI best of 237, might help perk him up.

James Vince is the habit England just can't kick - and you can understand why when he plays as he did in the first match of the series. His 59 in Christchurch was the first time he had recorded a half-century in T20Is; but the fact it was only his fifth in 42 innings across all formats for England highlights the problems he has experienced combining substance with undoubted style. There is plenty of competition at the top of the order but England won't mind Vince giving them the right sort of headaches.

Team news

Scott Kuggeleijn's poor outing in Christchurch might encourage the selectors to have a look at Blair Tickner, who made his debut against India earlier this year. Jimmy Neesham is also an all-round option but New Zealand may well decide to give the same group another chance.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Colin de Grandhomme, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Scott Kuggeleijn/Blair Tickner, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish Sodhi

Morgan's England tend to stick with a winning team, though you would imagine the management want to look at Tom Banton sooner rather than later. Given they know what they're getting from Chris Jordan, Tom Curran and Adil Rashid, there's a case to throw Saqib Mahmood and/or Matt Parkinson in, too.

England (possible): 1 Dawid Malan/Tom Banton, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 James Vince, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Lewis Gregory, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Tom Curran/Saqib Mahmood, 10 Adil Rashid, 11 Pat Brown

Pitch and conditions

The Westpac Stadium is not the biggest - Guptill memorably hit the ball on to the roof during his double-hundred against West Indies at the 2015 World Cup - and its drop-in pitches have aroused suspicion in the past, though when England and New Zealand met in a T20I on the ground in February 2018 the game produced nearly 400 runs. Sunday's forecast is for a bright, sunny afternoon with zero chance of interruption.

Stats and trivia

• England have now won six T20Is in a row - two shy of their best run in the format.

• Wellington has seen New Zealand win their last five T20Is in a row, going back to a ten-wicket defeat to England in 2013.

• Jordan needs one more wicket for 50 in T20 internationals - and two to draw level with Graeme Swann at No. 2 on England's all-time list.

Quotes

"We weren't quite up to standard but luckily enough we've got a five-match series so we've got four more and plenty of room to get better."
Tim Seifert admits New Zealand need to raise their game

"I think the way the new guys can come in and stick to their strengths and do what they do as soon as they come into international cricket is a credit to the culture that's created."
Eoin Morgan was happy with the performances of England's debutants in Christchurch

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green injured his left index finger during Friday night's 127-110 loss to the San Antonio Spurs, and his status for Saturday's home game against the Charlotte Hornets is unclear.

Green was wearing a wrap over both his wrist and left index finger when he met with reporters following Friday's game and said he was dealing with a "ligament" issue. Officially, the Warriors called the injury a sprained left index finger. It remains to be determined whether Green will need an MRI.

"I hurt my finger," Green said. "Ligament action. But it is what it is. ... I don't know [about Saturday]; we'll see. It's pretty sore. I couldn't grip the ball the whole entire [game], probably since the second quarter. Which is why I was making a lot of one-handed, right-handed passes and dribbling left with my right hand. I couldn't really grip the ball, so we'll see. Hopefully, it will calm down a little bit overnight, but who knows?"

Green's injury comes just two nights after Warriors superstar Stephen Curry broke his left hand following a collision with Phoenix Suns big man Aron Baynes. The Warriors announced prior to Friday's game that Curry will be out at least three months after undergoing surgery.

With Curry out of the lineup, Green acknowledged that the atmosphere was much different inside a subdued Chase Center on Friday night.

"There were definitely less fans there tonight, which is to be expected," Green, 29, said after Golden State fell to 1-4. "It's a different vibe, for sure. When you're not winning as much, that's usually the case. The hope is that people ride with you through the thick and the thin, but that's just not the reality of this world that we live in, so it is what it is. We got each other and we're going to rock with that, and that's all that matters."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr said prior to Friday's contest that with Curry out for the foreseeable future and with Klay Thompson sidelined as he recovers from an ACL injury, the Warriors would be even more cautious about Green's minutes moving forward.

"The one thing we won't do is run him into the ground," Kerr said. "We have to maintain a good schedule with Draymond minuteswise and gameswise. If he's banged up, we should make sure we take care of him. He's ready to go tonight and excited to play. He's been great in our meetings, practices. He's taken on a real leadership role. He understands how much our young players need him, and he's been fantastic. He's also one of the most competitive people I've ever met in my life, and so this will be a big challenge for him and for everybody.

"Right now, he's kind of the lone survivor, so he's got to help all these young guys and teach them what we've been about, help to mentor them, and the most important thing is to carry on with the way we've gone about our business over the last five years-plus. In terms of preparation, work ethic and joy and everything that we've been about, it's got to carry forward, because that's what the culture is about. The players are the ones who really carry that, and so we will be relying heavily on Draymond for that."

After watching Green play 34 minutes -- compiling 6 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists -- in Friday's loss, Kerr said ideally he would like to keep his forward's minutes even lower than that in the future.

"Not more than that," Kerr said. "I definitely don't want to drive him up to the 40-minute mark. That's too much. We got a back-to-back; we play again tomorrow. We'll just sort of take it game by game and see how he's doing, but we were right there late in the third and so we wanted to make a push with him out there. So we played him a few extra minutes tonight than we normally would, but I thought he played well."

Like the rest of the Warriors' players and coaches, Green was upfront about the fact that Curry's absence changed everything for the group.

"Different," Green said of playing without Curry. "Obviously, Steph draws a lot of attention on the offensive side of the ball. He brings leadership to the table for us, so him not being out there, things are a lot different for us. And our offense is really built around him, so [still] kind of figuring that out and navigating through it. That's a different challenge."

DALLAS -- When Luka Doncic played against LeBron James for the first time as an NBA rookie last season, he asked for the Los Angeles Lakers star's jersey after the game. On Friday in far less ceremonial fashion, James came into Doncic's building and took a win away from the Dallas Mavericks' rising phenom.

James outdueled Doncic with 39 points, 12 rebounds and 16 assists to Doncic's 31 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists in a thrilling 119-110 overtime win for the Lakers as L.A. surged back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit.

Doncic, 20, and James, 34, became the youngest and oldest players in NBA history, respectively, to record a 30-10-15 game, and James became the first player to have his stat line combined with four steals (since steals became an official stat in 1973-74).

"I don't really get into the one-on-one battle," James said. "Obviously he's a great young talent, I love his game, his ability to not only create shots for himself, but you guys know I love the fact that he can get great looks for his teammates. That's what I thrive on, that's what I've always believed in and he just plays the game the right way."

Not only did James get the team victory, but in the handful of instances when he found Doncic guarding him on a switch, he won that, too. James shot 5-for-7 from the field (4-for-4 from 3) for 15 points with Doncic positioned as his primary defender in the half court, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. Doncic, conversely, was 1-for-1 (a 3-pointer) with James guarding him.

Kyle Kuzma, who made his season debut, said the Lakers were hunting that matchup on offense.

"What we were trying to do was get Luka in the most pick-and-roll possible," Kuzma said. "Try to find him out there, so that's kind of what we did. We capitalized on it."

Still, James showed his affinity for Doncic after the game with a line right out of a Quentin Tarantino screenplay, telling the Slovenian second-year wing that he is a "bad m-----f-----."

"That was just some crazy stuff for me," Doncic said of the compliment. "I've been following him. He was my idol from the beginning. I can play against him and play a game like that, and the words that he said after the game were something that were very special for me.

"They're a championship team. We had a chance to win. We did some great things out there, and we should be proud of ourselves."

The Mavs led by three with 6.4 seconds left in the fourth quarter when L.A. ran a sideline out-of-bounds play that ended with James finding Danny Green on the wing for a tying 3-pointer as time expired, forcing the extra session.

"When I seen Danny get a clean look, I just tried to put it on time, on target," James said. "It was a little low, but he actually likes the ball sometimes a little lower, it gets his legs into it. And he was able to knock it down."

Green, whose sharpshooting helped hand James and the Miami Heat an NBA Finals loss in 2014, was a willing recipient.

"I don't think it was that tough," Green said. "My teammates set a good screen, and Coach drew up a great play. Teammates set a great screen, and LeBron made an amazing pass, read. Found me in the corner. I decided to catch, take my time and I had a pretty good look."

The screen that freed him up was set by Dwight Howard, who appeared to hold Seth Curry on the play.

"What was my role in the final play of regulation? I don't know. I guess ... screen," Howard said. "Our team came over and said I got away with a little hold. But, whatever it takes to win, we got to do."

For a Lakers franchise that has been floundering for the past half-decade, this offseason was about doing whatever it took to get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Beating a Mavericks team to run their record to 4-1 out of the gates was a step in the right direction.

"You know this is a good team, we're on the road, you know we're going to be hit with adversity and we did tonight," said Anthony Davis, who scored 14 of his 31 points in the fourth quarter and overtime. "And we stayed poised, calm and collected, and we were able to come get the win."

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Dallas has a "real chance" to be a playoff team, which means this might not be the last the basketball world sees of James and Doncic with the intensity ratcheted up.

"You never know who you can inspire along your path and you hope that you can inspire the next generation," James said of Doncic to ESPN's Doris Burke. "And for me playing the game the right way, always getting my teammates involved and playing for the purity of the game, I was able to inspire a kid who wasn't even in America. And that's pretty special. And obviously we see what he's capable of doing. His ability to make plays not only for himself, but for his teammates, to rebound and just play for the pure love of the game, it's a beautiful thing to watch."

And Doncic, with a loss to his idol, was reminded of how much more he'd like to grow in this game.

"There's a long way to go, where he is," Doncic said. "He's tough to play the whole time. It's a long way to go where he is."

"Great memories. Yeah, it was a great day and hopefully can get another one tomorrow."

Long before #BoundaryCountback (Sorry, Jimmy) but in the lead-up to it, Tim Seifert walked out under lights in Wellington and went beserk. It was only his 10th time at the crease in international cricket, his first as opener for New Zealand, and at the end of it, he had not only played a starring role in handing India their biggest ever T20I defeat but also set himself up to be a wildcard entry into the World Cup squad. Such was his X-factor, which on that day, was worth 84 runs off 43 balls.

The fairy tale didn't quite have a happy ending with Seifert getting injured at the wrong time but he's back now and there's another ICC trophy lurking in the distance. The 24-year old is a value add to any T20 batting-line up with his array of unorthodox shots, ranging from the down-the-track, through-the-line wallops against extreme pace to artful little scoops over the wicketkeeper's head, all of which made perfect sense when, after that 80-run defeat of India, he faced the cameras and said, "Kinda funny when I got told that I'll be opening the innings. I YouTubed Brendon McCullum and watched some of his innings."

ALSO READ: Pressure on Guptill, Munro amid NZ's top-order struggles

Only New Zealand have way too many top order batsmen. Martin Guptill and Colin Munro are the incumbent openers, whose pace has been key to the team maintaining a run-rate of 8.69. No other team, having played a minimum of 15 T20Is, has scored quicker since the last T20 World Cup. Kane Williamson, who was originally due to play these matches against England but had to pull out due to injury, is expected to be fit again by the time the Test leg of the tour begins on November 21. He rarely bats below his No. 3 spot in any form of the game.

All of that means Seifert has often had to make do as the outsider looking in. "I'd like to be at the top or bat three or wherever to be honest," he said on Saturday upon returning to Wellington, the venue where he first announced himself. "We did start this series well here against India last year so hopefully we can do the same."

New Zealand are 0-1 down against England, largely because of a poor start. They lost one opener in the third over and the other followed him off the last ball of the Powerplay, leaving the team playing catch-up for the rest of the innings. The coach Gary Stead has previously spoken of the difficulty in picking four specialist top-order batsmen in the same XI, but with the best part of a year to go for the T20 World Cup, having extra options may not be a bad thing.

Seifert certainly seemed to like being in a competition for spots. "Personally no, I don't think it's tense at all," he said after batting at No. 3 against England on Friday. "I think it's quite good. We have people there to discuss how we're going to get better as individuals and having Munro and Guptill, they're world class players, it's awesome to have them there to talk about it. And yeah, once Kane comes in, we'll have to think about it and that's for the selectors and the coach to make their mind up."

A lot of New Zealand's success comes on the back of trusting their players and adapting quickly. But now it seems one skill is at odds with the other. They have a player not quite in form - Guptill - but he has served them very well in the past. They have a limited number of matches to find back-ups, and Seifert could be a good shout for that, if he gets the time to bed into the role before enduring the pressure of his first senior ICC tournament.

Big picture

Sri Lanka have been dusted down without much fuss and attention now quickly moves to the visit of Pakistan, a side still ranked No. 1 in T20Is but with their grasp on the top spot becoming more tenuous by the match after a significant slip in form. If New Zealand take one match off England in their series and Australia win this 3-0, they will take Pakistan's top spot.

Still, at least on paper, the visitors should give Australia a tougher challenge than Sri Lanka, particularly with the bowlers they have at their disposal. However, it's worth remembering that just a few weeks ago, they were beaten 3-0 by a Sri Lanka side deemed weaker than the one that has just visited.

They produced an efficient display to ease to victory against the Cricket Australia XI in their warm-up match, each of the five bowlers used showing what they can bring to the attack. Trying to stop David Warner will be another task, but he will do well to go through another T20I series without being dismissed. They could face an attack including three left-arm quicks (who, as Chris Lynn noted after the CA XI match, all bring a different skillset) alongside the left-arm spin of Imad Wasim.

Australia were very impressive against Sri Lanka, but it is difficult to gauge what was really learned from the exercise, although the chance to build form and confidence should never be discounted. The balance of the side, with Ashton Agar at No. 7, has yet to be tested with a fall of early wickets but Aaron Finch has benefited by having five frontline bowlers.

Form guide

(last five completed matches)

Australia WWWWW
Pakistan LLLLW

In the spotlight

Ashton Turner had the chance for a slightly longer bat in the chase at the MCG and gave a glimpse of what makes him such an exciting package for Australia's limited-overs teams. He cleared the boundary with ease and is a master runner between the wickets. His shoulder is still not at 100% but barring further mishaps, he is a lock for the squad in a year's time.

This is the first series for new T20I captain Babar Azam and he has a year - presuming he keeps the job, which is never a given for Pakistan cricket - to build the side ahead of the T20 World Cup. He is a wonderful batsman, currently ranked No. 1 in T20Is, and has developed further since his previous visit to Australia two years ago. His last innings in the country was a century in an ODI in Adelaide and it will be important that he sets the tone on this tour.

Team news

Billy Stanlake, Sean Abbott and D'Arcy Short were the players not used at the MCG. It is likely that Ben McDermott will get another chance at No. 4, so it's a case of whether Australia want to rotate any of their quicks.

Australia (probable) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Ben McDermott, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Kane Richardson

Pakistan picked their experienced players in the warm-up match, which suggests that that's how they will start the series, although the uncapped Mohammad Musa Khan looked lively in the nets on Saturday.

Pakistan (probable) 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Asif Ali, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Imad Wasim, 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Mohammad Amir, 10 Mohammad Irfan, 11 Wahab Riaz

Pitch and conditions

The weather may yet play a key part in this match with rain, and a chance of thunderstorms, forecast for Sunday afternoon. It is the first match of the season at the SCG and while the 22 yards shouldn't be an issue, there will be some interest in the rest of the square after the decision to move domestic cricket away from the ground last month.

Stats and Trivia

• If Mohammad Irfan plays in Sydney, it will be his first T20I for three-and-a-half years.

• Pakistan have only played one previous T20I in Australia, back in 2010 when they lost by two runs at the MCG. It was Steven Smith's international debut.

• A victory for Australia in this match would equal their best run in T20Is of six in a row

Quotes

"They've played some great T20 cricket over the last couple of years. Probably a big difference is with their bowling, a lot of left-armers, with the batting Babar is No. 1 in the world and he's such a rock for their strokeplayers to bat around him. I feel they are such a well-balanced side, have some great spin options as well. It will be a great challenge."
Aaron Finch

PNG 130 for 5 (Bau 40*, Amini 31, Smit 2-29) beat Namibia 112 for 5 (Baard 34, Kotze 30, Vanua 2-16) by 18 runs

"SuperVan" - that's what 25-year-old allrounder Norman Vanua is turning into as his reputation as a caped-crusader continues to grow for Papua New Guinea. He produced another match-saving escape act with the bat by biffing a vital 20 not out off 13 balls at the death on a slow pitch before coming back at a late stage in Namibia's chase with some magnificent yorkers. That ensured an 18-run win for PNG, putting them in the final against Netherlands, and giving them a chance to raise their first title at a global ICC event.

PNG captain Assad Vala won the toss and chose to bat on a pitch with considerable moisture, which made scoring difficult as the day wore on following the first semi-final between the Netherlands and Ireland. Namibia's excellent fielding didn't make that task any easier as PNG realised in the third over when Gerhard Erasmus took a stunning one-handed catch leaping backwards at mid-on to dismiss Tony Ura for JJ Smit's first wicket.

Vala top-edged a pull off Christi Viljoen to Ben Shikongo at short third-man in the fourth over before Lega Siaka picked out Niko Davin at deep square-leg off Shikongo to leave PNG 32 for 3 at the end of the Powerplay. A half-century stand between Charles Amini and Sese Bau gave PNG a chance, though, as the pair pushed hard for twos with boundary opportunities few and far between. Two of those finally came from left-arm spinner Zhivago Groenewald's only over in the 13th as the injury-enforced absence of Namibia's leading wicket-taker Jan Frylinck became crucial.

ALSO READ: Della Penna: Papua New Guinea's rise as Associate cricket's heroes

Erasmus finally broke the stand with a round-arm delivery released practically from waist height that deceived Amini's charge and resulted in a stumping for 31 in the 14th. Kiplin Doriga and Bau clubbed a six each in the next two overs to kickstart the final surge before Doriga drove Smit to Erasmus at long-off in the 17th. It brought Vanua to the crease for a final flurry. A top-edged four over the keeper off Viljoen brought a boundary before Vanua clocked Smit over long-on in the penultimate over. Viljoen conceded just four singles in the final over, though, giving Namibia a bit of momentum heading into the break.

But the discipline from PNG, who have fielded an unchanged XI throughout the tournament, shone brightly again in the chase, beginning with a maiden from left-arm pacer Nosaina Pokana. It was enough pressure to produce an early wicket as an arm ball from Jason Kila skidded on to bowl Niko Davin for Kila's second wicket of the event on the tenth ball of the Namibia reply.

JP Kotze was dropped on 1 by Vanua at mid-on in the third off Pokana, but after a pair of sixes swatted over the leg side, Vanua came on in the sixth to exert pressure on Kotze with five dots. One over later, Kotze fell leg before to Amini's legspin trying to sweep a delivery that was far too full for the shot.

Across the next ten overs, Namibia only produced two boundaries. PNG's speed to the ball was equally suffocating as Craig Williams, Stephen Baard, Erasmus and Smit could only run four twos in the stretch. Suddenly, a very modest target had climbed past a required rate of ten per over at the end of the 14th.

Enter Vanua again. He struck with his first ball in the 15th, getting Williams to drive hard to Vala at extra cover. He should have had one more to end the frame too, but Doriga spilled a straightforward chance behind the stumps off Baard, who was on 33. Still, his figures read 2-0-3-1. With Namibia needing 39 off three overs, Vanua switched ends for the 18th and began with a pinpoint yorker to send off Erasmus and the final 17 balls were an anti-climax, as Vanua did his part to save the day in order to break Namibia's five-match winning streak.

West Indies women 225 for 7 (Taylor 94, McLean 51, Nation 43, Pandey 2-38, Sharma 2-41) beat India women 224 (Punia 75, Rodrigues 41, Mohammed 5-46, Gajnabi 2-25, Taylor 2-30) by one run

With India women needing nine off the last over with two wickets in hand, West Indies women offspinner Anisa Mohammed plucked both wickets, including one off the last ball, to give the home side a one-run win in the series opener in North Sound. During her fifth five-wicket haul in ODI cricket, Mohammed also passed 150 wickets to put West Indies women 1-0 up in dramatic fashion.

Stafanie Taylor was also central to the victory, following up her 94 off 91 balls with the wickets of Jemimah Rodrigues and Shikha Pandey to finish with figures of 2 for 30 in her ten overs. Taylor was motoring towards her sixth ODI ton, but Harmanpreet Kaur's blinding one-handed catch at the edge of the boundary denied her the milestone.

Taylor and opener Natasha McLean provided the platform for West Indies' innings by making half-centuries. While McLean (51 off 82 balls) was more sedate, Taylor struck eight fours and two sixes and scored at a strike rate of 103.29. McLean's wicket was part of West Indies' wobble - they went from 51 for no loss to 77 for 3 - but Taylor and the returning Chedean Nation put on a 78-run stand to take their side close to 200. Although the lower order couldn't quite land the big blows, they passed that mark comfortably enough. Seamer Pandey and offspinner Deepti Sharma picked up two wickets each for India women.

In their chase, India had a positive start with Priya Punia and Rodrigues putting on 78 for the opening stand. By the 40th over, they were well-placed at 170 for 2, but Puniya's dismissal for 75 off 107 balls triggered a terminal slide. India lost their last eight wickets for 54 runs and were edged out.

Punia's second fifty in only her fourth ODI, however, might come as a pleasant headache for India women because Smriti Mandhana, the side's first-choice opener and vice-captain, is set to join the squad in the Caribbean ahead of the second match on November 3.

Twelve months ago, Australia went into a home T20I against South Africa without a specialist spinner.

It was a rain-shortened 10-over game but it was the second time since the 2016 T20 World Cup that they had opted not to pick a frontline spinner in home conditions, having only once picked two in a side at home in that time.

Yet 12 months out from a home World Cup, it's looking increasingly likely that Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar could be key pillars in Australia's specifically designed five-man attack in home conditions, following their success as a pair in the 3-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka.

Agar and Zampa were Australia's two most economical bowlers for the series, conceding just 5.33 runs per over each, and taking eight wickets between them. At the MCG on Friday night, they bowled five overs straight in tandem without conceding a boundary to restrict Sri Lanka as they attempted to make a competitive total. Agar conceded just one boundary for the series, Zampa only three.

Both came in for special praise from player of the series David Warner post-match. "The two spinners for me have been the stand-out," he said. "Their lengths have been great, they haven't been hit for many boundaries and they're getting in and out of their over very well. So that's very pleasing for us on a bowling front."

They have benefitted greatly from the work done by the quicks in the powerplay - Sri Lanka were 3 for 29, 2 for 36, and 2 for 41 after six overs each time they came on to bowl - and they will need to be tested under tougher circumstances, but it seems Australia may have stumbled on a combination after so many years of trial error with their spin department.

Both Zampa and Agar have found themselves in and out of favour at different times. Mitch Swepson played a T20I in England last year before Agar filled the role on his own in Zimbabwe with the part-time support of Glenn Maxwell and D'Arcy Short. Zampa returned in the UAE in favour of Agar and had Nathan Lyon join him in one game. It was felt that Australia's Test offspinner, who made his name in T20 cricket and has a better career economy rate than both Zampa and Agar, could fill a permanent role.

No spinner was used in the first game at home against South Africa last summer before Zampa was the solo frontliner for Australia's next five T20Is against India.

But with a rethink in Australia's batting strategy, with no Short or Marcus Stoinis present in the top order thanks to Warner and Steve Smith's return, Australia have got creative with the pivotal No. 7 role, opting for the specialist spinner in Agar who can hit if required, rather than the specialist bat who can share four overs with Maxwell.

They have discovered on the huge grounds in Australia, that it could prove a winning formula.

"I think it's important to have those options especially when you have a left-arm and a leg-spinner," Australia captain Aaron Finch said. "When Maxi [Maxwell] is playing he offers that off-spinning role as well which can give someone a chop if they're not having their best day. The two spinners, all the stats suggest the runs per over from spinners are lower in this country than quicks and I think that's based off ground size, how true the wickets are too.

"It's not a non-negotiable but structuring up for these two series we've felt that it was our best five bowlers going forward. Agar offers that brilliance in the field, very good with bat when he's playing well, he just hasn't had the opportunity yet, which is also a good thing that our No. 7 and No. 6 haven't had a hit. At some stage, he'll no doubt get his opportunity with the bat and do really well."

Finch was also really pleased with Zampa's form. There was some pressure on the legspinner following an underwhelming World Cup where much was expected from him. Cameron Boyce's name continues to be thrown up given his equally good overall T20 record, but Zampa has answered any critics thus far.

"His length has been really important," Finch said. "I think everyone, I know I did in particular, overplayed how big an impact spin would have in the World Cup. Everyone felt at that time of the year with a lot of matches being played on surfaces that spin would play a huge part. England grounds are bloody small. If you get it slightly wrong you get hurt, especially as a spinner. That was one thing we overplayed slightly.

"He's bowling beautifully at the moment. His length is great, he's not giving batsmen width, he's defending his overs really well. To get in and out of your overs is so crucial in T20 cricket and he's doing that really well and having that experience playing at the MCG which is very short straight over the last few years in the Big Bash think that's helped him a lot in his T20 cricket."

It's taken Australia longer than most to embrace the importance of spin in T20 but now it's looking like a key element of their bid for a home world title.

DALLAS -- Mavericks star Luka Doncic needed three stitches to repair a laceration on his head suffered in a collision late in a 119-110 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night, but the team's medical staff determined he did not have a concussion.

The laceration occurred when Doncic and Lakers center Dwight Howard collided while chasing a loose ball that was rebounded by Mavericks forward Dorian Finney-Smith with 1 minute, 49 seconds remaining.

Doncic received treatment on the laceration from Casey Smith, the Mavs' director of player health and performance, and iced his head during each of the three timeouts in the remainder of regulation. However, Doncic played the remainder of the game with the exception of the final 6.4 seconds of regulation, when he was substituted out due to defensive strategy.

"I felt a little bit weird a few minutes after the hit, but then it was OK," said Doncic, who finished with 31 points, 13 rebounds and 15 assists in a thrilling duel with childhood idol LeBron James. "There was nothing to worry about. ... It was a little headache. I had a little headache for a few minutes, but then it was over. I put some ice on it and it was better."

Doncic said he was twice evaluated for a concussion -- once on the bench and again after the game.

The NBA's concussion policy states that a player suspected of having a concussion or exhibiting any related signs or symptoms will be "removed from participation by either a team physician or the player's team athletic trainer and undergo evaluation in a quiet, distraction-free environment conducive to conducting a neurological evaluation."

Doncic, who drove the lane and dished to Finney-Smith for a go-ahead 3-pointer two possessions after the collision, said leaving the game was not a consideration.

"Everybody knows I want to play in overtime," Doncic said. "I wanted to play, in any case. I wanted to end the game."

The play on which the collision occurred was one of several no-calls that upset Doncic and the Mavs.

"Well, he was trying to draw a foul on me," Howard said. "He tried to get to me and draw the foul, so I'm glad they let that one go. I hope he's OK."

Doncic said he didn't even know who hit him from behind to cause his laceration but strongly believed a loose-ball foul should have been called. He also complained to referee Mark Lindsay about being hit in the face by James on a pass that resulted in a turnover in the opening minute of overtime, pointing to his face and the back of his head repeatedly during a conversation with the official while James shot the free throws that put the Lakers up nine points with less than a minute remaining.

"I was just asking if I got hit in the head, how's that not a foul?" said Doncic, who on multiple occasions showed referees scratches on his arms after drives that didn't result in foul calls, once leading to a stoppage in play for infectious disease control because he was bleeding. "Just should have concentrated on the game and not talked to the refs. That was my fault."

Coach Rick Carlisle agreed with his team's 20-year-old star.

"I was upset, too, but I'm not going to spend 50 grand to criticize," Carlisle said. "It just doesn't make sense. These are hard games. I don't know what else to say. They're hard games, and they're very emotional. It's tough. It's tough when you think you're getting hit and the whistle's not blowing."

The Mavs also were upset that Howard wasn't called for an illegal screen that freed Danny Green up for the overtime-forcing 3-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Howard clearly grabbed Mavs guard Seth Curry from behind with both hands to prevent Curry from getting into the passing lane, a play that unfolded after Dallas failed to execute Carlisle's plan to foul before the Lakers had a chance to shoot.

"Even so, I knew what play was coming," Curry said. "I knew exactly what was going to happen. I'm still there to take away that pass, and then [Howard] grabbed me and it was a no-call right in front of the official. It's just unfortunate."