LIVERPOOL -- Alisson Becker apologised for his language when dissecting Liverpool's defensive record this season but his facial expression suggested that the words he chose weren't strong enough.

"It always annoys me when we concede stupid goals," the goalkeeper said when asked about the club's lack of clean sheets ahead of Tuesday's Champions League encounter against Genk at Anfield. "Sorry about the word, but when we concede in a stupid way, this annoys me and annoys my teammates also."

The European champions have not yet secured a shutout in the competition in 2019-20, conceding six goals in their three group games so far. And while that is just one more than they let in at the same stage of last year's triumphant Champions League campaign, a wider look across all competitions doesn't reveal more positive findings.

Liverpool's defence has been breached 20 times in 16 games this season, across all competitions, with only three clean sheets. By contrast, the Merseysiders had only conceded eight times over the same period in 2018-19. It would be easy for Liverpool to shrug off the numbers and point to the fact that they're odds-on favourites to qualify from their continental group, before then highlighting their status as Premier League leaders. But as a team that demands the highest standards, the increase of goals against them has been visibly frustrating.

"When we enter the pitch we always have a common goal: that is win the game and keep a clean sheet," Alisson, who helped Liverpool record 34 shutouts in 51 games last season, admitted. "When you keep a clean sheet you are closer to the victory, at least you have a draw. We can work better on that aspect.

"When you concede a goal in a difficult moment, in a moment that the team needs you to keep a clean sheet, the games become more difficult. So we need to work better on that if we want to do great things this season."

Alisson's calf injury, picked up 40 minutes into the season during the 4-1 win over Norwich City in the Premier League opener, is one of the explanations behind Liverpool's bloated goals against column. Adrian, who had only joined Liverpool as the Brazil international's deputy, was forced into action after minimal training sessions and without having a preseason or the chance to build chemistry with the team. While he performed excellently -- earning hero status during the UEFA Super Cup final victory -- and being near faultless following the September international break after extended time on the Melwood pitches, there were understandably initial hiccups.

At centre-back, meanwhile, Joe Gomez has not yet recaptured the form that saw him nail down the spot next to Virgil van Dijk following a lengthy ankle setback. Joel Matip, who has stepped up to partner the Ballon d'Or frontrunner, is now nursing a knee injury, elevating fourth-choice Dejan Lovren back into the starting XI. These unforeseen changes in personnel doesn't aid consistency and opponents have picked up on it, unsettling Liverpool by restricting the influence of their full-backs, most notably Manchester United in the 1-1 draw at Old Trafford and in the narrow win at Sheffield United.

Alisson has pinpointed another issue: keeping their focus. He referenced the 4-1 victory at Genk at the Luminus Arena last month, where Liverpool switched off and let the hosts in late on for a consolation goal.

"Sometimes you have a quality opponent and when they score using [their skill] and you can't do anything different, it's OK. You need to accept that it's part of the game. But I think we can do better in the concentration aspect," the 27-year-old explained. "For example, against Genk we conceded a goal in the 85th minute so that annoyed me, it annoyed everyone on the team because we need to keep focus and keep your goals advantage.

"If you're winning by one goal and you concede in that moment, the game is pretty much finished: you cannot do something different. Sometimes you have no time. We need to learn from these moments to make sure it will not happen again."

Jurgen Klopp agreed with his goalkeeper's sentiments on Monday but given that his Liverpool side has only suffered one loss this season, away to Napoli, he was quick to note "it's only 11 matches. Yes, it feels much longer, but it is only 11 games. We always try to improve, but our main target cannot be now clean sheets."

Liverpool still have the second-best defensive record in England's top-flight, bettered by Leicester City and Sheffield United, who have conceded a goal less. They remain one of the best teams around when it comes to denying their opponents clear scoring opportunities, with Klopp highlighting after Saturday's 2-1 win at Aston Villa that "for little mistakes, we've got really big knocks."

There has been no noticeable trend in how Liverpool have been breached, either.

"The goals we conceded were all different," the Reds boss said. "Against Tottenham, it was their first attack, deflected ball, crossbar... For me, it is more important opponents don't create against us a lot. If they score with the one chance they have, it is not nice but it is nothing you can really work on.

"Of course, we don't want to concede goals -- it's as easy as that -- and as a goalkeeper, I can imagine it annoys 'Ali.' In the end, he is as happy as all the others when we win the games and is not too bothered too much about the clean sheet or whatever. We will have clean sheets during the season, I am 100% sure, and there will be a moment when we defend all the situations better again."

Alisson will expect the "stupid goals" to cease being a problem starting against Genk on Tuesday before the top-of-the-table showdown with Manchester City on the weekend.

Pakistan opted to bat v Australia

Pakistan elected to bat against Australia after winning the toss in the second T20I at the Manuka Oval. Both sides were unchanged from the first game, which ended in a no result after Australia had opted to bowl.

While Australia fielding the same side was largely in line with expectations, Pakistan proceeding with the same eleven was a slight surprise. Mohammad Irfan and Fakhar Zaman's places in the side were under some scrutiny following a torrid day in Sydney on Sunday, with both aware they may be playing on borrowed time.

A win for either side would ensure they wouldn't lose the three-match series. Australia haven't lost a game in this format in 2019, having won five on the bounce before the first T20I. Pakistan, on the other hand, will look to break a four-match losing streak; their last victory came against South Africa in February.

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

Pakistan: 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Fakhar Zaman, 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

New Zealand know they can't afford to loosen their grip on the T20 series against England when they carry a 2-1 lead into the penultimate game in Napier on Friday.

Colin de Grandhomme, whose 55 off 35 balls earned him Player of the Match honours and provided the crux of New Zealand's 14-run victory in the third match at Nelson, said the hosts would look to keep the pressure on England, against whom he admitted the World Cup final defeat still stung.

Also read: England throw away chase as NZ squeeze home

"Definitely you can't give them an inch," de Grandhomme said. "You've got to keep hitting them hard and try and win every game when you can."

De Grandhomme stopped short of identifying revenge for the World Cup defeat as a source of motivation in this rather more low-key series, however.

"They're pretty good lads and they're a good team so it's always nice beating them but we've got to move on from that," he said. "Unfortunately that's how things go. I think the boys are still hurting but some of the boys are good mates with the other boys and they get on well."

De Grandhomme revelled in the No. 4 spot he has stamped his authority on over the past year, pressing the tempo through the middle overs before New Zealand's bowlers snared 5 for 10 in 18 balls to quash England's run chase.

"Definitely batting up the order in T20 is a lot more, probably, forgiving," de Grandhomme said. "You get a better chance and you get an opportunity in the top six sometimes when the openers don't do their jobs as well, so it gives me more freedom with the field in and it's enjoyable.

"We had to bowl well and get a few wickets up top and then we'd put them under pressure ... nine, 10 an over I think here is still very gettable because it's only one hit and then five singles, if you like, and it's not that hard but our bowlers executed and did a great job. The bowlers were actually happy with that total. I thought we were at least 20 short but the bowlers back themselves and win us games so, a good win."

New Zealand bowling coach Shane Jurgensen was full of praise for de Grandhomme.

"He's just been awesome, the way that he's approached his batting," Jurgensen said. "He comes out and it's almost like you don't see what stage the game is at, how many wickets have fallen. He just plays the way that he plays, as we know, but certainly playing a lot smarter cricket with the bat and I think that's what he's really learnt over the last 12 months."

Jurgensen was also impressed with his bowling charges, including Blair Tickner who took 2 for 25 playing just his second T20I since making his debut against India in February.

"He bowled quite well against India as well so he had a lot of confidence coming in that he can do it and that's our job as coaches to just get him up get him ready to go and just get him to believe in his skills that he's got," Jurgensen said.

"I was a pretty tight game and England were in a strong position to win but I think we saw when we batted the runs slowed up at the end so that's exactly what happened for both sides. I was really impressed with the way that we approached our bowling, particularly in the second half of the innings. We were basically in a bit of strife really."

For England captain Eoin Morgan, this match was "one that got away".

"We were in control for the whole chase until we were three or four down, probably that's a lack of experience but the guys need to get more games into them at this level," Morgan told Sky Sports. "But certainly that's one that slipped away. Everything is about playing smart, aggressive cricket, and new guys coming in. There were a lot of positives but it's a must-win game in Napier now."

The pair will lead the 41-strong British team at the World Para Athletics Championships

Four-time world champion Richard Whitehead and world record-holder Kare Adenegan have been named as captains of the British team for the World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai from November 7-15.

The pair, who won respective T42 200m gold and T34 100m silver and 400m and 800m bronze in London, received the most votes from their team-mates to lead the 41-strong squad.

At the age of 18, Adenegan becomes the youngest captain of the British team at the world championships and will be looking to build on her fine displays in 2018 when she was crowned European 100m champion as well as taking 800m silver.

“I feel really honoured to be named team captain alongside Richard Whitehead,” said Adenegan, who broke the T34 100m world record last year.

“Although I’m still one of the youngest athletes on the team, I have learnt a lot throughout my athletics career so far and hope to pass that on, especially to the debutants.

“We have a really strong team and I’m so excited to cheer everybody on during the championships.”

Whitehead, who is going for a fifth consecutive world title in the T61 200m, takes the captaincy honour for the second time having been named as captain for the 2013 edition of the championships in Lyon.

“It’s a great honour as always to represent Great Britain & Northern Ireland and to be voted by my fellow athletes to be captain is a privilege I don’t take lightly,” he said.

“It’s mine and Kare’s job now lead the team towards getting the best possible results we can. As always we have the support staff and structure to perform at the highest level.”

Head coach, Paula Dunn, added: “It’s fantastic that both Richard and Kare will lead the team at the World Para Athletics Championships here in Dubai.

“Richard has accumulated a vast amount experience during his career. He’s always been incredibly welcoming of the new members of the team, so it will be great to have him as one of the two captains for the championships, adding a huge amount of experience serving alongside Kare.

“As for Kare, it’s a reflection of her maturity and professionalism as an athlete and as a person that she has been voted for by her peers. I look forward to both of them excelling in the role as captains.”

Temba Bavuma will captain Jozi Stars in the second edition of the Mzansi Super League, which starts on Friday. Bavuma joined the squad this season after playing for Durban Heat in the inaugural edition and succeeds Dane Vilas, who led the Stars to the title last summer.

Bavuma's appointment is another nod to his leadership credentials, which include captaining the Lions in all formats last season and taking charge of the South Africa A side in India on their recent tour. Bavuma is also the Test vice-captain and is increasingly being seen as a successor to current captain Faf du Plessis in the longest format.

Apart from being South Africa's flagship T20 tournament, the MSL is also an important part of the pipeline for identifying talent for the international arena. Last season's top scorer, Rassie van der Dussen, earned a call up to the ODI team, but this season the focus seems to be on captaincy. While Bavuma is being groomed for leadership at the Stars, Quinton de Kock, who is also being touted as a future national captain, was on Monday unveiled as the Cape Town Blitz skipper.

More to follow…

Big picture

The two teams that finished at the bottom of the points table at the 2019 World Cup will rebuild for the 2020 T20 World Cup under new team managements in Dehradun with a series of ODIs, first, and then T20Is.

Phil Simmons will take charge of the side he coached to the 2016 T20 World Cup title, while Kieron Pollard, the new limited-overs captain, gears up for his first ODI in more than three years. At the other end, Afghanistan have a new(ish) captain in Rashid Khan and a new coach in Lance Klusener, who recently tasted T20I success in India as part of the South Africa coaching staff. The similarities don't quite end there: both West Indies (CPL) and Afghanistan (Shpageeza) are coming off a steady diet of T20 cricket.

West Indies' new-look squad features the who's who of the CPL, including the tournament's top scorer Brandon King and leading wicket-taker Hayden Walsh Jr, who had turned out for USA not too long ago. Shai Hope will take the wicketkeeping gloves, having proved his fitness towards the close of Barbados Tridents' run to the CPL title. There could be a possible debut for Guyana Amazon Warriors seam-bowling allrounder Romario Shepherd, who had impressed in the tour game too on Monday.

West Indies' batting line-up, though, came a cropper in the tour game and is set to face a more serious challenge against Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. When Afghanistan had toured the Caribbean in 2017, Rashid ran rings around West Indies, claiming ten wickets in two innings, including a record 7 for 18. Nabi gave away just 67 runs in 20 overs on that tour. With Mujeeb in the mix, that spin attack wears a very potent look.

Form guide

Afghanistan LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
West IndiesLLWLL

In the spotlight

In a world that's mean to fingerspinners, Mohammad Nabi still thrives with old-school flight, drift, and deceptive changes in pace. His big-hitting has been central to the middle order, as he demonstrated recently against Zimbabwe's Tendai Chatara in Bangladesh.

Hayden Walsh Jr. is a purveyor of the more glamorous variety of spin - wristspin - and had lit up the CPL with 22 wickets, despite playing just nine games. Watch out for his skiddy wrong'uns and electric athletic interventions in the field.

Team news

Afghanistan are set to unleash their three spinners on West Indies, which could leave former captain Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Karim Janat and Yamin Ahmadzai tussling for three seam-bowling spots.

Afghanistan (possible): 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Javed Ahmadi, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 5 Najibullah Zadran, 6 Asghar Afghan, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan (capt), 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Karim Janat/Yamin Ahmadzai

Afghanistan could potentially have six right-handed batsmen in their top nine, so West Indies could consider picking Walsh Jr. and Kharry Pierre, both of whom take the ball away from them. It remains to be seen if King and Shepherd make their international debuts on Wednesday. With Chris Gayle, Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen and Kemar Roach not part of the squad for the Afghanistan ODIs, West Indies will make at least four changes to the team that played against India in the Caribbean.

West Indies (possible): 1 Evin Lewis, 2 Shai Hope (wk), 3 Shimron Hetmyer, 4 Nicholas Pooran 5 Roston Chase/Brandon King, 6 Kieron Pollard (capt), 7 Jason Holder, 8 Keemo Paul, 9 Romario Shepherd/Sheldon Cottrell, 10 Khary Pierre, 11 Hayden Walsh Jr.

Pitch and conditions

The track in Dehradun could assist spin as the game wears on. The chasing team has won three of the four completed ODIs at this venue.

Stats and trivia

• Afghanistan have lost their last nine ODIs - all coming in the World Cup in the UK. However, they have a superior head-to-head record in ODIs against West Indies, winning three of five completed matches against them.

• Pollard has captained West Indies in two internationals before - both coming in 2013 in an ODI tri-series against India and Sri Lanka at home. Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Nuwan Kulasekara were all active in international cricket back then.

Western Australia 332 (Green 87*, Marsh 77, Gannon 4-79, Neser 3-60) and 9 for 246 (Green 121*, Gannon 4-39, Bartlett 3-41) drew with Queensland 411 (Street 115, Wildermuth 80, Burns 76, Stoinis 3-50, Cartwright 3-61)

Emerging Western Australia allrounder Cameron Green has put his name up in lights with a stunning final-day century to help rescue his team from almost certain defeat against Queensland at the Gabba.

Green's 121 not out from 172 balls featured 13 fours and three sixes. He made 208 runs in the match without being dismissed and steered WA to safety after they appeared destined for an innings defeat.

The visitors slumped to 7 for 53 just 12.1 overs into the final day, still needing 26 to make Queensland bat again. Cameron Gannon pinned Hilton Cartwright and Josh Philippe in consecutive balls to take his tally for the match to eight before Xavier Bartlett found Josh Inglis' outside edge.

Green, who had already made 87 not out in the first innings at No. 8 to dig WA out of trouble on day one, came in at No. 9 this time because of nightwatchman Matthew Kelly, and he again played with remarkable composure and assuredness for a 20-year-old in just his ninth first-class match.

Green and Kelly batted nearly 42 overs in a partnership of 115 to at least ensure Queensland would have to bat again. Kelly faced 180 deliveries to reach his highest first-class score of 46 before falling to the part-time legspin of Marnus Labuschagne, edging an attempted cut trying to reach his fifty.

Jhye Richardson joined Green after the pair put on 99 in the first innings, and again they frustrated Queensland by scoring freely against the second new ball.

They added 52 to take WA into the last session and the lead beyond 150. But with Green on 97, Richardson was trapped lbw by Mitch Swepson. David Moody had to survive three balls of the over, having stranded Green in the first innings. He managed to do so before Green found the three runs needed for his maiden Sheffield Shield century in the next over via a tightly run two and a bonus overthrow. Green added 21 more runs before the match was declared a draw.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Golden State Warriors rookie forward Eric Paschall celebrated his 23rd birthday in style with a 127-118 win Monday night over the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring a career high 34 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and leading the Warriors to the organization's first win at Chase Center.

It was all in a day's work for Paschall who admitted before the game that he had forgotten it was his birthday and then finished by having an appreciative crowd shower him with "MVP" chants at the end.

"The over-under was not game six for the MVP chants, or game 7 -- whatever this was," Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. "But, I loved it. I thought it was great. I'm sure he heard it, and he was the MVP of the game, I know that, and a pretty good birthday for him, too."

For Paschall, the dominating performance comes after a strong debut over the first couple weeks of the season in which he continues to gain Kerr's trust each night. The Villanova alum, who was the 41st pick in last summer's draft, is now averaging 13.8 points and three rebounds a game for a team that relies on him to produce without a slew of core pieces including Stephen Curry (broken hand), Klay Thompson (ACL rehab), Draymond Green (torn finger ligament), D'Angelo Russell (ankle) and Kevon Looney (neuropathic issue). Paschall is playing like a man who isn't afraid of the spotlight and is taking advantage of the opportunity in front of him.

"I would say confidence," he said, while describing why he's been able to have immediate success. "Confidence in myself and confidence my teammates have in me. They just do a great job of finding me ... and they allow me to go makes plays. And coach Kerr does the same, just allows me to go make plays, play calls for me, and we try to take advantage of it, try to make the right play and I had a hot hand tonight. Finally hit my first NBA three. But it just feels good to get a win ... we got to keep playing hard and have fun. I feel like tonight we had fun."

With the 34 points and 13 rebounds, Paschall became the first Warrior since Curry to score at least 30 points and grab 10 rebounds in a game, according to ESPN Stats and Information. Curry accomplished the feat on Feb 10, 2010. With his 34 points, Paschall is now second all-time in points scored by a rookie on his birthday, behind only Terry Dischinger, who scored 37 points on his 22nd birthday for the Chicago Zephyrs in the 1962-63 season, according to Elias Sports Bureau. The last 30-10 performance on a player's birthday came from former New Orleans Pelicans star Anthony Davis, who scored 46 points and grabbed 21 rebounds on his birthday during the 2016-17 season.

Paschall's performance produced social-media plaudits from all corners, including posts from Curry, who wasn't at the game as he recovers from hand surgery. Utah Jazz star Donovan Mitchell, who grew up with Paschall, and former San Francisco 49ers great Ronnie Lott, sent their congratulations as well.

"I didn't even know that," Paschall said. "Ronnie Lott. That's a pretty big one for me. He was a hell of a player, but just to see Donovan that's my best friend. We grew up together. Damn near brothers and Steph just supporting, it's always great to have a guy like that, but it's great to see people see what I could do and give me praise for it. I feel like I've been underrated my whole life so just this opportunity is amazing. It's not a lot of times where a rookie gets to play forty minutes against the Trailblazers in Dame [Lillard] and CJ [McCollum]. To see that opportunity you just got to make the best of it."

After the game was over, Kerr beamed like a proud parent, while describing the effort his undermanned squad continues to show without its stars.

"It's just a fantastic effort by the whole group," Kerr said. "Everybody that we put in came in and gave us big minutes. It was just fun, it's a fun group to coach because they're young, they're hungry, and they were fighting like crazy out there the whole game and that's a good team they just beat so it was a great night for us."

The total commitment was exemplified up and down the roster, but especially by two-way players Ky Bowman and Damion Lee. The pair combined for 37 points, the most-ever points by two-way players in a game, according to the organization. Aside from Paschall's success, one of the key moments of the night came with 6:12 left in regulation and the Warriors clinging to a three-point lead, when Bowman drove down the lane and finished at the rim only to get an elbow from Trail Blazers center Hassan Whiteside after the play.

Bowman didn't back down as the entire Warriors bench jumped out of their seats and came to the floor to back up the young guard, including Thompson, who watched the second half of the game in street clothes. Whiteside was assessed a technical foul after video review as the sequence unified the group even more and set off one of the loudest moments in Chase Center's young history.

"I think there's a chip on my shoulder since when I was drafted; but I think there's also chips on the other players' shoulders," Bowman said. "Just to prove -- everybody's got something to prove in this league. Me being on a one-year, so I got a lot to prove, just to make sure that I'm able to keep my role and come out here and play hard. So I think all the guys are trying to do the right things to make sure we come out with these wins."

As Paschall tried to process all the events which led to the win, he admitted that one of the craziest parts to him was that many Warriors fans repeatedly chanted "MVP, MVP!" for him down the stretch It's a memory he won't soon forget.

"Yeah, that was a little crazy I'm not going to lie," Paschall said. "No, honestly for a rookie, you're hearing "MVP," that's a wow moment. I was more focused on the game like alright we have a chance to win right now, but to hear that I mean thank Dub Nation for believing in me and again it goes to my teammates."

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones is superstitious. Coach Jason Garrett claims he is not, but he has been known to follow the same routine, like wearing the same sweatshirt day after day.

So when a black cat ran on the field in the second quarter Monday, things certainly did not favor the Cowboys with quarterback Dak Prescott's first pass of the game intercepted, wide receiver Randall Cobb losing a fumble and place-kicker Brett Maher missing a 54-yard field goal attempt to the left.

But after the cat scampered off the MetLife Stadium field, the Cowboys' luck changed and they were fortunate enough to leave with a 37-18 win -- outscoring the Giants, 34-9, after the feline left the field.

A 5-3 mark at the NFL season's midway point is miles better than what could have been 4-4. This was a sneaky must-win for the Cowboys with the NFC East rival Philadelphia Eagles (5-4) winning two straight entering their bye week. Sunday's Week 10 game against the Minnesota Vikings (6-3) only gets more important.

Prescott threw three touchdown passes after having his first pass of the night intercepted and has now won eight straight games against division foes. Considering the Cowboys' easiest path to the postseason is through the NFC East, that ought to mean something.

Describe the game in two words: Jets-like. Is that two words or one? Regardless, this will not go down as one of the Cowboys' finer moments. In fact, it looked a lot like the 24-22 loss to the previously winless New York Jets on Oct. 13.

Buy Elliott's performance: Ezekiel Elliott has rushed for more than 100 yards in three straight games and is finding his groove, finishing with a season-high 139 yards. Elliott might have needed some time to get into the flow after spending training camp in Cabo, Mexico, during a contract holdout, but he is getting stronger at the right time.

He has five 100-yard rushing games this season, putting him on pace to break the most 100-yard games he has had in a season with seven in 2016 and 2018 each.

He has 24 100-yard games in his pro career, tying him with Larry Johnson and Adrian Peterson for the 11th most in a player's first four seasons since the 1970 merger. Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith has the most in Cowboys' team history through a player's first four seasons with 25.

With the way Elliott is trending in 2019, he might tie that mark next week.

Promising trend: In the first six games of the season, the Cowboys had two takeaways. In their past two, they have seven takeaways, with safety Xavier Woods creating two against the Giants with a second-quarter interception and a third-quarter fumble and Jourdan Lewis returning a fumble for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

The Cowboys turned the Woods' takeaways into two field goals. The Cowboys had four takeaways in the Oct. 20 win against the Eagles, turning those into 21 points.