This offseason, two New York-area teams dominated the headlines. After the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers landed the Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the draft, respectively, both teams upgraded with flashy veterans (2013 Norris winner P.K. Subban, 2016 Calder winner Artemi Panarin) and appeared poised to make earlier-than-expected runs this season. The media fawned all summer.

Then there were the New York Islanders, the only of the New York-area teams to make the playoffs last spring. The Isles were the best defensive team in hockey. They brought back nearly the exact same roster for this season. And nobody was talking about them.

"Obviously, we notice it," captain Anders Lee said in a phone interview this week. "But there probably wasn't much to talk about with us."

That's fine for the Islanders, who, after losing three of four to start the season, have won nine straight and sit five points behind the Capitals for first place in the Metropolitan Division standings. They like flying under the radar.

"At times, absolutely we consider ourselves an underdog," Lee said. "Last year, that was a big part of our identity. This year, we're coming back with a very similar team but still have a lot to prove. It's hard to really come in and demand that attention. You demand respect by the way you play -- if you win, how your season goes -- but we haven't accomplished our goals just yet. And until we do that, we're going to have to keep proving everyone wrong."

Lee was an unrestricted free agent this summer, and though the contract took a bit longer to work out than expected, he stayed with the only team he has played for on a seven-year, $49 million deal. "It felt maybe a little more up in the air outside our circle than it really was," Lee said. "It was never really in question. This is where I want to be."

Brock Nelson also re-signed in May, meaning the top five scorers from last season were back. The team improved in the middle six with the addition of veteran Derick Brassard, who is officially a journeyman after suiting up for his seventh NHL team.

The biggest change was in net. The Islanders let Vezina Trophy finalist Robin Lehner leave in free agency and, in turn, signed veteran Semyon Varlamov, with the belief that because of their stingy defensive system, there wouldn't be much of a drop-off. Varlamov, in a timeshare with Thomas Greiss (similar to what Lehner saw last season) has been solid: In seven starts, the former Av is 5-2 with a .929 save percentage and 2.14 goals-against average. (In six starts, Greiss has nearly identical numbers.)

The only other noticeable difference with the Islanders is the inclusion of the kids. New York has a vaunted prospect system, thanks to recent strong drafting. Nineteen-year-old winger Oliver Wahlstrom has appeared in seven games. Although Wahlstrom is without a point, he has shown glimpses of his offensive promise. Meanwhile, defenseman Noah Dobson, 20, has cracked the lineup for only four games but appears to be sticking around the big club for the foreseeable future as he continues to earn coach Barry Trotz's trust.

"It's amazing how not only good at hockey they are but how well-rounded they are at this age. To step in at 19, 20 and play in this league," Lee said. "They're really good kids and mesh well with our group, which is pretty tight-knit. They've shown a lot of growth even in the short time I've been with them."

Also on the youth front: Lee noted that the three defensemen playing the most minutes are all 27 or under (Adam Pelech, Scott Mayfield and Ryan Pulock). Those are workloads that Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy used to shoulder. Devon Toews, 25, has also taken on a bigger role.

Other than that, the Islanders are picking up right where they left off last season. They're allowing 2.23 goals per game, third-fewest in the league. Last season, a lot of was made of the Islanders' needing more scoring. Their offense is pedestrian again, averaging three goals per game and hovering around the league average.

"I don't think we get enough credit for our offense," Lee said. "We don't have trouble scoring goals. I just think that the way we do it is a little bit different than some other teams. We do such a good job defensively that we get a lot of credit, well deserved, in that regard, but our goal scoring isn't one of our weak spots. At the end of the day, you just have to score one more than the other team."

The transition into captaincy has been smooth for Lee. He took a few management courses while he was a student at Notre Dame. "I remember the big takeaways from a lot of the textbooks were that there's so many different ways to be a leader. There's not one specific way," Lee said. "There are leaders who lead by example, vocal leaders, et cetera. But the big thing is just to be yourself and not trying to be something that you're not. You want to be as authentic as possible."

Authenticity for the Islanders in 2019-20 plays into their identity. The team has embraced the ability to fly under the radar.

"It's been that way pretty much my entire time here," Lee said. "We go out there and do our best. We're used to having people doubt us, used to not having people pick us to make the playoffs and all those things -- maybe because of the rough patch we had. But we've been a pretty good team for a little while now. But until you've earned it and have done it over and over again, you're going to have to go through these things. "

Jump ahead:
Emptying the notebook | What we liked this week
Three stars of the week | Biggest games coming up

Emptying the notebook

Lee said last summer that he had a hard time not thinking about how the season ended, getting swept by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round. "It's always going to weigh on you, obviously," Lee said. "You need to move on, but you should never forget how you feel when you lost." Asked what he thought was his team's ultimate demise, Lee said: "We really just weren't, unfortunately, able to catch the momentum. Games 1 and 2 were extremely close. Give credit to Carolina for coming in and stealing those games from us. From then on out, we just couldn't grasp a bounce. We seemed to have a great response every time Pittsburgh scored a goal in the first round. We were fortunate sometimes, and we earned them other times. We couldn't get either to go against Carolina."

I returned to my alma mater, Penn State, for a visit this week. Side note: It was awesome to meet so many hockey-loving students there. I also had a chance to meet Penn State hockey coach Guy Gadowsky ahead of the team's big weekend series against Wisconsin (which, I must add, the Nittany Lions swept). I asked Gadowsky the biggest trends he has noticed in college hockey. "The trend is that it's just getting more and more competitive. There's more and more players coming from Europe. There's more players being grown, for lack of a better word, in nontraditional areas of the United States. With the exposure of television right now, I think it's becoming more attractive to Canadians. There's more and more better players and more college hockey players getting to the NHL." (The Nittany Lions have two Russians, two Finns and six Canadians on the roster).

When it comes to the on-ice trend he notices, Gadowsky says college hockey is a copycat league -- to the NHL. "Quite honestly, we do follow the NHL. We did in the past, but now it's just so easy because there is such great data now. We can get video of whatever you want, the analytics with it. So the trends pretty much follow them. We're a little behind because we copy them."

I had an interesting discussion with Gadowsky about whether there would ever be puck-tracking in college hockey (the NHL is expected to debut its system, developed by SMT, some this season). "Someday there probably would be puck tracking in college hockey, too," Gadowsky said before noting that there would be some hurdles to clear regarding getting (and distributing) data from student-athletes. However, it's not totally out of the realm. "For instance, in college we're able to put heart rate monitors on the players and get all that information, and in the NHL you can't," Gadowsky said. "Because of the professional hockey players' association. They want to own that stuff. If it's going to be something detrimental to their renegotiations, they want to hold it. Whereas in college, we can do it."

I wrote a story, out today, on Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson and Monique Lamoreoux-Morando making comebacks as new mothers. What interested me most: When the women's hockey team battled with USA Hockey in the 2017 contract negotiations, one of the things the players fought for was maternity benefits. They got them, and the twins were the first to use them.

The U.S. senior women's national team is in Pittsburgh this week for a joint training camp with Canada in place of the canceled Four Nations Cup, which was supposed to go this week. The Swedish players' standoff with their federation caused the cancellation. It feels like we just got through it, but the U.S. players' contract with USA hockey comes up again in 2021. I asked Lamoureux-Davidson what she hoped to achieve with the next contract. "What we're trying to create is a cultural shift in how women's hockey is supported, from the ground up. That doesn't happen overnight, and that doesn't happen just because you sign a contract. We've seen great positive strides with where the program is going. There's been some structural changes with how the women's program is staffed, and we're hoping to see the benefits of. But the big things we fought for -- equal marketing, sustainable livable wage, support -- we're still working on that."

She also mentioned institutional support. "For example, the boys U18 team is funded with millions of dollars through U.S. Hockey," Lamoureux-Davidson said. "There isn't an equivalent girls program there. There might not need to be from a developmental standpoint, but how else can we support girls hockey?"

Coming this week to ESPN.com: Player Confidential!

A project I've worked on for a few months is coming to life this week on ESPN.com, and I couldn't be more excited. Since the summer, I've been polling NHL players on a variety of questions, including the NHL's drug policy, whether there is a cocaine problem in the league, the best and worst visiting locker rooms, dreaded road trips, burner Twitter accounts and, perhaps most importantly, whether there is Gritty fatigue.

The art team did a terrific job illustrating the story, and they couldn't help but add one of my favorite anecdotes of the summer. I asked players (on the record) what impulse purchases they made over the past year. Here were my favorite responses. Some are more relatable than others.

Oskar Sundqvist, F, St. Louis Blues: "A dog. It's a Corgi. I got it two weeks ago [before the start of the NHL season]. My girlfriend told me, 'Let's go look at dogs. We're not buying any.' I said, 'OK, sure.' Then I fall in love. At first, I was like, 'No, no, no, I'm not going to buy one today.' I drove out there, and then I brought home a dog. Her name is Luna."

Haydn Fleury, D, Carolina Hurricanes: "I actually ordered three Cleveland Brown jerseys, midsummer, at like 2 in the morning. You could probably guess what I was doing. Odell, Baker and Jarvis. That was very impulsive. I ordered them when I was back home but ordered them [to Carolina]. Then when I got here, I kind of forgot I ordered them, and there were just three jerseys in my mailbox. I was like, 'F---'s sake.' I blame PayPal. It's too easy. You just click, and it's at your door."

Taylor Hall, F, New Jersey Devils: "A Fendi backpack. Bought it like a week ago."

Henrik Lundqvist, G, New York Rangers: "I bought a jacket when I went to London this summer. Didn't plan on doing on it, but it just happened. Nothing special, but I was there for a few days, walked around, and it caught my eye."

Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche: "Umm ... the other day I was driving, and I stopped to buy myself a Slurpee. I wouldn't usually do that, but I did."

What we liked this past week

• Everyone in hockey was talking about how 19-year-old Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov scored the first lacrosse goal in NHL history. (Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews has attempted it a few times, but Svechnikov succeeded first.)

• Two days later, everyone was talking about Matthew Tkachuk's sick, between-the-legs goal (which absurdly got some velocity) to win a 6-5 overtime game against the Nashville Predators. The skill on the kids these days. Have mercy.

Couple more angles of Tkachuk's between the legs goal pic.twitter.com/HZAO0K3qFr

— CJ Fogler (@cjzero) November 1, 2019

• Colleague Greg Wyshynski had a spicy preseason take: The Canucks are a playoff team. I can't believe it, but Wysh might be right on this one. Vancouver looks legit -- or at least, the offense is. At 9-3-2, the Canucks have the second-best record in the Pacific Division. In half of their 14 games, they've scored five or more goals. And they have a great, young playmaking duo in Brock Boeser and Elias Pettersson.

• Positive attendance signs from the desert:

#Yotes announce a sellout crowd of 17,125 tonight at Gila River Arena. Four of the Coyotes' past five weekend home games have been sold out.

— Alexander Kinkopf (@AEKinkopf) November 3, 2019

What we didn't like this past week

• It was a scary scene on Saturday in Boston, as Ottawa Senators forward Scott Sabourin appeared to lose consciousness after colliding with David Backes. Sabourin was taken off on a stretcher (he gave a thumbs-up on his way out) and posted this picture on Instagram the next day. Backes was visibly shaken and left the game himself, with an upper-body injury.

• I agree with Keith Olbermann here that this Don Cherry clip after the play was uncomfortable to watch. Cherry might have been laughing at "extremities" -- which he found to be a silly word? -- but he came across as making light of a really dangerous situation, which is not OK.

• It's as if these Canadiens fans were looking for poutine in Texas, and well, this ain't it:

Today in sports. ?#MTLvsDAL | #GoStars pic.twitter.com/WY8z6G02HV

— Dallas Stars (@DallasStars) November 3, 2019

• In the spirit of Halloween week, here are some gory details on an injury to Devils defenseman Connor Carrick:

Connor Carrick's wife said his pinky finger was "shattered" and the doctor told them if he wasn't an athlete they would have amputated that part of his finger.

Ouch.

— Corey Masisak (@cmasisak22) October 30, 2019

Three stars

Elias Pettersson, C, Vancouver Canucks

He's shaking off signs of a sophomore slump. The Swede posted three goals and six assists in four games this week. His 20 points this season are the most by a Canucks player through the team's first 14 games since Trevor Linden in 1995-96 (21).

Mike Smith, G, Edmonton Oilers

The Oilers might just keep it up if Smith keeps playing like this. He was sensational, stopping 51 of 52 shots against the Penguins. In two games this week (both wins), the 37-year-old has a .974 save percentage and a 0.98 goals-against average.

Jakub Vrana, C, Washington Capitals

With the (perhaps a little tipsy) World Series champion Washington Nationals in the crowd, the 21-year-old Vrana gave them something to cheer for, scoring his first career hat trick in the Caps' victory on Sunday. And yeah, they cheered all right:

Ya love to see it pic.twitter.com/KnVX2sCG17

— Washington Capitals (@Capitals) November 4, 2019

Adam Eaton knows how to celebrate Jakub Varna's hat trick ? ? ? pic.twitter.com/GFSqC90cVP

— Al Koken (@RealSmokinAl) November 4, 2019

Games of the week

Monday: Pittsburgh Penguins at Boston Bruins

Pittsburgh's early rash of injuries has been relentless. Right when the Pens get Evgeni Malkin back, they put Patric Hornqvist on IR. They've managed to stay competitive but get a big test in the East's most dangerous team on Monday.

Tuesday: Carolina Hurricanes at Philadelphia Flyers (ESPN+)

Nearly a month into the season, the Hurricanes and Flyers are still trying to establish consistency. Both are hovering around the middle of the pack in the Metropolitan Division, making this a big game for both clubs.

Sunday: Edmonton Oilers at Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks are, confusingly, better than expected this season. They get a chance to make up ground in the Pacific Division by facing Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl ... and OK, the rest of the Oilers, too.

Quote of the week

"If I tried that, I'd pull my groin."

-- Keith Tkachuk (via Sportsnet's Ryan Leslie) commenting on his son's ridiculous goal.

Everton midfielder Andre Gomes is expected to be sidelined until next season after undergoing surgery to repair an ankle injury he sustained during Sunday's 1-1 draw against Tottenham at Goodison Park.

The Portugal international, who completed a £22 million move to Everton from Barcelona in June, suffered a fractured dislocation of his right ankle following a 79th-minute challenge by Spurs forward Heung-min Son and subsequent collision with opposition full-back Serge Aurier.

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Everton have now confirmed, however, that Gomes has undergone a successful operation to repair the damage to his ankle.

The statement said: "Everton Football Club can confirm Andre Gomes underwent surgery to repair a fracture dislocation to his right ankle earlier today and the procedure went extremely well.

"The Portugal international, who sustained the injury in yesterday's Premier League fixture with Tottenham Hotspur, will now spend some time recovering in hospital, before returning to USM Finch Farm to start his rehabilitation under the guidance of the Club's medical staff.

"The 26-year-old is expected to make a full recovery.

"On behalf of Andre, the Club would like to thank all Everton supporters and members of the wider football family for the overwhelming messages of support we have received since yesterday's match."

Manchester United will remain with out Paul Pogba for at least another four weeks, sources have told ESPN FC.

The French international broke a bone in his right ankle at the end of September and has been wearing a plaster cast ever since. It will be taken off in ten days' time and the midfielder will need another two weeks of rehabilitation after that.

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Only then he will be able to start training properly, first on his own with a fitness coach and then with the rest of the first team squad. The club are hopeful he will be back before the end of December and the busy Christmas schedule.

United want to be cautious to avoid a further setback, similar to what Pogba has already suffered this season, but the end of December is a realistic aim.

His last game was the 1-1 draw against Arsenal at Old Trafford on Sept. 30 when he played his second match in five days following the 1-1 draw Rochdale. Before that, he had not played for almost a month after picking up a first ankle injury.

Pogba is desperate to get back into the team and United have struggled in his absence.

He has spent time in Dubai as part of his treatment process but has still been very involved in the life of the team despite being sidelined.

Big picture

Given the recent history between these teams, it's hardly a surprise that the series is level at 1-1. For both of them, though, these games are much more about looking to the future - and the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is less than a year away - than dwelling on the past.

Partly for that reason, England are using the series to take a look at fringe candidates who could force their way into that squad. So days like Saturday - when the inexperience is obvious and expresses itself in batting collapses, poor choices with the ball or, as was the case in Wellington, fielding errors - are probably unavoidable.

With that in mind, they look set to continue to experiment in the third match. Tom Banton looks likely to come into the side in place of the rested Jonny Bairstow, while there may be a temptation to look at leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, too. Chris Jordan, who has been England's player of the series, could drop out safe in the knowledge that his long-term position is secure, while Sam Curran has also made a fine impression.

Even while accepting there is a bigger picture than victory in this series, England will be looking to improve markedly in the field. For while the England management will accept the odd spilled catch - there were four or five at Wellington, depending on harsh a judge you may be - they are less likely to tolerate any sense of timidity in the field. It's an area they will have to improve if they are to challenge in Australia.

New Zealand aren't at full strength either. With Kane Williamson to miss the T20I series and Trent Boult not expected back until the fourth match, they have relatively few options among their 13-man squad. With leg-spin proving expensive in the series to date, though, they may be tempted to play an extra seamer.

They won in Wellington largely due to their superior fielding, but they may be just a little concerned by the lack of runs from their top order. Martin Guptill at least registered his highest score in 12 international matches (dating back to June 1) but none of their batsmen have yet scored more than 44 in the series. Ross Taylor, who to be fair has slipped into the middle order, hasn't made a T20I half-century since March 2014.

Form guide

England LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WLLWW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Santner is not, at first glance, an especially eye-catching cricketer. But with his excellent control, his extravagant changes of pace and his intelligence, he has developed into a fine limited-overs bowler who is currently not only the leading wicket-taker in the series (he has taken six; three in each match) but also the most economical (of those who have delivered more than two overs) going for exactly a run-a-ball. His success looks particularly admirable when compared to the other spinners, both leggies, in the series: Adil Rashid and Ish Sodhi have each taken two wickets in the series and are conceding their runs at 8.87 and 9.37 an over respectively. He was man of the match in Wellington and is currently fifth in the global T20I bowling rankings.

It's probably unfair to expect too much too soon fromTom Banton. He is just 20-years-old, after all. But such was the invention, such was the power, such was the audacity of his batting for Somerset this season, that comparisons with Jos Buttler and Kevin Pietersen have not only been made but are understandable. He showed an appetite for the big occasion when top-scoring (equal with James Hildreth) as Somerset won the Royal London One-day Cup final at Lord's and was the highest England-qualified run-scorer in the T20 Blast with four fifties and a century from his 13 innings. His run-rate in that competition - an eye-watering 161.47 - underlined his dominance and he was named both the Professional Cricketers' Association and the Cricket Writers' Club young player of the year for the 2019 season. His form on this tour to date has not been especially promising - he made 6 and 11 in his two warm-up innings - but it may be some encouragement to him to recall that he made a century in his most recent Youth ODI against New Zealand in Queenstown in January 2018.

Team news

With a squad of just 13 for these first three games, New Zealand's options are limited. They looked stronger in Wellington with the recall of Jimmy Neesham for Scott Kuggeleijn but, with an eye to the future, may be tempted to take another look at either bowling all-rounder Kuggeleijn or medium-fast seamer Blair Tickner, who has played only one international; a T201 victory over India. Ish Sodhi looks the most vulnerable if New Zealand decide they require only one spinner. Lockie Ferguson, who has bowled with impressive pace and control, is set to play his final game of the series before Trent Boult replaces him in the squad for the last two matches.

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 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish Sodhi

Banton looks set to come in for Jonny Bairstow in this game, with Dawid Malan expected to make way for the final two games. That means Malan may need to make quite an impression here if he is to see off the inevitable return of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes et al. There may be a temptation to take a look at Matt Parkinson, too, though such has been the fate of leg-spinners in the series he could face a tough baptism. If Parkinson does play, it may have to be in place of fellow leggie Adil Rashid. Rashid still looks a bit out of sorts, leading to fears that his shoulder injury is a little worse than he likes to admit. Given Lewis Gregory's fine start with the ball in the previous game - he became the latest man to start his international career with a first-ball wicket - Eoin Morgan may feel he can trust him to a larger role in that department.

England (possible): 1 Dawid Malan, 2 Tom Banton, 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/Matt Parkinson, 11 Pat Brown

Pitch and conditions

This is very early season in New Zealand. Indeed, there had never been an earlier international game on the South Island than the series opener in Christchurch, So while the boundaries at Saxton Park - about 160 miles north of Christchurch, on the northern coast of the South Island - are not especially long and while the weather is set fair (cloudy and a bit windy but dry), it would be a miracle if the ground staff were able to coax much pace from this wicket. For that reason, there may be just a little grip for spinners or cutters and just a little difficulty in timing the ball for batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• The mayor of Nelson, Rachel Reese, is married to former Somerset (and, briefly, Yorkshire and Central Districts) batsman Richard Harden.

• This is only the second T20I at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. New Zealand won the previous one, against West Indies, at the end of 2017. New Zealand have won six of the seven completed ODIs they have played at the ground; Sri Lanka beat them on New Year's Eve in 2015 while the match between the same sides a few days later was lost to the weather. England's men have never played an international game at the ground.

• The ground is named in memory of a Shropshire-born John Saxton who farmed in the region - he was something of a pioneer in realising the value of sheep farming on such land - as well as providing invaluable information for future generations as a diarist and painter.

  Stats that matter

• Tim Southee requires two wickets to become the eighth man to claim 75 T20I wickets.

• Adil Rashid requires one more wicket to draw level with Jade Dernbach as the fourth-highest T20I wicket-taker for England. Dernbach took 39 T20I wickets. Only Graeme Swann (51), Chris Jordan (52) and Stuart Broad (65) have more for England.

• Colin Munro requires 41 runs to draw level with Kane Williamson's run-tally of 1,505 for New Zealand in T20Is. The pair have played the same number of games (57), though Williamson has batted once more often. Only three men (Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor) have scored more T20I runs for New Zealand than Williamson.

• Eoin Morgan requires 32 runs to move equal 10th in the list of the top T20I run-scores of all time. He is currently 12th.

• England have won 11 and lost six of the 18 T20Is played between the nations. One game was lost to the weather.

Quotes

"That's probably my most common question: have you gotten over it yet? I don't think it's about getting over it, it's just accepting it. It will be there forever, you can't change it. It doesn't mean you have to dwell on it any more than a fleeting thought every now and then."
Jimmy Neesham reflects on the World Cup

"We want guys continuing to attack the ball and find themselves in hot spots if they're good enough."
Eoin Morgan expects better from England's fielders after a disappointing display in Wellington

Quinton de Kock believes Faf du Plessis will still lead South Africa in next year's T20 World Cup in Australia but said he would probably not turn down the opportunity if asked to captain in the format.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who captained South Africa in their recent T20I series in India, has been appointed skipper of the Cape Town Blitz for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League and is being seen as a successor to du Plessis in the shortest format.

With back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, it may not be long before de Kock is at the helm, and it's a role he would welcome.

"The way I see it is that I was just a replacement," de Kock told ESPNcricinfo. "That's the way I took it. For now, it's still Faf's baby. But maybe if things change and they do want me to do it, then I will do it.

"For the moment, I am not looking too far ahead. I am just trying to look at how I can help out with the youngsters, with the new guys in the T20 team and by myself, just getting better and getting ready for the T20 World Cup next year. But if that does come upon me, then I will try and grab it with both hands."

He did exactly that when Blitz coach Ashwell Prince approached him at the MSL draft on September 3. "Ash came to me at the draft and asked me if I want to do it and I said, 'Ja, no problem.' It was pretty quick and easy. I don't think there was much discussion around it. He just asked me right there and then and I said yes," de Kock said, speaking at the Cape Town Blitz media day.

"We [South Africa] are not the first team that has gone through a transition. England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing" Quinton de Kock

Prince had a good reason to ask de Kock - that his team needed the stability of a leader who would be around for the full five-and-half-weeks of the tournament. Last season, Blitz were led by Dawid Malan for the first two matches before Farhaan Behardien took over on his return from international duty in Australia. With Malan not involved in this year's event and Behardien playing for the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, Prince had to find someone else, someone who would also bring form and the ability to think on his feet. De Kock, fresh off two half-centuries in his first two matches as South Africa's T20I captain, and known for his no-frills approach to playing, seemed to be the perfect fit.

"He leads from the front as a player but he is also streetwise," Prince said. "I like people who can see what's required on the ground and can make calls and be brave and I think he does all of those things."

De Kock will also need to do a bit more. His new role means he will open the batting, keep wickets and lead the side, a trio of tasks that became too much for even the likes of AB de Villiers, who did not open but had a similarly important role of setting the tone in white-ball innings.

In keeping with his carefree nature, de Kock is not fussed about the workload. "It's nothing too difficult - keeping and batting, and the keeping will help out my captaincy anyway," he said. "Rather than being out in the field, I seem to read things better, how the pitch plays, which bowlers to bowl when, the angles and all that kind of stuff when I am keeping. I feel like the keeping helps my batting and also my captaincy."

This season of the MSL could confirm if de Kock is indeed equipped to perform all three tasks and may also tell whether he is seriously considered for the national job in the near future. Asked if that's where he sees de Kock's career going, Prince said: "Why not? He is still quite young. He hasn't captained a lot but everyone has to start somewhere. He has had a bit of a taste of it and I think he can grow in the role."

De Kock's only stint with captaincy before the India series was in an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2018 after du Plessis suffered a shoulder injury. South Africa had already clinched the series, winning the first three ODIs, but went on to lose the last two matches which de Kock captained. That instance was considered nothing more than an emergency replacement but it marked the start of a downward spiral for South Africa, which saw them lose five Tests in a row in Asia, and three out of their last four Test series. Their white-ball form also dipped and a disastrous World Cup followed, which has left South African cricket on the brink of a crisis.

But de Kock is one of very few players to have weathered the storm. He is South Africa's highest run-scorer in Test cricket this year and third overall, with 584 runs at an average of 44.92 and their second-highest ODI run-scorer this year after du Plessis, with 774 runs in 17 games at 48.37. De Kock also finished as the third-highest run-scorer at the IPL this season and his form could give South Africa some hope that a revival is not far off.

"We are not the first team that has gone through a transition," de Kock said. "England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing."

With England the visitors this summer, there's motivation in opposition camp for South Africa to start putting things right. But de Kock also pointed to the national team's triumph at the Rugby World Cup as a rallying point for cricket to get itself back on track.

"It's alright if the whole country and guys are a bit down and out but when we all gather together, especially after winning this Rugby World Cup, a lot of people are pumped up and want to get this transition going so the time we get to our next World Cup, we can really put ourselves in a good stead, just like England did."

Big Picture

The rains in New South Wales and across the east coast of Australia this week brought so much relief to farmers in the drought-stricken region that there were videos of people dancing and celebrating in the streets. One set of foreigners who might gladly have partaken in such merriment was the visiting Pakistan cricket team in Sydney, staring defeat in the face when the heavens opened, forcing the abandonment of a game that Australia looked to be easing through.

While that means Aaron Finch's men don't go to Canberra with a 1-0 lead, they do enter the contest with significant momentum. Australia are on something of a T20I tear at the moment, having won their last five completed games. They swatted Sri Lanka aside 3-0 just last week, the team that less than a month ago did the same to Pakistan in Lahore. David Warner finds himself in irresistible form again, as does Finch, who looked imperious in the short time Australia got to bat before the weather intervened. The bowlers, too, Adam Zampa excepted, had solid outings carrying on from the Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Pakistan suddenly find themselves in disarray in their most-favoured format of the last three years. In the first game, they scraped their way to a somewhat respectable total, down almost solely to new captain Babar Azam's exquisite half-century. There is the caveat of the rain bringing a somewhat abrupt conclusion to the innings, but it's hard to argue Pakistan were pacing themselves effectively either; regular loss of wickets combined with watertight discipline from Australia's bowlers meant any total they put up in the allotted 20 would have ended up being somewhat below par.

The visitors must be careful not to let the second game also become a one-man batting effort. The sample size for the bowling isn't enough to jump to drastic conclusions, but on the evidence of the two overs Mohammad Irfan bowled, there's little to explain why the 37-year-old was brought out from the cold to join Pakistan on what has historically been their most challenging tour. On the whole, the visitors looked alarmingly off the pace in the first game, and this is their opportunity to demonstrate that it was something of an aberration.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLW

In the spotlight

For a game where Australia's bowlers had a leash on Pakistan, the only surprise was the slightly off-colour performance of Adam Zampa. The legspinner was crucial to his side's success in the series against Sri Lanka, and comes into this tour in good form. He didn't get too much turn to assist him in Sydney, but Pakistan will have noted how quickly Zampa reverted to flatter, fuller deliveries when put under pressure by Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali. If they can get the legspinner to do that more often, he loses some of the wicket-taking threat Australia prize him for.

Every follower of Pakistan cricket will have dreaded the moment they needed to worry about Fakhar Zaman's place in the T20I side, but it's now becoming difficult to turn a blind eye to it. The opener's torrid run in the format continued in Sydney with a second consecutive golden duck. It is now 11 innings since he last managed 25 in a T20I innings, a match-winning 91 in Harare against Australia in the final of a T20I tri-series. Right now, Fakhar looks worlds removed from the player who was capable of such sustained hitting, and for Pakistan to have a good start, that needs to change immediately.

Team news

Given how well the contest in Sydney turned out for them, it would be unsurprising to see Australia line up with the same team in Canberra.

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

There hasn't been much out of Pakistan's camp over potential changes, and so early into the tour, it would be odd if there were a raft of them. It feels inevitable Usman Qadir will play at least one of the remaining two games, but on the tiny evidence from Sunday, the only bowler whose place might be under scrutiny is Irfan.

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

Pitch and conditions

It is expected to be a fairly cool evening in Canberra, with temperatures perhaps dropping under ten degrees by the time the game finishes. The Manuka Oval has never hosted a T20I before, so how the pitch plays in those conditions is something of an unknown.

Stats and trivia

• The second T20I will be the 1001st match of its kind. The first of this series was the 999th, with Bangladesh's last-over win against India in Delhi being the 1000th.

• Australia's last T20I loss came three weeks shy of a year ago when India beat them by six wickets in Sydney.

• Before this series, Australia had only once previously played Pakistan in a T20I on Australian soil - in February 2010. The only two players who played then and are also in the current squads are Smith and Warner.

Quotes

"It's nice to have Mitchell Starc running in with the new ball and then at the death and the spinners through the middle. Kane Richardson is fantastic with the new ball and at the death and Pat Cummins wherever you need him. It's a really well-balanced squad at the moment with the two at the top, Mr Fix-it, and a couple of finishers."
Alex Carey is content with the current Australian side

Ireland's Amy Kenealy has ended an 11-year career, announcing her retirement from international cricket.

The 31-year old seamer finished with 45 wickets from 72 matches across formats. That put her in 12th place on the list of most successful Irish bowlers in women's cricket.

Kenealy made her international debut in June 2008, against West Indies, on her club cricket home ground in Rathmines and played her last game for Ireland in July 2018.

"It is with all sorts of mixed emotions I am stepping away from the Ireland Women's international team, but this is the correct decision for me right now," she said in a Cricket Ireland press release issued on Monday. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team-mates, coaches and Cricket Ireland staff for every opportunity that they have given me in this amazing part of my life - from the gruelling fitness sessions on Clontarf seafront back in 2006 to the amazing Sport Ireland Institute, to playing in men's Division 12, to opening the bowling in a [T20] World Cup in India and everything in between.

"I've given it my all, and have made so many friends and memories over this time. Although it is sad to step away, I'll keep up with the progress of the team and be there to support the girls throughout."

Miriam Grealey, Ireland women's selector and Kenealy's former long-term coach, has seen her talent from an early age. "As an 18-year old Amy was one of the best young bowlers in the country, so I had no hesitation in selecting her. Throughout her career, Amy was a great addition to the squad with an excellent work ethic and attitude."

Cricket Ireland hope to keep Kenealy involved in the game with their performance director, Richard Holdsworth, saying: "Too often in the sporting world we see athletes come through the system, then we struggle to retain them in the system after they call time on their competitive days. I hope Amy, and players like her, can be part of the future of the game. We know there is a growing interest in girls and women's cricket across Ireland, and we hope to be able to utilise the talent within the game to inspire the next generation."

Bangladesh Women 211 for 9 (Hoque 67, Murshida 44, Maroof 2-24) beat Pakistan Women 210 (Nahida 63, Rumana 3-35) by one wicket

Bangladesh Women fought off an almighty comeback from Pakistan Women to seal a thrilling one-wicket win and level the two-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The visitors won by one wicket with one ball to spare, but for a few fleeting moments, it appeared they had thrown away what looked an impregnable position in the game just half an hour before the frantic finish.

Fargana Hoque anchored the chase of 211 smoothly, a similar target Bangladesh had fallen short of in the first ODI. With 25 needed to win from the final eight overs and six wickets in hand, the victory appeared a formality, before Hoque's departure triggered an almighty collapse, and the panic in the Bangladesh camp almost cost them the series.

In the next 6.3 overs, five wickets were lost and just 18 runs were added to the score, with No. 9 Jahanara Alam and No. 11 Nahida Akhtar at the crease.

Bangladesh appeared to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at this point, but the pair had just about enough time to inch their way to the target, getting there on the penultimate delivery to level the series.

Pakistan opener Nahida Khan scored 63 to set up the innings, but beneath her, there were far too many starts that went unconverted. Bangladesh allrounder Rumana Ahmed made regular inroads into Pakistan, stalling their momentum just when a partnership had built up. The innings was marked by sloppiness too; four run-outs in the lower order saw to it that the hosts wouldn't bat out their 50 overs, bowled ten balls short for 210.

Those unplayed deliveries proved costly in the end, but it appeared a minor detail when Bangladesh's top order was clicking. Diana Baig and Sana Mir struck early, but that was followed by a commanding 82-run partnership between Hoque and opener Murshida Khatun, and when Bismah Mahroof dismissed Khatun, another 57-run partnership took Bangladesh within touching distance. It might have then appeared a stroll to the finish line, but Pakistan made sure the visitors would be forced to crawl towards it, gasping for air. Just before they ran out of breath - and overs and wickets - they had managed to stay alive.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series were sold to Penske Entertainment Corp. in a stunning move Monday that relinquishes control of the iconic speedway from the Hulman family after 74 years.

Tony Hulman bought the dilapidated speedway in 1945 and brought racing back to the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Avenue after a four-year absence following World War II. Roger Penske will become just the fourth owner of the 110-year-old speedway.

The speedway spun off multiple subsidiaries, including the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions, which are also part of the deal, to Penske Entertainment. That group is a subsidiary of Penske Corp., which is owned by billionaire Roger Penske.

"Great day for our family and our team," Penske said in a text message to The Associated Press.

The IndyCar Series is on an upward trend with improved television ratings and increased interest. Penske is the winningest team owner in Indianapolis 500 history with 18 victories, including Simon Pagenaud's win in May. He capped the IndyCar season with a championship from driver Josef Newgarden, the 15th for the Team Penske organization.

The speedway is to discuss the deal in a news conference Monday. The sale is expected to close in early January, according to a document of message points sent to IndyCar teams on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.

"We have found the ideal steward of the company and its iconic assets," the document states. "Penske Corporation -- with its 64,000-plus employees and more than $32 billion in consolidated revenue -- will bring tremendous energy, leadership and resources to IMS, IndyCar and IMSP.

"For a number of years, the Hulman & Company management and board have engaged outside advisers and experts to consider the full range of strategic options available. Ultimately, it was decided to focus on the possible sale of the company and finding a buyer that would be the best steward of the company and its iconic assets."

The document states that Penske Corp. approached the Hulman board in the fall about the purchase.

Rival team owner Chip Ganassi said Penske called him early Monday morning before the sale was announced to inform him.

"I think it's good. It's really good, it's great," Ganassi told AP. "The place is going to be run like a business now."

Michael Andretti, another rival owner, called it "positive news" for the series and the speedway.

"Roger has always strived to do great things for both IMS and Indy car racing, and I'm sure he will continue to do so in this new ownership position," Andretti said. "Both the Indy 500 and the NTT IndyCar Series have been on a rise and I look forward to the continued climb."

Penske's love of the speedway dates to 1951 when his father, Jay, scored a pair of tickets to the Indianapolis 500 from the metal fabrication company in Cleveland where he worked. He brought his 14-year-old car-loving son to the speedway to see the event live after listening to it only on radio for many years.

Penske was instantly hooked and has missed only six Indianapolis 500s since, five of which came when the IndyCar Series was formed by Tony George and split from CART. Penske teams remained in CART, and CART teams were not welcome at the 500.

CART was once the most popular form of motorsports in the U.S., but NASCAR swallowed open-wheel racing during the tumultuous times after Tony George created the Indy Racing League. The split fractured open-wheel racing in North America and it has never recovered even after CART conceded and merged into what is now known as IndyCar.

Penske has mixed track ownership and team ownership before, and the Detroit resident first purchased Michigan International Speedway in 1973. He later owned California Speedway, as well, and currently runs the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader IndyCar weekend.

George, the grandson of Tony Hulman, has long run the speedway and its properties along with his sisters and a board of directors. But matriarch Mari Hulman George, daughter of Tony Hulman, died last November and her children and the board have made a series of moves divesting their businesses. The Hulman & Company family sold its other primary business, Clabber Girl, to B&> Foods for $80 million in May. Clabber Girl produced name brand baking powder, baking soda and corn starch for 150 years.

The family has now turned its racing properties over to Penske in an announcement made one day after the one-year anniversary of Hulman George's death. Penske, who turned 82 in February, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump last month.

"I cannot think of a better owner than Roger Penske and his corporation to ensure the future and growth of IndyCar," Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, told the AP. McLaren is entering IndyCar next season and Brown was a longtime Indianapolis businessman who ran a racing marketing business.

"His business acumen and dedication to IndyCar racing and passion for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is second to none," he said.

DENVER -- The Cleveland Browns waived safety Jermaine Whitehead on Monday morning, just hours after he posted profanity-laced and threatening comments on social media following Sunday's loss at Denver.

"Jermaine Whitehead's social media posts following today's game were totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate," a Browns spokesperson said in a statement Sunday night.

Broncos tight end Noah Fant ran over Whitehead on the way to a 75-yard touchdown reception. That, and a missed tackle on another big Denver play, drew criticism of Whitehead on social media. Shortly after the game ended, Whitehead responded on Twitter, including to former NFL player Dustin Fox, who appears on a postgame show for the Browns' radio network.

In response to Fox's criticism, Whitehead wrote, "Come get it in blood b---- made ass lil boy. I'm out there with a broke hand .. don't get smoked ... "

Whitehead also wrote, "Imma kill you b----.. that's on blood" to another Twitter user.

Whitehead's Twitter account was suspended before he had even left the visiting locker room. He declined to take questions from reporters.

Whitehead later took to Instagram to apologize for his performance, but not for the tweets.

"Crazy world. They line it up and say anything in the book too you," he said in the caption of a photo of himself walking outside with a suitcase in his right hand and a cast on the left one. "They tell you take the high road, when yo whole life you was taught to meet fire with fire. I do apologize for my performance, but having a broke hand and a strong fear of letting my team down is my downfall. Whatever happens happens. Ain trippin. They probably gone still talk crazy but this me getting smoke off my chest. I don't need one like.. this from me to me! Keep ya head up homie, can't nobody f--- with you. I dare em to try."

Whitehead, 26, is in his fourth NFL season after going undrafted out of Auburn in 2015. The Browns claimed him on waivers in November 2018, one day after the Green Bay Packers released him following an ejection for slapping an opponent in the face mask.