Sushma Verma, the wicketkeeper-batsman, was the only new entrant into the India women's squad for their upcoming tour of the West Indies for three ODIs and five T20Is.

The BCCI announced a 16-member ODI squad for the tour that kicks off in November, with Sushma the only addition to the squad of 15 that is set to play South Africa in Vadodara in three ODIs next week. The T20I squad was the same as the 15 that were chosen for the first three games of the ongoing T20I series against South Africa, where the hosts lead 1-0 with the second game washed out.

That means 15-year-old Shafali Verma, the hard-hitting top-order batsman, retains her place in the T20I squad. She was out for ducks in the warm-up game against South Africa and on T20I debut. Harleen Deol, who impressed in the T20 Challenger earlier this year, keeps her place as does 19-year-old allrounder Pooja Vastrakar.

Led by Harmanpreet Kaur and with Smriti Mandhana as the vice-captain, this tour is a further opportunity for India to tune their preparations ahead of the Women's T20 World Cup in Australia in March 2019.

The first two T20Is will be played in St Lucia, before the teams move to Guyana for the next three matches.

For Sushma, who last represented India in April 2018, it is a return to the side having missed a spot for the home series against England and South Africa this year. She offers a second wicketkeeping option to the ODI captain Mithali Raj, behind the incumbent wicketkeeper Taniya Bhatia. The ODIs will be played in Antigua from November 1.

India women's ODI squad: Mithali Raj (Captain), Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Smriti Mandhana, Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Punam Raut, D Hemalatha, Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Poonam Yadav, Ekta Bisht, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Priya Punia, Sushma Verma

India women's T20I squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Shafali Verma, Harleen Deol, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicket-keeper), Poonam Yadav, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Anuja Patil, Shikha Pandey, Pooja Vastrakar, Mansi Joshi, Arundhati Reddy

The second ODI between Pakistan and Sri Lanka has been postponed by a day owing to unseasonal rains that left Karachi's National Stadium waterlogged, washing out the first game of the series in the process. With more rain expected on the day of the second game - Sunday, September 29 - the Pakistan Cricket Board, in consultation with the Sri Lanka Cricket Board, has rescheduled the game to Monday, September 30.

"This week's heavy rains, including on Friday afternoon, has left the outfield soggy, with the groundstaff requiring at least two complete days to make the ground fit for cricket," a PCB media statement said. "The PCB has also announced tickets sold for Friday, 27 September, will be valid for either 30 September or 2 October ODI, while tickets sold for Sunday, 29 September, match may also be used for either 30 September or 2 October ODI. As per the PCB ticketing policy for the series, the PCB will also allow refund of all tickets for Friday's match."

PCB director of international cricket Zakir Khan said, "This week's unseasonal heavy rains have forced us to review the series schedule. I am thankful to Sri Lanka Cricket as well as our host broadcasters for agreeing to amend the match schedule to ensure there are no further abandonments due to rain in what is an important bilateral FTP series for Pakistan."

Unexpected rain in Karachi had put this game in doubt as early as 48 hours before the scheduled start, with the city lashed by heavy afternoon rains each of the past three days. With a training session cancelled on Wednesday and only a short one possible on Thursday, the square had been under covers all this while. This afternoon, when perhaps the heaviest spell of rain all week descended upon the National Stadium, cancellation was inevitable.

It is by no means a familiar phenomenon for the city, this match being the first ODI ever to be abandoned because of the weather in Karachi.

Mohammad Azharuddin has been elected president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association. The former India captain took 147 of the 223 votes cast, with his nearest opponent Prakash Jain polling 73 votes and a third contestant, Dilip Kumar, just three.

The development adds another chapter to the life of Azharuddin, who has never been far from the news since scoring hundreds in his first three Test matches back in 1984-85. Azharuddin played 99 Tests and 334 ODIs before his career was brought to an abrupt end in 2000 with the BCCI banning him for life after the Central Bureau of Investigation found him guilty of match-fixing.

In its report, the CBI said: "The evidence against Azharuddin … clearly establishes the fact that he took money from bookies/punters to fix cricket matches and also the fact that the 'underworld' had approached him to fix matches for them."

Azharuddin, in his statement to the CBI, had admitted to receiving money from the bookie Mukesh Gupta to fix some matches, but has stated that he "did" only two matches for him - an admission the CBI called "a dilution of the actual facts".

Yet Azharuddin, who led India in 47 Tests and 174 ODIs, never stopped pleading his innocence until the Andhra Pradesh High Court finally struck down the life ban in 2012, declaring it illegal.

Along the way, Azharuddin has enjoyed a gradual reintegration with Indian cricket and public life, but the ride hasn't always been smooth.

In 2009, he joined the Congress party, and served as a Member of Parliament from 2009 to 2014. In 2011, he had to endure the untimely death of one of his two sons, Ayazuddin, who succumbed to injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident in his hometown Hyderabad.

This is the second time Azharuddin has put his hat in the HCA ring. In January 2017, Azharuddin made his first bid to contest the elections, but his nomination for the president's post was rejected due to uncertainty over whether or not the BCCI had lifted his life ban.

Last year, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB), helmed by Sourav Ganguly - who took over India's captaincy soon after the 2000 fixing scandal - invited Azharuddin to ring the ceremonial bell at Eden Gardens at the start of a T20I between India and West Indies. The CAB's decision drew flak from numerous voices including former India batsmen Gautam Gambhir - who called it "shocking" - and Sanjay Manjrekar - who responded by tweeting a link to the CBI report from its match-fixing investigation.

Azharuddin didn't give up his desire to enter cricket administration, however, and re-entered the fray for the top post at the HCA. The elections took place at the HCA headquarters in Hyderabad on Friday, supervised by electoral officer VS Sampath, a former election commissioner of India.

The elections marked the first time that former international cricketers participated in the voting process. This was one of the key recommendations of the RM Lodha Committee that led to the structural overhaul of cricket administration at the BCCI and its state associations. Eleven international players from Hyderabad cast their votes, including Azharuddin, VVS Laxman and Venkatapathy Raju.

R Vijayanand will be the new HCA secretary. He won 137 votes, more than twice as many as the favourite S Venkateshwaran, who polled 62 votes.

Zimbabwe 133 for 5 (Burl 41*, Mutumbami 40*, Lamichhane3-15)beat Nepal 132 for 6 (Airee 40, Williams 2-19)by five wickets

Zimbabwe have had very little to cheer about in the past few months. They became the first Full Member to be suspended by the ICC and are now set to miss next year's T20 World Cup. The retirements of Hamilton Masakadza and Solomon Mire have added to the chaos, as did a pre-mature exit from the tri-series in Bangladesh last week.

Allrounder Ryan Burl and wicketkeeper-batsman Richmond Mutumbami, however, perked them up in a fairly comfortable win in the T20I tri-series opener against Nepal in Singapore.

Nepal's legspin-bowling sensation Sandeep Lamichhane, fresh off a productive CPL stint with Barbados Tridents, extended his rich form and troubled Zimbabwe's top order with his variations. After taking the new ball in a defence of 132 on a turning track, the teenager bagged three wickets in his first two overs and had figures of 2-0-12-3 at that stage - with only two runs coming off the bat. Nepal keeper Binod Bhandari, much like Zimbabwe's top-order batsmen, struggled to read the turn - or the lack of it - and allowed two wides to sneak past him to the boundary in addition to conceding four byes.

Regis Chakabva was the first to exit, when he scooped a slower legbreak from Lamichhane to short extra-cover for a duck in the second over. Tinotenda Mutombodzi and new captain Sean Williams then fell in Lamichhane's next over, leaving Zimbabwe 28 for 3 in the fourth over. A collapse loomed when debutant Brian Chari was run out by a direct hit from Dipendra Singh Airee for a run-a-ball 19 and Timycen Maruma was bowled by Khadka for 12 off 21 balls.

Having joined forces when Zimbabwe were 64 for 5 in the 10 overs, Burl and Mutumbami saw off Lamichhane and then secured the chase in a blaze of sixes. Mutumbami lined up offspin-bowling allrounder Airee for back-to-back sixes in the 15th over before sending Abhinash Bohara and Kushal Malla over the ropes as well.

Burl, becalmed in the early exchanges, teed off in the 17th over and hastened Zimbabwe's victory with a hat-trick of boundaries off Malla.

Nepal's start mirrored that of Zimbabwe's - they were 55 for 4 in the 11th over after choosing to bat - but some hefty blows from Airee (40) and No.8 Sompal Kami (25*) hauled them to 132 for 6.

Airee, who was the second-highest run-getter in the 2018-19 Everest Premier League, Nepal's T20 league, helped his side work past the early strikes with 40 off 33 balls, including five fours. When he holed out in the 17th over, Nepal were in dire need of some late impetus at 95 for 6. And Kami provided that with a sparkling cameo that helped Nepal score 36 off their last three overs.

While Neville Madziva exploited the sluggish pitch with a variety of slower balls, including the legcutter, Tendai Chatara missed his lengths in the final over. The seamer dished out two full-tosses, and both were carted for sixes. The second full-toss was a front-foot no-ball and it resulted in a free-hit, but Chatara roused himself to concede just four off the last five balls.

Who is the best player in the NBA?

Fresh off an MVP season, Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected No. 1 in NBArank heading into the 2019-20 season. NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard is right behind him at No. 2.

What's the best case for each player to be No. 1 overall? And how does LeBron James fit into this debate at age 34?

The ESPN Hoop Collective crew of Brian Windhorst, Jackie MacMullan and Kirk Goldsberry debate those questions, with a little help from Andrew Han and Kevin Pelton. Watch the full video here on ESPN's YouTube channel.

Disagree with the rankings? Vote on your own top five here.

This transcript has been edited for clarity and length.

More: NBArank 100-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

Take your pick: Giannis or Kawhi?

Windhorst: I was thinking: It's 2019. It's not 2016. It's not 2012. It's a new day in the NBA.

MacMullan: OK.

Windhorst: Who's the best player in the NBA?

MacMullan: Kawhi Leonard.

Goldsberry: No, Jackie. That's incorrect. The best player in the NBA is Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it's not particularly close.

There are three reasons why it's Giannis. No. 1, he's a better offensive player than Kawhi. No. 2, he's a better defensive player than Kawhi. And No. 3, he's 24 years old and just won the MVP.

MacMullan: I'll give you that last one. That's all.

OK. So let's take them one by one. Better offensive player. Really? Are we sure? What metric are you using?

Goldsberry: Giannis scored more points. He did it at a more efficient rate and he's the best interior scorer we've had since somebody named Shaquille O'Neal was in his absolute prime. He led the league in paint points and put up more paint points than anybody since Shaq in '03-04 or something in there.

MacMullan: Kirk, you just spent all morning telling me that paint points no longer matter in the NBA. We spent a lot of time talking about how the game is going out to the perimeter. And listen, I think Giannis will be the best player. He's just not there yet because he only shoots 25% from the 3-point line. As you know, Kawhi Leonard, one of your former players, shoots around 33.3%.

But be that as it may, Brian, let's just talk about what happened, shall we, last season in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals. OK? The Toronto Raptors are down two-to-nothing. Nick Nurse says: You know what? I've got to do something. I'm going to put Kawhi on Giannis. And Kawhi Leonard then proved why he's a better defensive player than Giannis -- or maybe a better defensive player than anyone.

Would you like to know what happened?

Windhorst: Yes. Remind me.

MacMullan: OK, in 41 matchups --

Windhorst: It was a pretty damn big important moment.

MacMullan: It kind of was.

In 41 matchups, Giannis took 12 shots, scored four points and had an effective field goal percentage (eFG) of 16.7%. Let us just say that swung things the other way. Now as it went along, Giannis got a little better at being guarded by Kawhi, until it came to the all-encompassing Game 6, which is when the best player should shine. I think we agree. Three shots, four points for Kirk's best player in the NBA.

Goldsberry: As you know from your playing days, basketball is a team game. And the Raptors need to be commended for building a superb postseason team that included Marc Gasol -- world champion Marc Gasol. It included Kyle Lowry; Serge Ibaka, a phenomenal defender; Pascal Siakam, a phenomenal defender; Danny Green, a phenomenal defender. Give head coach Nick Nurse and all those dudes credit, they shut down Giannis in that series. Nobody deserves more credit than Kawhi. He is a marvelous on-ball perimeter defender.

The two stats that make me think that Giannis is an even better defender than Kawhi are the following: Out of 38 players who defended at least 300 shots at the rim last season -- that's a lot of the biggest players in league -- he had the best rim-protection score. He's the No. 1 rim-protector of the volume rim-protectors in the NBA. He's a wing!

He also ranked second in defensive rebounding in the NBA ahead of Andre Drummond and just below Joel Embiid. This dude is supposed to be a small forward and he's blocking shots and getting rebounds. Just remember, a stop isn't a stop until somebody gets the board. The board man gets paid, as some say.

MacMullan: But here's what I would say about that -- and I don't want to disparage Giannis because I think he's a terrific player. But Mike Budenholzer was very smart in the way he used Giannis. He used him as an off-the-ball defender who sagged into the lane and protected at the rim, just in the way you've described. I would argue, quite successfully I believe, that that's a little easier to do than to guard some of the best players in the league. By the way, eight of the past nine MVPs in the league have been wing players, where Kawhi's guarding guys on the perimeter.

Now Kawhi said himself during the regular season he was coming back from what we assumed was a serious injury. Who will ever know what went on there? He probably wasn't 100 percent in terms of his pursuit defensively in the regular season. But I'll say it again: For my best player, right now -- not three years from now, because your answer could be correct three years from now -- I want the player when the game is on the line, when my season is on the line, when a trip to the NBA Finals is on the line, I want my guy defending then. And Kawhi did.

Windhorst: Well, when I don't know what the answer is -- and both of you guys have made incredible cases, I'm glad I don't have to adjudicate this myself -- I go to the man who has all the answers. And that's Kevin Pelton. Let's hear what he has to say.

Han: Kevin Pelton! Kevin Pelton! Who's the best player in the NBA?

Pelton: Kawhi Leonard. You know, he adds the most to your chances of winning the championship at this point. You saw him as two-way player in the playoffs last year.

Han: Really? So not Giannis?

Pelton: Giannis is great. I mean, it might be Giannis, but he has to prove it at the highest echelons of the playoffs. He wasn't quite the same player last season in the Eastern Conference finals. Kawhi was the best player in that series, wasn't he?

MacMullan: I'm doing the happy dance over here. Can you see my little happy dance?

What about LeBron?

Windhorst: Mr. Pelton has weighed in, but does LeBron James not merit part of the discussion?

MacMullan: Also receiving votes. Sorry. Especially based on what happened last season.

Windhorst: Remember that two years ago, the last time he was healthy, he had arguably the best postseason run of his career. And he will have now come off the longest rest he's had since he's been a professional basketball player.

MacMullan: Oh, he'll be great. He'll be great. But the setup that he's in, I think it's going to be very difficult for him to shine the way he has. I mean, for one thing, when you put Anthony Davis on a team, you have to learn to play around him. But Anthony Davis is going to be learning to play around LeBron at the same time. There is going to be a learning curve with the Los Angeles Lakers that I believe will affect LeBron's productivity.

Goldsberry: Let me add one more thing, a tried-and-true basketball cliche: The best ability is availability. And I would say this hurts both Kawhi and LeBron. Both of these guys have missed significant time in the past couple of seasons -- and that's part of this discussion. LeBron, to his credit, has been the most durable superstar of my life.

Windhorst: Played 82 games two years ago.

MacMullan: Which was a huge mistake.

Windhorst: Apparently.

Goldsberry: With his age at 34, 35, it's fair to question: OK, are we going to revert back to 82-game LeBron or are we going to start seeing load-management LeBron? Or worst-case scenario, are we going to start to see wearing-down LeBron, orthopedic LeBron, muscle-tear LeBron?

MacMullan: Cabernet LeBron's my favorite. But I will say this too: Never count out LeBron, for all sorts of reasons. But in terms of load management and Kawhi, he and the Clippers have already said he's not going to play only 60 games this season. He's going to play more. There were reasons for the way that was done in Toronto.

Windhorst: If he's healthy. We'll see.

MacMullan: Aren't you being a little smirky over there.

Windhorst: Now, what do we do here? We go to Kevin Pelton.

MacMullan: Again, I love Pelton.

Goldsberry: Oh man.

Han: Wait, Kevin, what about LeBron?

Pelton: Again, he's got to prove it. Like, he's 34 years old. He has shown in the past that he can be a different player in the playoffs than the regular season. But we didn't see that last season because he didn't even make the playoffs.

Goldsberry: Wow. He has to prove it? ...

MacMullan: That was an interesting comment.

Windhorst: I would take umbrage with that.

Goldsberry: The decade has just ended. The dude was in the Finals eight years in a row this decade. Won three Finals, three Finals MVP in two different uniforms, in very different situations. He doesn't have anything to prove.

Windhorst: But that was then.

Goldsberry: If there's anything about LeBron, he's proved it all. It's gravy time for LeBron.

MacMullan: So there's one thing we can agree on!

Windhorst: One thing he may prove is that he should have been involved in the first part of this conversation.

MacMullan: We'll see.

Windhorst: All right. Get out of here. I don't want to see you anymore. I'm done. I'm off the clock.

MacMullan: Like we don't have other things to do?

Windhorst: Jackie, where are you going to get that cabernet?

More: NBArank 100-51 | 50-31 | 30-11 | 10-1

The Detroit Tigers (46-112), already assured of the big leagues' worst record and next year's top draft pick, finished 22-59 at Comerica Park with their 10-4 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday.

Detroit tied the major league record for home losses, set by the 1939 St. Louis Browns. The Tigers' minus-221 run differential at home was the worst in major league history, breaking a mark set by the 1883 Philadelphia Phillies at minus-215, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

"We didn't play well at home all summer long," Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. "I always preach that you have to care of your home and play well for your fans. We were terrible. That's got to change."

Jordan Zimmermann (1-13) lost his fourth straight start, giving up six runs and seven hits in 4 1/3 innings. Zimmermann started 23 times this season and set a team record for fewest wins by a pitcher with 20 or more starts. Art Houtteman had two wins in 20 starts in 1948.

"I obviously wish this had gone better," Zimmermann said. "I had a few injuries and battled through some stuff. There were times I shouldn't have been out there, but that's the mindset I have. I'm going to be out there every time I can."

The crowd of 17,557 raised Detroit's home season total to 1,501,430, down from 1,856,970 last season and the Tigers' lowest since they drew 1,368,245 fans during their 119-loss season in 2003.

Our final weekend of baseball's regular season! It has been a fun ride, my friends.

Here's a quick look at what to watch for this weekend:

Friday

Game of the day: Cubs at Cardinals (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2)

The Cardinals were 7½ games up on the Brewers on Sept. 5, but Milwaukee is an improbable 18-2 since then to climb just one game back in the National League Central and put pressure on the Cardinals this weekend. (Both teams will at least earn a wild-card spot.) It's not as though St. Louis has played poorly: The Cards are 11-8 since that date.

Dakota Hudson gets the ball for the Cardinals, and the sinkerball specialist -- he leads qualified starters with a 57.2% ground ball rate -- is 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA over his past eight starts. There has been some good fortune in his run, with a .167 BABIP, but he has allowed only three home runs over 48⅓ innings. The reeling Cubs won't exactly be playing their "A' lineup this weekend. They've also lost nine in a row and have nothing to play for but pride. Will they find any?

With a win and a Brewers loss, the Cardinals clinch at least a tie for the NL Central. The Cardinals won the season series with Milwaukee 10-9, so if a tiebreaker game is required Monday, the Cardinals will host it.

Other games to watch

Indians at Nationals (7:05 p.m. ET, ESPN+): With losses Wednesday and Thursday, the Indians have entered desperation time, as they need some help from the Blue Jays against the Rays to keep their playoff hopes alive. A three-way tie for the two American League wild cards is still possible, however:

-- If the A's go 0-3 against the Mariners, they finish 96-66

-- If the Rays go 1-2 against the Blue Jays, they finish 96-66

-- If the Indians go 3-0 against the Nationals, they finish 96-66

If all that happens, we go to the three-team tiebreaker for two slots. Let's explain that out one more time. Teams are given A, B and C designations. Club A hosts Club B. The winner is one wild-card team. Club C then hosts the loser of the first game to determine the second wild card.

The A's won both season series, so they get first choice on their designation. They probably choose A, giving them one home game and a second game if they lose. Tampa Bay gets next choice and likely chooses B. So our tiebreaker games probably would be:

Monday: Tampa Bay at Oakland
Tuesday: Tampa/Oakland loser at Cleveland

Then we get the actual wild-card game on Wednesday. Tampa Bay could potentially travel from Toronto to Oakland to Cleveland and back to Oakland in four days. Give that traveling secretary a raise if that happens.

Braves at Mets (7:10 p.m. ET): Pete Alonso has three games left, needing one home run to tie Aaron Judge's rookie record of 52 and two to break it. I wonder if the Mets will bat him leadoff to get him an extra at-bat or two in the series. Dallas Keuchel starts for the Braves, and he's looking like the Game 1 starter for the Braves in the division series, as rookie Mike Soroka saw his final start pushed back to Sunday, lining him up to pitch Game 3 (with Julio Teheran for Game 2). Keuchel, of course, has plenty of postseason experience, with a 3.31 ERA, and he has a 2.06 ERA over his past eight starts.

Brewers at Rockies (8:10 p.m. ET): Can the miracle continue? The Brewers' 18-2 run matches the best 20-game stretch in franchise history (they also did it in 1987 and 2011). Zach Davies starts against Chi Chi Gonzalez. Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell has 20 pitchers on his roster and he has been using all of them in September. It will be interesting to see how hard he pushes the bullpen this series, knowing he might have a tiebreaker game Monday and the wild-card game Tuesday. Josh Hader, for example, threw 16 pitches on Thursday and 24 on Tuesday. Not a big workload, but how available will he be in this one?

Twins at Royals (8:15 p.m. ET): The Twins go for win No. 100. Even including their days as the Senators, they've reached that mark only once in franchise history, in 1965, when they won 102 games and lost in the World Series. If the Twins do get to 100, that's four 100-win teams across the majors. That has never happened. (The Twins also could tie the Yankees at 102 wins, but New York owns the tiebreaker and home-field advantage over Minnesota.)

Saturday

Game of the day: Brewers at Rockies (8:10 p.m. ET)

If the A's and Rays win Friday and the Indians lose, the A's and Rays clinch and the Indians are done. So the only games guaranteed to mean anything of playoff importance Saturday are the Brewers and Cardinals games. Brandon Woodruff starts for Milwaukee, but this will be another bullpen game, as Woodruff has gone only two innings in each of his two starts since coming off the injured list. Will the Brewers be going for their 20th victory in 22 games? There is also the matter of home field for the wild-card game. Entering the weekend, we have:

Cardinals: 90-69
Nationals: 90-69
Brewers: 89-70

The Cardinals and Brewers both hold the tiebreaker over the Nationals, so the Nationals need to finish with the better record.

Other games to watch

Cubs at Cardinals (7:15 p.m. ET): This could be the division clincher for St. Louis, so it's fitting that Adam Wainwright will get the start (the Cardinals moved Wainwright up from Sunday to start here instead of Miles Mikolas). The 38-year-old has had his best season since 2014, going 14-9 with a 3.98 ERA -- oh, and he's 5-0 with a 1.69 ERA in September. The most recent pitcher to go 6-0 over the final month? Felix Hernandez in 2009, although it took him seven starts, and the seventh one actually came in October. Before that: Jose Contreras for the White Sox in 2005 (all six starts in September). Guess who won the World Series that year?

Yankees at Rangers (8:05 p.m. ET): Luis Severino has looked good in his first two starts of the season, giving up no runs over nine innings against the Angels and Blue Jays. The Rangers will be a little better test. He threw 80 pitches in five innings against Toronto, so the Yankees might try to get him in the 90-to-100 range in his final start before the postseason.

Astros at Angels (9:07 p.m. ET): Justin Verlander makes his final tune-up start ahead of next Friday's Game 1 of the division series. Teammate Gerrit Cole makes his final start Sunday. Without digging into the next layer of stats, it looks like a toss-up for the American League Cy Young Award:

Verlander: 20-6, 2.53 ERA, 217 IP, 133 H, 42 BB, 288 SO, 34 HR, 7.8 bWAR/6.2 fWAR

Cole: 19-5, 2.52 ERA, 207⅓ IP, 138 H, 46 BB, 316 SO, 28 HR, 6.7 bWAR/7.3 fWAR

Split the difference in WAR and you get ... a dead heat. Cole has fanned 39.7% of the batters he has faced, the single-season high for a starting pitcher. He also has won 15 decisions in a row, posting a 1.78 ERA over 21 starts. Verlander has the no-hitter and 10 more innings. Cole has made 20 of his 32 starts against teams under .500 while Verlander has made ... 20 of his 33 starts against teams under .500. Can we call it a tie?

Sunday

Game of the day: Dodgers at Giants (3:05 p.m. ET)

We could have five games that really matter -- or none. But none might be more emotional than this one. The Giants host the Dodgers in Bruce Bochy's final game as manager ... and Madison Bumgarner will be taking the mound in what could be his final start in a Giants uniform if he leaves as a free agent.

The game also could mean something for the Dodgers. The standings for best overall record and potential home-field advantage throughout the postseason look like this entering Friday:

Astros: 104-55
Dodgers: 103-56
Yankees: 102-57

The Astros own the tiebreaker over the Yankees if they end up with the same record (and meet in the American League Championship Series). The Yankees own the tiebreaker over the Dodgers by virtue of a 2-1 edge in their head-to-head games. The Astros and Dodgers did not play, so the second tiebreaker is divisional record. The Astros are 53-20 against the AL West and the Dodgers are 48-25 against the NL West, so that edge goes to Houston.

Other games to watch

Indians at Nationals (3:05 p.m. ET): If the Indians are still alive, Mike Clevinger will go. The Nationals are undecided, as it's unlikely Max Scherzer will pitch -- giving manager Dave Martinez the option of either Stephen Strasburg or Scherzer in the wild-card game.

Rays at Blue Jays (3:07 p.m. ET): 2018 Cy Young winner Blake Snell will make his third start since coming off the IL. The Rays have 2019 ace Charlie Morton ready to go on full rest, whether that's in a Monday tiebreaker or Wednesday's AL wild-card game.

A's at Mariners (3:10 p.m. ET): Tanner Roark starts the final game for Oakland. He has struggled over his past three starts, with a 9.45 ERA and including eight home runs in 13⅓ innings. After losing wild-card games at Kansas City in 2014 and at Yankee Stadium in 2018, the A's hope they'll get this one at home. Sean Manaea, who has dominated since his return from the IL, will be the likely starter for that game.

Brewers at Rockies (3:10 p.m. ET): Adrian Houser starts for Milwaukee.

Cubs at Cardinals (3:15 p.m. ET): The Cardinals obviously hope they clinch Saturday, so they wouldn't have to start Jack Flaherty (and his 0.97 ERA in the second half) on Sunday -- and thus have him available to start the division series opener next Thursday. If the division title is still up for grabs Sunday, however, Mike Shildt hinted that Flaherty would get the ball. That's not necessarily the worst thing, as Flaherty could then start Game 2 of the National League Division Series on regular rest Friday and then, thanks to the off days, also start Game 5 on regular rest. Of course, if Flaherty pitches Sunday and the Cards end up tied with the Brewers, that takes Flaherty out of the equation for not only the tiebreaker game Monday but a potential wild-card game Tuesday.

Steve Smythe highlights who could claim the top eight spots in each of the women’s events over the next 10 days

Here are our women’s event predictions for the IAAF World Championships in Doha. Generally, we have gone with the rankings and form book and if a Briton is ranked 20th, we won’t predict a medal even if we have a sneaking suspicion that she might do much better than the rankings suggest.

We list a possible top eight and what we think the winning mark might be.

Click here for our men’s event predictions.

Whether you agree or disagree with our predictions, get vocal on Twitter and Facebook and let us know! Make sure you check out the September 26 edition of AW magazine for our full guide to the action, including rankings, news, interviews, facts, stats and more. A digital edition is available to buy and download here.

Online day-by-day guide | Final entries list

100m

Defending champion: Tori Bowie (USA) 10.85
Olympic champion: Elaine Thompson (JAM) 10.71
The last two Olympic champions Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Elaine Thompson are joint top in the rankings with 10.73 and should battle out for the gold medal. The battle for bronze should see European champion Dina Asher-Smith to the fore.
Prediction: 1 E Thompson (JAM); 2 S Fraser-Pryce (JAM); 3 Asher-Smith (GBR); 4 M Ta Lou (CIV); 5 T Bowie (USA); 6 M Kambundji (SUI); 7 D Schippers (NED); 8 T Daniels (USA). Winning mark: 10.75

200m

Defending champion: Dafne Schippers (NED) 22.05
Olympic champion: Elaine Thompson (JAM) 21.78
If she can replicate her 2015 or 2016 form then Olympic champion Elaine Thompson is the favourite but based on 2019 form, and the absence of Shaunae Miller-Uibo, then Asher-Smith looks to hold the edge. Blessing Okagbare would be a factor on her 22.05 Stanford form but the double world champion Dafne Schippers looks well short of her 2015 and 2017 form.
Prediction: 1 E Thompson (JAM); 2 D Asher-Smith (GBR); 3 A Annelus (USA); 4 M Kambundji (SUI); 5 D Schippers (NED); 6 B Okagbare (NGR); 7 A Fraser-Pryce (JAM); 8 M Ta Lou (CIV). Winning mark: 21.90

400m

Defending champion: Phyllis Francis (USA) 49.92
Olympic champion: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (BAH) 49.44
Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo would be a huge favourite at 200m if the programme allowed it but she is even more clear cut at 400m though she will be keen to make up for her inexplicable fourth at London. Salwa Eid Nasser is an equally obvious second. Shericka Jackson should match her Olympic third and shock 2017 winner Phyllis Francis does not look a likely medallist this time.
Prediction: 1 S Miller-Uibo (BAH); 2 S Eid Nasser (BRN); 3 S Jackson (JAM); 4 S Wimbley (USA); 5 S McPherson (JAM); 6 P Francis (USA); 7 K Ellis (USA); 8 W Jonathas (USA). Winning mark: 48.65

800m

Defending champion: Caster Semenya (RSA) 1:55.16
Olympic champion: Caster Semenya (RSA) 1:55.28
With world no.1 Caster Semenya absent there will be a new champion and 2017 bronze medallist Ajee’ Wilson is a clear favourite. The other medals look open but there could be an US clean sweep with Americans Hanna Green and Raevyn Rogers also in good form. 2013 champion Eunice Sum could be close to a medal again as could the three British runners.
Prediction: 1 A Wilson (USA); 2 H Green (USA); 3 N Goule (JAM); 4 E Sum (KEN); 5 L Sharp (GBR); 6 R Rogers (USA); 7 S Oskan-Clarke (GBR); 8 C Bisset (AUS) Winning mark: 1:56.65

1500m

Defending champion: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 4:02.59
Olympic champion: Faith Kipyegon (KEN) 4:08.92
Should she run this instead of the 5000m, then world mile record-holder Sifan Hassan would be favourite but defending world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon has the best competitive record. European champion Laura Muir would have a good chance of being their equal if she was fully fit but she has not raced for 10 weeks and since her London victory.
Prediction: 1 F Kipyegon (KEN); 2 S Hassan (NED); 3 G Tsegay (ETH); 4 L Muir (GBR); 5 S Houlihan (USA); 6 J Simpson (USA); 7 R Arrafi (MAR); 8 W Chebet (KEN). Winning mark: 4:08.98

5000m

Defending champion: Hellen Obiri (KEN) 14:34.86
Olympic champion: Vivian Cheruiyot (KEN) 14:26.17
Sifan Hassan might run this and if she does, again a Kenyan will probably give her biggest challenge. Defending champion Hellen Obiri stands in her way and has experience of outkicking the Dutch athlete, though might have the 10,000m in her legs for the first time. Konstanze Klosterhalfen is also entered for both and would appear to have a much better chance in this event.
Prediction: 1 H Obiri (KEN); 2 K Klosterhalfen (GER); 3 L Gidey (ETH); 4 M Kipkemboi (KEN); 5 H Feysa (ETH); 6 L Weightman (GBR); 7 E McColgan (GBR): 8 T Worku (ETH). Winning mark: 14:48.65

10,000m

Defending champion: Almaz Ayana (ETH) 30:16.32
Olympic champion: Almaz Ayana (ETH) 29:17.45
While she is only ranked ninth of those entered and it’s only her third best event, Sifan Hassan is almost certain to run her first major 25-lap race and her biggest danger could be another big race debutante, Hellen Obiri. The Ethiopian trio Letesenbet Gidey, Netsanet Gudeta and Senbere Teferi top the world rankings though and could follow the two bigger names home.
Prediction: 1 S Hassan (NED); 2 H Obiri (KEN); 3 L Gidey (ETH); 4 S Teferi (ETH); 5 N Gudeta (ETH); 6 M Huddle (USA); 7 R Wanjiru (KEN); 8 A Tirop (KEN). Winning mark: 31:06.54

Marathon

Defending champion: Rose Chelimo (BRN) 2:27:11
Olympic champion: Jemima Sumgong (KEN) 2:24:04
The third fastest marathoner in history Ruth Chepngetich can also boast fast times at half-marathon and is the obvious favourite though the heat may be of a factor than form. Israel’s European 10,000m champion Lonah Salpeter and Ethiopian Ruth Aga look likely medallists. It looks unlikely that Edna Kiplagat, who is chasing her fifth successive medal, or defending champion Rose Chelimo will be at their best.
Prediction: 1 R Chepngetich (KEN); 2 L Salpeter (ISR); 3 R Aga (ETH); 4 S Demise (ETH); 5 R Dereje (ETH); 6 O Mazuronak (BLR); 7 S Eshaye (BRN); 8 E Kiplagat (KEN). Winning mark: 2:30:45

3000m steeplechase

Defending champion: Emma Coburn (USA) 9:02.58
Olympic champion: Ruth Jebet (BRN) 8:59.75
World record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech was only fourth in the last two global championships but she has looked a class apart the last two seasons. There should be a close race for second with the two past champions Hyvin Jepkemoi and Emma Coburn and world junior champion Celiphine Chespol and European champion Gesa-Felicitas Krause all in with a shout.
Prediction: 1 B Chepkoech (KEN); 2 E Coburn (USA); 3 G Krause (GER); 4 H Jepkemoi (KEN); 5 C Chespol (KEN); 6 C Frerichs (USA); 7 W Yavi (BRN); 8 C Quigley (USA). Winning mark: 8:55.55

100m hurdles

Defending champion: Sally Pearson (AUS) 12.59
Olympic champion: Brianna McNeal (USA) 12.48
The 2015 world champion Danielle Williams is at a much higher level than she was four years ago and is a clear favourite. World record-holder Kendra Harrison and fellow Americans Nia Ali and Brianna McNeal should be her nearest challengers.
Prediction: 1 D Williams (USA); 2 K Harrison (USA); 3 N Ali (USA); 4 B McNeal (USA); 5 J Brown (JAM); 6 T Amusan NGR); 7 E German (BLR); 8 C Roleder (GER). Winning mark: 12.31

400m hurdles

Defending champion: Kori Carter (USA) 53.07
Olympic champion: Dalilah Muhammad (USA) 53.13
The Olympic champion and world record-holder Dalilah Muhammad might have a hard battle against the multi-talented world junior record-holder Sydney McLaughlin, who is expected to eventually inherit the record. Olympic bronze medallist Ashley Spencer looks a clear third on form and it should be a US sweep of the medals though defending champion Kori Carter is unlikely to be a factor.
Prediction: 1 Sydney McLaughlin (USA); 2 Dalilah Muhammad (USA); A Spencer (USA); 4 Z Hejnova (CZE); 5 R Clayton (JAM); 6 L Sprunger (SUI); 7 S Carter (USA); 8 A Ryzhykova (UKR). Winning mark: 52.40

High jump

Defending champion: Mariya Lasitskene (RUS) 2.03m
Olympic champion: Ruth Beitia (ESP) 1.97m
Though she suffered a rare loss in The Match, Mariya Lasitskene has a huge advantage over her competitors and should comfortably defend her title. Her conqueror in Minsk, Yulia Levchenko, could match her 2017 second. The other three 2.00m jumpers this year – Vashti Cunningham, Yaroslava Mahuchikh and Karina Demidik – could dispute the bronze.
Prediction: 1 M Lasitskene (ANA); 2 Y Levchenko (UKR); 3 V Cunningham (USA); 4 K Demidik (BLR); 5 Y Mahuchikh (UKR); 6 A Palsyte (LTU); 7 M Demireva (BUL); 8 I Herashchenko (UKR). Winning mark: 2.03m

Pole vault

Defending champion: Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) 4.91m
Olympic champion: Katerina Stefanidi (GRE) 4.85m
World and European champion Katerina Stefanidi has not been as dominant in 2019 but has the best competitive record by far.
Jenn Suhr, Anzhelika Sidorova and Sandi Morris are the athletes in form, however. Katie Nageotte, Alysha Newman and Holly Bradshaw are other possible medallists.
Prediction: 1 A Sidorova (ANA); 2 S Morris (USA); 3 E Stefanidi (GRE); 4 J Suhr (USA); 5 A Newman (CAN); 6 H Bradshaw (GBR); 7 Y Silva (CUB); 8 K Nageotte (USA). Winning mark: 4.80m

Long jump

Defending champion: Brittney Reese (USA) 7.02m
Olympic champion: Tianna Bartoletti (USA) 7.17m
European champion Malaika Mihambo stands out as the clear favourite. Defending champion Brittney Reese is a great competitor and could be her biggest challenger.
Prediction: 1 M Mihambo (GER); 2 B Reese (USA); 3 A Mironchik-Ivanova (BLR); 4 E Brume (NGR); 5 C Ibarguen (COL); 6 A Rotaru (ROM); 7 M Bekh-Romanchuk (UKR). Winning mark: 7.45m

Triple jump

Defending champion: Yulimar Rojas (VEN) 14.91m
Olympic champion: Caterine Ibarguen (COL) 15.17m
Defending champion Yulimar Rojas, a possible world record-setter, is favourite but will have to see off the challenge of three-time global winner Caterine Ibarguen, with Shanieka Ricketts also a medal threat.
Prediction: 1 Y Rojas (VEN); 2 C Ibarguen (COL); 3 S Ricketts (JAM); 4 K Orji (USA); 5 L Povea (CUB); 6 K Williams (JAM); 7 O Saladukha (UKR); 8 A Peleteiro (ESP). Winning mark: 15.50m

Shot

Defending champion: Gong Lijiao (CHN) 19.94m
Olympic champion: Michelle Carter (USA) 20.63m
Gong Lijiao is the only 20-metre thrower this year and the defending champion chases her ninth successive top four slot in a global outdoor championship since 2008. The 2015 champion Christina Schwanitz and American Chase Ealey could be her biggest opponents.
Prediction: 1 Gong Lijiao (CHN); 2 C Schanwitz (GER); 3 C Ealey (USA); 4 D Thomas-Dodd (JAM); 5 M Carter (USA); 6 F Roos (SWE); 7 P Guba (POL); 8 A Marton (HUN). Winning mark: 19.98m

Discus

Defending champion: Sandra Perkovic (CRO) 70.31m
Olympic champion: Sandra Perkovic (CRO) 69.21m
Sandra Perkovic is trying to win her eighth global title though so far in 2019 has struggled against the Cuban pair of Yaime Perez and Denia Caballero. These three look way ahead of the rest.
Prediction: 1 S Perkovic (CRO); 2 D Caballero (CUB); 3 Y Perez (CUB); 4 Feng Bin (CHN); 5 V Allman (USA); 6 C Vita (GER); 7 Chen Yang (CHN); 8 N Muller (GER). Winning mark: 69.84m

Hammer

Defending champion: Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) 77.90m
Olympic champion: Anita Wlodarczyk (POL) 76.63m
With the defending champion absent, this looks more open than normal. The Americans dominate the rankings with the top three placings but the trio do not have a top eight global place between them. The other medallists from London, Wang Zheng and Malwina Kopron, could also be a factor
Prediction: 1 D Price (USA); 2 Wang Zheng (CHN); 3 G Berry (USA); 4 M Kopron (POL); 5 A Tavernier (FRA); 6 J Fiodorow (POL); 7 B Andersen (USA); 8 H Malyshik (BLR). Winning mark: 75.98m

Javelin

Defending champion: Barbora Spotakova (CZE) 66.76m
Olympic champion: Sara Kolak (CRO) 66.18m
China’s Lu Huihui goes for her third successive medal and has been the best so far in 2019 but there is little between her, Kelsey-Lee Barber, Tatyana Kholodovich and Nikola Ogrodnikova on their best marks. Olympic winner Sara Kolak and European champion Christin Hussong are other potential winners.
Prediction: 1 Lu Huihui (CHN); 2 S Kolak (CRO); 3 C Hussong (GER); 4 K Barber (AUS); 5 T Kholodovich (BLR); 6 N Ogrodnikova (CZE); 7 B Spotakova (CZE); 8 Liu Shiying (CHN). Winning mark: 68.20m

Heptathlon

Defending champion: Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) 6784
Olympic champion: Nafissatou Thiam (BEL) 6810
Only six points cover the top two in the rankings but Olympic and defending champion Nafissatou Thiam should have a huge advantage in the throws and will benefit from her improved long jump which saw her win in London in the individual event. Katarina Johnson-Thompson has the ability to beat Thiam if not at her best and should be a clear second if she competes to form and makes no glaring errors. American Erica Bougard should improve on her lowly 18th in 2017.
Prediction: 1 N Thiam (BEL); 2 K Johnson-Thompson (GBR); 3 E Bougard (USA); 4 K Williams (USA); 5 A Vetter (NED); 6 X Krizsan (HUN); 7 V Preiner (AUT); 8 I Dadic (AUT). Winning mark: 7018

20km walk

Defending champion: Yang Jiayu (CHN) 1:26:18
Olympic champion: Liu Hong (CHN) 1:38:35
Ecuador’s teenager Glenda Morejon tops the rankings but the Chinese, headed by the world and Olympic champions Yang Jiayu and Liu Hong, will start as favourites.
Prediction: 1 Liu Hong (CHN); 2 Yang Jiayu (CHN); 3 G Morejon (ECU); 4 Qieyang Shenjie (CHN); 5 A Palmisano (ITA); 6 Yang Liujing (CHN); 7 S Arenas (COL); 8 E de Sena (BRA). Winning mark: 1:28:50

50km walk

Defending champion: Ines Henriques (POR) 4:05:56
Defending and European champion Ines Henriques has a hard task to keep her winning run going in the new event, though the two fastest of 2019 are absent. The quickest remaining, Li Maocuo, has yet to win a major race but new European record-holder Elenora Giorgi looks a likely winner.
Prediction: 1 E Giorgi (ITA); 2 J Takacs (ESP); 3 I Henriques (POR); 4 Li Maocuo (CHN); 5 Ma Faying (CHN); 6 Liang Rui (CHN); 7 V Myronchuk (BLR); 8 P Perez (ECU). Winning mark: 4:10:23

4x100m

Defending champion: USA 41.82
Olympic champion: USA 41.01
USA are the reigning champions but Jamaica look to have the most firepower. Britain will certainly be a factor if Dina Asher-Smith is at her best still but it is Germany who easily top the world rankings but only been fourth or fifth in the last five global events.
Prediction: 1 JAM; 2 USA; 3 GER; 4 GBR; 5 CHN; 6 NED; 7 SUI; 8 FRA). Winning mark: 41.45

4x400m

Defending champion: USA 3:19.02
Olympic champion: USA 3:19.06
This again should be a straight shoot-out between Jamaica and USA with the Americans favourites. European champions Poland look a clear bet for third.
Prediction: 1 JAM; 2 USA; 3 Pol; 4 GBR; 5 CAN; 6 ITA; 7 FRA; 8 NGR). Winning mark: 3:19.45

Mixed 4x400m

This inaugural event is difficult to predict, with few countries having used their best athletes. It comes before the individual events and clashes with the 400m hurdles.
Prediction: 1 USA; 2 POL; 3 GER; 4 JAM; 5 GBR; 6 CAN; 7 UKR; 8 FRA. Winning mark: 3:12.45

United States flanker John Quill has been banned for three weeks for a high tackle on England's Owen Farrell during their Rugby World Cup meeting.

The 29-year-old was sent off following his shoulder charge to Farrell's head during England's 45-7 win.

Quill's suspension means his tournament is over unless the United States make the quarter-finals.

His punishment is the same as Samoa's Rey Lee-Lo and Australia's Reece Hodge received for high tackles.

World Rugby brought in new rules in 2017 to "change culture in the sport to ensure that the head is a no-go area" and published a framework to help referees rule on high tackles in May.

The governing body criticised its own officials on Tuesday after Hodge's collision with Fiji's Peceli Yato went unpunished during Australia's 39-21 win.

Yato was unable to return to the the pitch after the tackle.

Quill's suspension was reduced from a possible six weeks on account of his good character and his conduct at his disciplinary hearing in which he admitted he deserved a red card.

The challenge on Farrell, which came in the 70th minute, incited scuffles on the pitch as England's forwards reacted, but their attack coach Scott Wisemantel said that Farrell, whose nose was cut in the incident, did not blame Quill.

"After the game Owen acknowledged it was an accident on John's behalf. He's gone in to bat for him," said Wisemantel.