Arsenal racked up a big win in the Carabao Cup third round, winning 5-0 at home to second-tier Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

Eighteen-year-old Brazilian Gabriel Martinelli scored twice in the lopsided win.

Rob Holding, Joseph Willock and Reiss Nelson rounded out the scoring on the night.

Juventus came from behind to go top of Serie A with a 2-1 win at Brescia on Tuesday as Mario Balotelli marked his return to Italian football.

Alfredo Donnarumma gave the hosts an early lead at the Stadio Mario Rigamonti but Juve hit back through a Jhon Chancellor own goal and a Miralem Pjanic strike either side of the break.

Balotelli made his debut for his hometown club after completing a four-match suspension that he was handed at Marseille last season, while the visitors were without Cristiano Ronaldo as he recovers from injury.

Maurizio Sarri's side edged an entertaining encounter to continue their unbeaten start to the season and move on to 13 points at the summit of the table, one ahead of perfect Inter Milan, who have a game in hand.

"We improved a great deal in our passing and had more control of the game, but we need to improve in our defending," Sarri said after the match.

"I saw steps forward in the way we created chances too, as there were basically three goal-line clearances and it wasn't easy after going behind within four minutes in a passionate atmosphere."

Inter can return to the top by beating Lazio at San Siro on Wednesday, while a draw would also be enough to send Antonio Conte's side top on goal difference.

Sarri tinkered with his formation in the absence of Ronaldo, selecting former Arsenal midfielder Aaron Ramsey behind a front pair of Paulo Dybala and Gonzalo Higuain in a new-look 4-3-1-2 formation.

The champions got off to a nightmare start when Donnarumma, last season's top scorer in Serie B, caught Juve goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny off guard as he fired a powerful shot past the Pole inside four minutes.

Juve went in search of an equaliser as Sami Khedira flashed a shot narrowly wide and Higuain's glancing header went just past the far post, while Balotelli connected brilliantly with a long-range free kick to draw a flying save out of Szczesny.

Sarri's side drew level five minutes before halftime when Dybala's whipped corner caused chaos in the Brescia six-yard box as goalkeeper Jesse Joronen failed to gather and the ball ricocheted off defender Chancellor and into his own net.

Juventus pressed for a second after the break as Joronen saved well from Higuain and Chancellor cleared an Adrien Rabiot shot off the line.

They made the breakthrough when Dybala's free kick rebounded off the wall into the path of Pjanic, who struck a beautifully controlled half-volley into the bottom corner.

Brescia responded as Daniele Dessena's strike whistled just past the post and Dimitri Bisoli volleyed over from close range, before Balotelli rose to meet a cross in stoppage time only to direct his header over.

Tottenham exited the Carabao Cup at the hands of fourth-tier Colchester United after losing 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Tuesday night following a 0-0 draw in regulation time.

Christian Eriksen saw his spot kick saved and Lucas Moura struck the crossbar in the shootout for Spurs, who have won only two of their eight games in all competitions this season.

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Tom Lapslie then sent Colchester into the last 16 for the first time in 44 years by scoring the decisive penalty past Paulo Gazzaniga. The League Two side are 71 places below Tottenham in the English football pyramid.

Following the match, Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino said: "Colchester made a fantastic game, it was difficult. We are so disappointed we could not score in 90 minutes. We wanted to go further but we are out."

The result marks the second time in a row that Colchester had beaten a Premier League side in a shootout after taking down Crystal Palace on penalties in the second round.

Pochettino added: "They beat Palace on penalties too, that can happen. That's the beauty of the competition, always something can happen."

Prior to this match, Pochettino had progressed from 21 of his 22 domestic cup ties against sides from outside the top flight, including all 18 he has faced in England.

It's finally here! Just in time for an international break, the new FIFA game arrives to fill all your free time and keep you indoors during the bitter winter months.

But how does this game stack up to past editions? We've got you covered.

The basics: FIFA 20 is a good game

If you've enjoyed past FIFA games, you'll love this. It's that simple. The realism has been increased and player movements inch even closer to reality: it's fun seeing players sprint at top speed down the wing only to lose the ball because they're exhausted and can't maintain their silky touch on the ball. There's also a full array of expected enhancements you demand from a franchise: squad updates, new swag, a comprehensive array of domestic leagues and national teams as well as a fresh new graphic look to the in-game menus.

Whether you love the FIFA Ultimate Team mode, playing a career with your imaginary self or working your way to becoming a digital Jose Mourinho tormenting your favourite team, FIFA 20 satisfies.

There's also a lot more thought put into the AI both in-game and around it. I feel like opponents no longer willingly glide out of position allowing me to complete a through-ball or create space; there's much more cohesion and organization in teams you play against no matter the difficulty level or the league in which you're competing.

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If you go the manager route in a career mode, you'll enjoy the updated press conference/post-match options, allowing you to go full Roy Hodgson with measured, reasonable remarks to the media or embrace your inner Marcelo Bielsa by constantly bigging up your team and your style of play.

Equally, I'm no longer the only team making bizarre moves in the transfer window. I enjoy the more realistic haggling over player purchases and sales -- they've added new settings for these meetings so you're not always inviting teams into your office but perhaps meeting them at a wine bar -- as well as the fact that no matter how much work the developers do on building this game, there are still some things that resist their tinkering.

Take the fact that in my career mode, Man United sold Paul Pogba for £100 million and immediately offered me £35 million for Xherdan Shaqiri. I really felt like Ed Woodward was part of the FIFA matrix and for that, I was grateful. United can't even be competent in a video game.

Just play VOLTA FOOTBALL all the time

After years of incremental tweaks, EA finally made a massive change. FIFA 20 came along with VOLTA FOOTBALL, which makes this game feel essential in a way it hasn't in years.

Don't get me wrong: I've been a faithful player of every FIFA game even while feeling underwhelmed, but I've spent several nights putting several hours into the new play mode because it makes me reconsider, and fall back in love with, the digital version of the beautiful game.

Gone is the THE JOURNEY, a three-year narrative arc involving Alex Hunter, Danny Williams, his brother at Paris Saint-Germain and Hunter's half-sister who tries to win the World Cup. (There's a lot going on in that series.) In its place is a much swifter and more engaging story about an indoor/street soccer team run by a legend of the street game and their quest to win the World Championships.

There's drama, intrigue, conflict and rabonas. You meet some digital avatars for real-life street soccer pioneers -- Edward van Gils, Rocky Hehakaija, Issy Hitman and Jason "Jayzinho" Quezada (find them on YouTube, trust me) -- along the way, all of them offering mentorship or a reality check depending on your progress. The story through the mode is fairly rote but it dazzles for introducing you to a wildly different style of video game soccer.

Remember FIFA Street? Or even the Nike commercials in a cage back in 2002, with Eric Cantona as emcee and losing teams getting dumped off the massive boat when eliminated? VOLTA is a natural extension of both.

Games are short, sharp and speedy, perfect for a brief 10-minute distraction from work (I swear to my bosses that I have not done this at all) or if you've got a little downtime in which to bash through a tournament. The conventional FIFA modes feel sluggish by comparison, what with their pesky four-minute halves (the lowest setting) and 11 vs. 11 on overwhelmingly large pitches. In VOLTA, you're in claustrophobic but electrifying "cages" or walled playing surfaces, similar to the pick-up spots in Manhattan, London or Paris that birthed some of the world's best players.

Facing off in 5 vs. 5, 4 vs. 4 or 3 vs. 3 with variations allowing for goalies or open nets, the action feels genuinely unique. It's progressive and more in the spirit of where people play these days; it's also a neat homage to the mythology that surrounds basketball courts like Rucker Park or Venice Beach, the latter serving as the setting for the iconic movie "White Men Can't Jump." (There's a VOLTA tournament option in Venice Beach too.)

Unlike the "regular" game mode or even FIFA Ultimate Team, the learning curve is steep but swift. Simply dive in and begin stepovers, banging the ball off the walls to your similarly scrappy teammates -- seriously, your teammates run the gamut from over-written to background filler -- or finding new ways to flick a ball into a small, low net. Repeat, repeat, repeat until you're crushing all comers.

There are the usual video game/RPG factors like coin accumulation, items to unlock, rare clothing options for completing difficult accomplishments and a skill tree, but the attraction is just the chance to play soccer like you've probably never played before.

The superlatives

Everyone cares about the ratings, so here's a quick skim of the bests in some key categories that should help you when it comes to building your own super-team.

The showboats: These are the players who boast the most close control. Use these 10 if you're looking for the optimal players to control in one-on-one situations: better yet, only 49 players in a database of over 17,000 earned the five-star skill designation. Hallowed company indeed.

Cristiano Ronaldo leads the way followed by Neymar, his PSG teammate Kylian Mbappe, Man United's Paul Pogba and, perhaps surprisingly, Thiago Alcantara at Bayern Munich. Rounding out the top 10: Angel Di Maria, Philippe Coutinho, Marcelo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Riyad Mahrez. Remarkably, Lionel Messi is not among the five-stars despite being the top-ranked player in the whole game.

What a difference a year makes: This is the group that has earned the biggest ratings jump in FIFA 20 compared to the 2019 edition. Consider them the guys about to break through in the beautiful game and consider building around these players if you're looking to take a smaller club to the hallowed ground of world domination.

Sevilla left-back Sergio Reguilon (+13 rating jump) has burst onto the scene in FIFA 20, while Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho (+12) makes total sense considering his emergence out of the Man City youth set-up to become a bonafide Bundesliga star. Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan N'Dicka (+12) could be the next player to command a massive transfer, while Milan forward Krzysztof Piatek, a Dortmund duo -- center-back Dan-Axel Zagadou and striker Jacob Bruun Larsen -- Lille defender Mehmet Celik, Lyon left-back Youssouf Kone and future Bayern goalie Alexander Nubel (currently of Schalke) all boast a +10 jump in their ratings.

Also some good news for Man United fans: Aaron Wan-Bissaka has upped his game in the eyes of EA with a +9 rating. If only the same could be said of his teammates...

Here's the beef: The strongest players in FIFA 19 are mostly defenders and strikers, as you'd expect, but nobody beats the beast that is Adebayo "The Beast" Akinfenwa, who even released an eBook in 2017 thanks to his cult status as the most powerful man in the FIFA series.

This year, he has competition for his crown in the form of new Aston Villa striker Wesley, Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, Inter/Man United forward Romelu Lukaku and Bayern Munich center-back Niklas Sule.

The need for speed: Finally, the fastest players in FIFA 20. Pick them up and watch your team blur around the screen.

Adama Traore retains his 96 PACE rating alongside PSG's Mbappe, with a quarter just a hare behind at 95: Man City winger Leroy Sane, Toluca left-back Anibal Chala, FC Tokyo striker Kensuke Nagai and wide man Gelson Martins of Monaco.

When Liverpool reported for preseason on July 6, Rhian Brewster walked through the players' entrance at Melwood with one overriding thought: "This is it." The 19-year-old wasn't just readying for a new campaign but for the opportunity to establish himself in Jurgen Klopp's plans, a possibility that had been cruelly delayed by the striker suffering meniscus damage in his knee and severely strained ankle ligaments while representing the under-23s in January 2018.

During a gruelling 15-month rehabilitation period that included two operations, Brewster zoned in on the day he would arrive at the training ground for the beginning of what would be his breakthrough season. That mental picture provided solace during setbacks and acted as a source of motivation too.

Klopp had regularly spoken to the England youth international about his return to full fitness, and the teenager would visualise his comeback with midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who also was recovering from a serious injury. But Brewster's mind wasn't solely occupied by lining up for Liverpool's first team.

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Approaches for his services flooded in despite his status as a long-term absentee, and he needed to carefully consider them. Borussia Monchengladbach went public with their interest, but several other clubs including RB Leipzig, Monaco and Juventus also were keen on signing the Golden Boot winner of the Under-17 World Cup, who had played a big role in England's glory two years ago. He was not interested in status or financial incentives, only a realistic pathway to regular minutes, something the German clubs in particular pitched hard.

Brewster was faced with a similar choice when he was 14 in Chelsea's youth academy. A casual conversation with his father, Ian, led to the realisation there were no signs of progression for the club's most talented starlets at Cobham. No matter how good the player believed he was, he knew he would reach a ceiling before reaching the first team and decided his development would be better served at Liverpool. After months of deliberation, he came to the same conclusion about his advancement last summer and signed a new, five-year deal to remain at Anfield.

Ironically, Chelsea's transfer ban has forced club legend-turned-manager Frank Lampard to trust their academy graduates. Top prospects Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount are finally in the spotlight at Stamford Bridge, while Brewster has had to be patient for game time this season.

Brewster was on the bench in the Super Cup final against his former club, but he hasn't had a run-out yet, which is expected to change in the Carabao Cup tie at League One side MK Dons on Wednesday. (Stream live on ESPN+ at 2.45 p.m. ET).

Brewster was 16 when he first elicited a "What a player!" shout from Klopp, who was at Kirkby to watch Academy sessions and had his eye trained on the "wonderfully skilled boy, real striker, good finisher with fantastic work ethic." An invitation to train with the first team at Melwood followed, where Brewster scored a hat trick in a friendly against Accrington Stanley behind closed doors.

In April 2017, Brewster was an unused substitute against Crystal Palace in the Premier League, with Klopp stating: "He has a lot of respect in the squad. Nobody thought, 'Who is this?' They know him because he is an ugly opponent, a difficult-to-play opponent in training sessions."

It was Klopp's decision to have Brewster undertake his rehabilitation at Melwood, where he could not only receive the best treatment but get a high-definition understanding of what it takes to be an elite senior professional. He was not a guest at Liverpool's "football HQ" in west Derby but was treated like a first-team player in every respect; he just hadn't made his debut yet. It was this care and investment that convinced Brewster staying at the club would be his best shot to become a top striker, even though it was the route with the most difficulty.

Pushing past one elite attacker is challenging enough, but the task is especially tricky behind the automatic first-choice front three at Anfield. Liverpool have remained committed to helping Brewster make the next step even as their status soars domestically and on the continent under Klopp. Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings and Dominic Solanke were moved out of the club to ensure a smoother passage for the youngster, who was in the squad against Barcelona for the Reds' Champions League semifinal comeback at Anfield as well as in the showpiece final against Tottenham in Madrid.

During preseason, Brewster offers glimpses of why there is so much faith in him at Liverpool. A quick-reaction finish against Bradford City and a supremely confident penalty against Borussia Dortmund aligned with him being the standout player in a 6-0 victory over Tranmere Rovers with two goals and an assist. The goals and impact weren't lost on Klopp.

"Rhian is a top striker, he is a top talent and I have told him already that he has an important role this year, but how important depends on him," the Liverpool manager said. "He has to play different positions, as well; the centre, the wing is possible, I think. We will see how we line up, but there will be opportunities for him, I am sure."

Understandably, those chances haven't presented themselves yet: Liverpool's strong start in the league, with six wins from six, has them already opening a gap on Manchester City and the chasing pack. Their opening group game in the Champions League, losing 2-0 at Napoli, was the club's most difficult test yet, but with four fixtures in the next two weeks before the October international break, Klopp can confidently turn to Brewster.

When he was just seven years old, West Ham, Arsenal, Charlton and Chelsea all were circling around the small, skinny kid with an insatiable desire for goals who grew up in Goodmayes and Dagenham, before his family put down deeper roots in Romford.

Brewster's father was a goalkeeper who played at a semiprofessional level and also a Liverpool supporter. When West Ham learned of his dad's background, they invited the pair to watch a game at Upton Park against the Reds as part of an attempted charm offensive. Brewster took photos with players of both teams afterward, but one image remains a standout: The seven-year-old wearing a Hammers jacket and a beanie stands smiling in front of Steven Gerrard, who has his arms on the boy's shoulders.

Fast forward and their paths would dovetail at Liverpool, where the club legend became manager of the under-18s and oversaw the progress of the young forward.

"I love being around Rhian," Gerrard said in November 2017. "I think he's a great kid, and he's got a great mentality to work hard and improve. That's how you get success as a footballer.

"My job and everyone else's job at the club is to keep his feet on the ground and hopefully push him in a direction where he can be successful for the club."

Elite sides have academies stocked with gifted youngsters who never quite make the A-grade, but there is more to Brewster than his movement, nose for goals, ability to run in behind or play short and his diligence without the ball. He is confident, incredibly mature and plugged in to the world around him. Brewster also has been unafraid to speak up on social issues, including the homelessness crisis. "It's important to show love and care to people," he said. "There's already too much hate and negativity out there." And he has used his voice against discrimination on several occasions.

Klopp has called Brewster "brave," and at the Football Writers Awards in May 2018, the manager said: "He spoke about racism in modern football with the same power, command and composure that he shows when playing."

Teammate James Milner previously has praised Brewster's desire to learn, noting: "He listens to the guys around him who are trying to help him." Dortmund's Jadon Sancho, who lined up alongside Brewster at the U17 World Cup, said: "He spends time after training, practising and practising his technique. I always used to see him out on the pitches. Penalties, free kicks, he took them all."

Oxlade-Chamberlain even credited the teenager with lifting him through his darkest days during rehab, while Melwood sources have told ESPN the club's next batch of promising teens -- chiefly Harvey Elliott and Ki-Jana Hoever -- already look to Rhian for guidance. Meanwhile, prominent and award-winning UK rapper Dave has referenced him in the lyrics of the song "God's Eye."

It's a lot of fuss around a 19-year-old with zero first-team appearances, but Brewster is itching to properly introduce himself and illustrate there is merit to the belief in him.

That starts at Stadium MK on Wednesday.

St Lucia Zouks 165 for 6 (Fletcher 36, Sammy 30, Hafeez 3-22, Joseph 2-20) beat St Kitts and Nevis Patriots 145 for 9 (Hafeez 29, Viljoen 3-14, Williams 3-48) by 20 runs

An all-round show kept St Lucia Zouks' playoff hopes alive as they jumped from the bottom of the points table to fourth spot with a 20-run win over St Kitts and Nevis Patriots at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet. Zouks overtook Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Tallawahs as they now have five points from seven games.

After being put in, Zouks powered to 70 for 1 at the end of seven overs before Mohammad Hafeez pegged them back with three quick wickets. Darren Sammy's 30 off 19 balls though ensured they finished strongly, on 165 for 6.

In contrast, Patriots started slow and were always lagging behind. While they had eight wickets in hand, the asking rate had climbed to ten runs per over at the halfway stage. Searching for quick runs, they slipped from 80 for 2 to 103 for 7 in the space of 19 balls and there was no coming back. Hardus Viljoen picked up 3 for 14 from his four overs, including a maiden, while Kesrick Williams finished with 3 for 48.

Zouks off to flying start

Openers Andre Fletcher and Rahkeem Cornwall gave Zouks a quick start with a combination of good fortune and attractive strokeplay. The first over of the innings, bowled by Jeremiah Louis, went for 15 with Fletcher getting two lucky fours to fine leg off big inswingers and Cornwall flicking one over deep midwicket for a six.

The duo followed it with a six each in the next two overs before Alzarri Joseph bowled Cornwall off an inside edge in the fourth over. Colin Ingram hit Rayad Emrit for a six and a four off successive balls in the next over and Fletcher lofted Hafeez down the ground for another six in the last over of the Powerplay. Fletcher got two more fours to fine leg in Emrit's next over and the platform was set for a big total.

Hafeez comes to the fore before Sammy show

The offspinner brought his experience into play to get both Fletcher and Ingram stumped. To Fletcher he slipped one down the leg side when the batsman came out of his crease whereas to Ingram, Hafeez pushed the ball wide outside off to leave the batsman halfway down the track.

Colin de Grandhomme flicked one lazily to be caught well inside the deep midwicket boundary as Hafeez had struck thrice in as many overs to finish with 3 for 22. Five balls later, legspinner Keron Cottoy bowled Andre McCarthy around his legs to reduce Zouks to 101 for 5 in the 13th over. Sammy and Chris Barnwell revived the innings with a 56-run stand in just 5.5 overs. In the 17th over, Sammy struck two fours and six off Emrit, whereas Carlos Brathwaite leaked 14 in the next as Zouks went past 150. Joseph and Brathwaite pulled things back a bit by conceding five and seven runs respectively in the last two overs to keep Zouks within 170.

Patriots' sluggish first half

Helped by as many as six wides, Patriots reached 28 for 0 at the end of three overs but Viljoen pegged them back by dismissing Evin Lewis during his wicket-maiden fourth over. Devon Thomas was bowled in the next over while trying to pull left-arm spinner Jeavor Royal, leaving Patriots on 31 for 2. Laurie Evans tried to break the shackles and hit Royal over deep midwicket and extra cover for a couple of sixes, but despite that Patriots could only reach 66 for 2 at the halfway stage.

Williams dents the chase further

Rain stopped play for ten minutes after 11.4 overs with Patriots 12 runs behind the par score. After play resumed, Williams dented them further with a double-wicket over. First he had Evans caught-and-bowled with a slower one and then trapped Fabian Allen lbw with the ball thudding into the batsman's back pad before he could bring his bat down. With the required rate mounting, Brathwaite tried to take on Fawad Ahmed, only to sky a googly towards midwicket where substitute Kavem Hodge took a good catch running in from the deep.

Needing 72 from 36 balls with five wickets down, the incoming batsmen couldn't cope with the pressure. Shamarh Brooks fell to Viljoen for 7 and on the next ball, Fawad took a return catch to send Hafeez back. At 103 for 7 and still requiring 63 from 29 balls, the result was all but decided.

Mickey Arthur was disappointed that people he trusted - and, as it turns out, helped appoint - ultimately made the decision to not extend his stint as Pakistan coach. Arthur was keen to carry on in a position he had been in for three years and, post-World Cup, had conversations with the PCB hierarchy in which he had expressed his keenness to do so.

But the PCB's cricket committee, including Misbah-ul-Haq and Wasim Akram, carried out a review of Arthur's tenure before deciding to move on. And the fact that it was Misbah who ended up succeeding Arthur as coach was not lost on the latter.

"I guess the only disappointment I have out of the whole lot is that there were some people I really trusted who ultimately didn't follow through," Arthur told ESPNcricinfo's Stump Mic podcast. "I'm not talking about the hierarchy, I'm talking about people on the cricket committee that I did trust who sort of said one thing and ultimately did another. So that was the disappointing aspect of it."

There was also a degree of irony in events unfolding as they did, because Arthur said he had recommended Misbah and Akram's names when the committee was first being put together by the PCB chairman Ehsan Mani. That committee also includes the PCB chief executive Wasim Khan, senior officials and former players Haroon Rasheed, Zakir Khan, Mudassar Nazar, and former women's captain Urooj Mumtaz.

"I said Misbah would be outstanding because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is - Misbah is an outstanding individual make no mistake about that. And I sort of said, I thought Wasim Akram would be good to get on the committee because I think Wasim just understands the international game so well. He carries a huge stature in international cricket.

"Those were guys I endorsed and guys I really enjoyed. As I say, they had a job to do and they decided it was in the best interests of Pakistan cricket to go with a fresh set of eyes. And it just happened to be that Misbah was on the committee that didn't renew our contracts and becomes this heir-apparent. Ultimately Misbah will do a good job, Misbah is a good guy and Pakistan cricket made their decision. I was disappointed because I loved every second of that job."

"I said Misbah would be outstanding [on the cricket committee] because he was a godfather of Pakistan cricket and he is" Mickey Arthur

Arthur's fate was sealed during a five-hour grilling by the committee in early August, a month after Pakistan narrowly failed to make the semi-finals of the World Cup. There was plenty of speculation about the mood, tenor and substance of that review and Arthur's response to whether he felt he'd been given a fair hearing doesn't kill that speculation.

"I was certainly given a chance, I was certainly given a grilling, I was certainly asked a lot of questions," he said. "The thing that disappointed me just a little bit out of that was that a lot of the questions I was being asked were questions that could be debated either way. So it was a matter of opinion.

"A lot of it was spoken about it in hindsight - some of the selections etc etc, which was all in hindsight. And it's always easy to speak in hindsight. And a lot of the information that they told me was actually factually incorrect. And [that was] I guess the information they ended up making their decision on. But, again, I just want to say it was a great time. Yes, I was disappointed but at the end of the day, I had three fantastic years with Pakistan."

Indeed, regret and not bitterness has been very much the overriding emotion, as Arthur is keen to stress. He will coach Central Stags in New Zealand's Super Smash T20 later this year and even though his future as Karachi Kings coach remains unclear - as he touches upon in the podcast - he wants to get back to international coaching.

"Yeah, I'll make no bones about it, I would've liked to have gone on, because we had just built a team," he said. "It had taken us three years to get to where we needed to be. Our T20 team was going along beautifully, No. 1 in the world, our ODI team, we had played a lot of young players who were just coming to the fore and I think we saw at the backend of the World Cup how exciting we could be as a team. And the challenge was going to be to build a new Test team, so there were a lot of interesting challenges out there with Pakistan. I was so looking forward to maybe carrying on for just a little bit extra."

Click here to listen to the full Stump Mic podcast with Mickey Arthur

Frequent and longer tours of Bangladesh, and more matches against stronger sides like England, New Zealand and Australia, are on Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan's wishlist as his side seeks to improve in all three formats.

Afghanistan ended their tour of Bangladesh by sharing the T20I tri-series trophy with the home side following a washed-out final in Dhaka. The next bilateral series between Bangladesh and Afghanistan is scheduled for March 2022, and comprises only three ODIs and two T20Is. In the current FTP, Afghanistan do not have a bilateral series against England, and will play two Tests and three ODIs against Australia over the next three years. Their only bilateral games against New Zealand will be in the form of an ODI series just before the 2023 50-over World Cup. Against Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, the bilateral contests are all limited-overs matches.

"We should have longer series against Bangladesh, like have the main focus on 50 overs and Test matches," Rashid said at a press conference. "Cricket boards should think about it. There should be a three-match Test series. There's more room to learn and have different experiences. More 50 overs and Tests would be better for both nations."

Rashid said Afghanistan hardly got chances to play quality fast bowling against sides like Ireland and Scotland, and the lack of experience had hurt Afghanistan's chances at the World Cup. He also urged the respective boards to schedule more Tests and ODIs against Bangladesh, rather than T20Is.

"We have played only twice against Australia, New Zealand and England in the last five years [all in World Cups]. If we played more against them, we could have known their strengths and weaknesses. It should be looked into. The best example is Bangladesh. They played a lot against South Africa and ended up having the best result against them in the World Cup. If we want to be a good side, we should play more against the top sides. Not one match in four years. These teams have four fast bowlers who bowl 140-plus. We play against Scotland and Ireland, and they hardly have a 140-plus bowler."

Rashid wants Afghanistan to improve and be good enough to eventually play in the World Test Championship. "We are quite sad not to be part of the World Test Championship, but I think all we can do right now is play good Test cricket, to prove that decision wrong. But at the same time, you can't put a side in the championship who have played only three Tests," he said.

Rashid enjoyed a good tour of Bangladesh, his first series since his appointment as Afghanistan captain in all three formats. He took 11 wickets in Afghanistan's first away Test win in Chattogram, where he also scored a crucial half-century, and followed that up with six wickets in the T20I tri-series. With Afghanistan now scheduled to play a 'home' series against West Indies in November, Rashid said he would continue to bowl the same way in all three formats, remaining mindful of not putting himself under undue pressure by expecting wickets too often in the longest format.

"I never brought any difference in my bowling in any format. I try to do what I am capable of," he said. "I don't want to bring any changes to my bowling. If I bring a bit of change, I think it will affect my bowling.

"I always had one thing in mind in the Test match, that there will be a time when I won't get a wicket for 25 overs. There will be a time when I get three wickets in one over. Rather than putting extra pressure on myself, I should be mentally ready for this sort of thing."

Rashid revealed that spin-bowling greats Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne had advised him not to bowl slower and not to bring any major changes to his bowling, as it is his pace that deceives batsmen.

"I asked Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne, superstars of Test cricket, what should my mindset be in a Test match. They both told me that I shouldn't change myself, and be cool and calm in every situation," he said. "[They said that I should] just focus on bowling in the right line and length, rather than bring down my speed. They said that the quicker you bowl, it deceives the batsmen."

After a 40-hour journey back from the Caribbean and a few days to adjust their body clocks, Australia's women will be back in action at the weekend with the start of their home season against Sri Lanka, which concludes with the defence of their T20 World Cup title.

After a clean sweep against West Indies, an unchanged squad has been named for the T20Is against Sri Lanka [Erin Burns drops out of the squad for the ODIs], with one of the challenges facing the team the desire to maintain their dominant form - and not take their guard down against Sri Lanka, who they haven't played since the 2017 50-over World Cup in England - but also ensure enough players are getting time to hone their skills, especially with the bat.

The last two T20Is in the West Indies were won by nine wickets and there are a number of players who enter the start of the home summer a little starved of time in the middle. Matthew Mott indicated last week that there might be some tinkering with the batting order in the T20Is, which may give more exposure to some of the middle-order batsmen.

Among those is vice-captain Rachael Haynes, who has only batted twice in her last six T20Is, against England and West Indies.

"It would be nice to get up the order in T20s, I've only batted once or twice across the last two series simply because our top four has been so dominant," Haynes said. "I think a lot of our batters would like an opportunity at some stage throughout this series. It's probably a great indication of how well our team is doing and how dominant we have been that some people are a little lean on time in the middle, but on the same token I think they'll be opportunity throughout this series."

While Haynes has been short on time with the bat of late - her three innings in the ODI series against West Indies also brought just 32 runs as she opened the batting - she was required to take on the captaincy at the last moment when a back spasm ruled Meg Lanning out of the second of the ODIs. Australia will be hoping that injuries do not strike during next year's T20 World Cup, but having the chance to prepare for such scenarios could be valuable.

"I was completely unware that Meg was struggling at the time then I got a tap on the shoulder a couple of minutes before the toss saying that I'd better get changed," Haynes said. "All those types of things are situations you could face in a big tournament and I thought the team dealt with it really well, they just got on with the business of the match. I think it's a great reflection on where we are as a group where you can have one of the best players in the team have to withdraw at the last minute and they just get on with the whole process."

The three T20Is against Sri Lanka and a tri-series involving India and England at the end of January provide the main preparation for Australia ahead of the big event, but the upcoming standalone Women's Big Bash League, which begins on October 18, is also being viewed as a key period especially for those whose opportunities in national colours might be limited.

"We've seen over the last six to eight months that opportunities within our batting and bowling orders have been quite hard to come by so for a number of girls in our squad the WBBL will be a nice break to get in there, get in among the runs and wickets," Alyssa Healy told ESPNcricinfo. "I think it's crucial for our squad, there's 14 who have been selected for this series but there are probably 20 who will be putting their hand up for the World Cup. It's one of the more competitive competitions around the world and it's an incredibly high standard so it will be a really good one to warm up for the T20 World Cup."

The three Sri Lanka T20Is take place at North Sydney Oval from September 29 before the tour moves to Brisbane for three ODIs. Sri Lanka will prepare for a match against a Cricket Australia XI on Friday.

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (capt), Rachael Haynes, Erin Burns (T20Is only), Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Heather Graham, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia Wareham

Cricket Australia XI: Tahlia McGrath, Heather Graham, Darcie Brown, Stella Campbell, Hannah Darlington, Josie Dooley, Nicole Faltum, Charli Knott, Phoebe Litchfield, Hayley Silver-Holmes, Annabel Sutherland, Tahlia Wilson

How does the Indian team get the best out of Rishabh Pant? As far as Yuvraj Singh is concerned, it must start with trying to understand the youngster as a person and work with him instead of trying "to suppress him".

Pant's place in the side has been a hot topic of debate in Indian cricket in recent times, with the wicketkeeper-batsman's shot selection at times leaving pundits perplexed and his run of low scores - one fifty-plus score across formats since the Test hundred against Australia - making people wonder if he has been elevated too soon.

"Somebody needs to get the best out of him. How you get the best out of him is completely based on his character. You have to understand his character, you have to understand his psychology, and you have to work like that. If you're going to suppress him, you're not going to get the best out of him," Yuvraj told NDTV in an interview.

ALSO READ: Monga - The Rishabh Pant journey from 'fearless' to 'careless' and back

In mid-September, Virat Kohli had mentioned in a press conference that youngsters needed to come in to the Indian team with the knowledge that they would get around five opportunities to make the most of. Speaking specifically about Pant, Kohli had said, "Reading the situation and decision-making is the expectation from all the players, including myself."

In the same interaction, Ravi Shastri had promised "a rap on the knuckles" for Pant, and others, who let the team and themselves down. Not long after, new batting coach Vikram Rathour had been asked a similar question at a press meet, where he had said that Pant needed to understand "there is a fine line between fearless cricket and careless cricket".

Yuvraj advocated more mentoring for an obviously talented young batsman instead of "shouting and suppressing".

"Yes, he's been given a lot of chances, but how do you get the best out of the guy - obviously the people monitoring him in the team, coach, captain, have to get the best out of him, rather than … unfortunately for me, there was no one to tell me what to do," Yuvraj said. "At the moment, the thing is, at the IPL young guys are getting a lot of money. So maybe someone needs to tell them how to go about their business or how to go about their life, and what is your priority.

"Somebody really needs to talk to them and get the best out of them, rather than shouting or suppressing, things are not going to help. That guy has scored two Test away hundreds at a very young age, so the guy has a lot of potential. How do you get the best out of that guy is something they have to realise."

The Pant question is one that many former cricketers have tried to answer over the past few days.

Sunil Gavaskar, for example, called for Pant to shift down to No. 5 in white-ball matches to allow him to play his naturally aggressive game. "Giving him a bit of breathing space by slotting him at No. 5 could also help, for at that number he will invariably come in to bat where his aggressive batting is needed from the start rather than when he has to build his and the team's innings," Gavaskar wrote in Sunday Mid-Day recently.

Gavaskar's idea found a taker in VVS Laxman, who told Star Sports, "The nature of Rishabh Pant's batting is that he plays aggressive shots, and unfortunately at the international level he is not able to succeed at the No. 4 position. Pant should bat at No. 5 or 6, where you have the license to go out and express yourself. At the moment, he doesn't know the right method of scoring runs at No. 4."

Writing in the Times of India, Gautam Gambhir also agreed, criticising Rathour's take on the matter in the process: "It is disappointing to see the team-management using words like 'from fearless to careless'. This is no way to handle a young human resource. What I do know is that the boy is now playing for survival rather than scoring runs. From the outside it seems that his mindset is all over the place. Someone needs to put an arm around his shoulder and tell him that he is wanted in the team."