Penalty taking has never been more important than it is in 2020. The introduction of VAR across Europe's top leagues, combined with revisions to the handball law, have contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of spot kicks awarded throughout the game.

There have been 41 penalties in 78 Premier League matches this season. By comparison, there were only 92 awarded in all 380 games of the 2019-20 campaign. If referees continue to make decisions at the same rate, it projects to a staggering 195 penalties in 2020-21, and nowhere has the impact of more penalties been clear than in the interpretation of a handball.

Figures show that the rewriting of the handball law in 2019 have played a key role, not to mention the way VAR adjudicates each decision. Serie A and La Liga implemented the new law immediately, but the Premier League allowed referees to continue with a more relaxed approach until this season.

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A revised interpretation of the handball law was first used at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which was then used by most of the major leagues in 2018-19 when there were 37 penalties awarded for handball in Serie A and 35 in La Liga. In England, sticking with a more traditional interpretation, there were just 14.

But penalties rocketed after the handball was officially revised in the Laws of the Game ahead of the 2019-20 season, making the rule much stricter. There were 57 in Italy and 48 in Spain, but just 20 in the Premier League -- again, due to a more traditional interpretation.

Even in the Bundesliga, which saw the fewest penalties awarded among the top five leagues last season, the frequency of spot kicks has doubled in the early part of this season.

FIFA has called for greater uniformity and Premier League referees are now told they must award fouls for handballs, regardless of intent, whenever a player has made their body "unnaturally bigger." A classic example of this came on Nov. 8 when Joe Gomez was adjudged to have handled Kevin De Bruyne's cross as Liverpool drew 1-1 at Manchester City.

"It's frustrating and I know they've made an adaptation to the rule, but at some point you have to look at the game in real time," Gomez after the match. "Anyone in slow motion can say, 'Yeah, it's hit his hands,' but judge a scenario for what it is and that's not being done at the minute."

The referees agree too. This is why the IFAB (International Football Association Board) will discuss a proposal from UEFA -- supported by the Premier League -- to return to a more liberal interpretation of the handball rule when the technical committee meets on Nov. 23 to discuss changes to the Laws for 2021-22. UEFA is concerned as the Champions League reflects the trend too: in the past two seasons, there were 12 penalties awarded for handball (out of 111 total) but there have already been 11 in the first three matchdays of 2020-21 (36 penalties in total).

The end result is that taking penalties has become a key skill that increasingly determines a team's success. So, how are teams trying to sharpen their spot-kick skills, who are the best players from 12 yards and how are they so effective?

There is only one man to start with when discussing the art of taking penalties in English football: Gareth Southgate. The former centre-back missed the decisive spot kick in England's Euro '96 semifinal defeat to Germany, cementing the cornerstone of a historic barrier he has subsequently tried to break down as manager.

Few people have examined the psychology around penalties as much as Southgate, mindful of taking over an England team that exited major tournaments in 1990, 1996, 1998, 2004, 2006 and 2012 due to their failure of nerve from 12 yards.

Under Southgate's guidance, England won their first penalty shootout at a World Cup by beating Colombia in the round of 16 stage two years ago. It was the culmination of an exhaustive body of work that included practicing penalties at the end of training sessions to replicate the fatigue of extra time, detailed instructions on the walk-up to the penalty spot, overall mental preparation, a more intensive study of opposing goalkeepers and perfecting multiple penalties under pressure rather than relying on just one preferred kick.

But how does that work evolve over time? After all, the numbers show that the most popular takers are now deployed more often for club and country, leaving a real danger of becoming predictable in their approach.

"The regular penalty takers would carry out that work on their own, really," Southgate told ESPN last week. "I think players practice, and you're always willing as coaches to lend them time on that, but those regular takers have dedicated routines they are comfortable with, they know the sort of preparation they want to go through, they know how many they want to practice, they know how they want to practice them.

"They've got a very clear picture in their mind and where we've tried to affect people's thinking is with those that don't take as regularly, because I think if you start to mess with technique that doesn't need fixing, then you can probably only make that worse.

"[For] our regular takers, we facilitate the practice and are there to make some observations, but really, we have got some players with very, very good records for their clubs -- [Marcus] Rashford and [Harry] Kane in particular -- and they just continue to practice with another group who are also looking to take penalties with their clubs, or take them less regularly for their clubs. We're fortunate to have some very good executors of that skill, really."

Southgate adopted a forensic approach to puncture a collective psychological fog that left a generation of England players framing penalties as a lottery rather than an executable skill, and Kane perhaps embodies this better than most. The 27-year-old has scored 22 of his past 23 penalties in all competitions and has been known to practice up to 50 spot kicks in a single session. His unerring accuracy from 12 yards was a key factor in England reaching the 2018 World Cup semifinals.

Frank Lampard was part of the generation after Southgate that battled inner demons from the penalty spot, playing in two tournaments that ended with shootout failures, scoring himself in the Euro 2004 quarterfinal defeat vs. Portugal, only to miss in the 2006 World Cup quarterfinal exit, also against Portugal. Yet Lampard was remarkably consistent at club level, netting 43 out of 50 attempts in the Premier League. Only Alan Shearer (55) has scored more in the competition's history.

"You're actually not going to get the best answer from me because I'm quite superstitious about penalties: I was as a taker," Lampard told ESPN. "Maybe that was part of my process of taking them. I probably did adapt my style over the course of my career depending on form, if I missed any, my position, which at times I focused on a lot and then came away from that.

"Because I was like that as a player, I tend not to go too much into the head of the penalty-takers in our team. I trust them, their style and the way they take them. That's why they are in those positions. I let them get on with it -- I won't discuss anything more in terms of going forward."

Players must rely to an extent on instinct and out-thinking previous patterns because of the exhaustive video analysis work done by top clubs. And with more penalties being awarded, there is more evidence available.

Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster saved a penalty against Blackburn in the Championship on Oct. 21, and he explained to ESPN how he managed to predict where Adam Armstrong was going to shoot.

"As a goalkeeper, you're not expected to save a penalty but there's loads of little tricks and stuff you can do to try and just gain that little bit of advantage," he told ESPN. "We always watch the penalties from the player that normally takes the penalty -- we'll watch his previous kind of nine or 10 penalties wherever it is.

"I try and just pick up a few tells or a few clues. The Blackburn one was a prime example. On the videos he put six to the right and two to the left. And the two that he put to the left, he did this little like jig, this little shuffle, and then moved into the penalty. As soon as I saw him do that, I thought 'you're going to my left here,' even though he preferred the right, and thankfully it was a lovely height for me to save it."

Those players that thrive in this highly scrutinised, technologically advanced era are finding the right balance of routine and unpredictability to stay one step ahead of the rest.

Top 11 penalty takers since 2017 (league matches only)

1. Ciro Immobile, FW, Lazio: 26 scored from 28 taken (92.9% success rate)

The Lazio striker has missed only twice since 2017 and maintained the second-highest conversion rate despite taking the highest number of anyone in Europe's top five leagues.

2. Cristiano Ronaldo, FW, Juventus: 22 from 25 (88%)

Ronaldo inevitably took on penalty duties at Juventus after leaving Real Madrid in 2018, missing one in his final year in Spain before two failures for the Bianconeri against Verona and Sampdoria.

3. Luka Milivojevic, MF, Crystal Palace: 19 from 21 (90.5%)

Has missed only twice since joining Palace from Olympiakos in 2017. The Serbian midfielder boasts a higher conversion rate than Ronaldo, but sits below him having taken four fewer spot kicks.

4. Sergio Ramos, DF, Real Madrid: 15 from 16 (93.8%)

The centre-back has the highest conversion rate of any player to have taken more than 11 penalties and netted a high-pressure spot kick in his 45th Clasico last month.

5. Neymar, FW, PSG: 13 from 14 (92.9%)

Like Ramos, the Brazilian would be higher if there were a bigger sample size, but PSG have been awarded only 13 league penalties since 2017. The one his missed in Ligue 1 was the last one he took, against Saint-Etienne in December 2019.

6. Robert Lewandowski, FW, Bayern Munich: 16 from 18 (88.9%)

The Polish goal machine has the best conversion rate of any player to have taken more than 20 penalties, but the relatively small number Bayern Munich have earned denied him top spot.

7. Dani Parejo, MF, Villarreal: 16 from 18 (88.9%)

The 31-year-old has yet to take a penalty this season, with Santi Cazorla first choice at Villarreal, and the veteran midfield missed his last one in La Liga for his former club Valencia. That said, Parejo's consistency gets him on the list.

8. Fabio Quagliarella, FW, Sampdoria: 22 from 27 (81.5%)

A veteran now, aged 37, but still prolific from 12 yards. However, five misses, three of which came last season -- against Atalanta, Brescia and Parma -- damaged his conversion rate.

9. Jamie Vardy, FW, Leicester City: 18 from 22 (81.8%)

The former England striker scored one and missed another in the same game against Wolves last weekend but is usually reliable from 12 yards.

10. Lionel Messi, FW, Barcelona: 13 from 16 (81.3%)

It would be churlish to describe any part of Messi's game as a weakness, but penalty taking has never been his strongest suit.

11. Harry Kane, FW, Tottenham: 10 from 11 (90.9%)

Kane would be much higher on this list were penalties in European competition and internationals included. Doesn't just score, but usually rifles the ball past helpless goalkeepers.

Asad Shafiq doesn't figure in the squad of 35, to be led by Pakistan's new all-format captain Babar Azam, for a series of three T20Is and two Tests in New Zealand, to be played in December-January. Mohammad Rizwan, the wicketkeeper-batsman, will be Azam's deputy for the Tests, while legspinning-allrounder Shadab Khan has been named second-in-command for the T20Is.

Apart from Shafiq, Mohammad Amir and Shoaib Malik also found their names missing from the expanded squad, with Misbah-ul-Haq, the chief selector and head coach, explaining that the team was looking to invest in youth as much as possible. Fast bowler Amad Butt, middle-order batsmen Danish Aziz and Imran Butt, and wicketkeeper-batsman Rohail Nazir, also named captain of the Shaheens team, were among the uncapped players selected.

"The matches in New Zealand are critical for us as we aim to improve our T20I rankings and also gain valuable points in the ICC World Test Championship. In this background and taking into consideration recent player performances, we have selected the best available players," Misbah said in a PCB statement. "I want to congratulate uncapped Amad Butt, Danish Aziz, Imran Butt and Rohail Nazir who have impressed the selectors with their form, technique, temperament and ability to secure places in the 35-player pool.

"There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Asad Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England. Asad is an experienced batsman and I am sure he will utilise this time to work harder on his game in the domestic first-class matches so that he, like Sarfaraz Ahmed, can reclaim his form and be back in contention for the upcoming Tests against South Africa and Zimbabwe.

"Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Amir are not part of the white-ball matches as for this tour we have opted to invest, develop and focus on the promising and emerging players who are likely to be available to Pakistan for all formats. We have kept faith in Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz purely on the basis of their outstanding and consistent performances as well as the value they bring to the T20I squad."

More to follow…

New South Wales captain Peter Nevill apologised to Mitchell Starc for declaring on him on 86 during the Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania but stressed that the team came first.

Starc was closing in on a maiden first-class century during an unbroken 189-run stand with Sean Abbott - who had just reached his first century - when Nevill waved them in so that New South Wales could have a short session with the ball late on the third day.

As Starc headed towards the New South Wales changing area he hurled his bat and gloves in frustration with team-mate Nathan Lyon admitting after the match that he would have liked one more over to try and reach the century.

Starc has a career-best of 99, which came against India in Mohali, and he also came close to a hundred against Pakistan at the MCG in 2016 when he struck 84.

"We have had a bit of a chat about it," Nevill said after New South Wales wrapped up an astonishing victory having been bowled out for 64 on the opening day. "I did apologise to him as well, I'd love for him to get that milestone but the most important thing was us having a crack at them for 45 minutes or whatever it was last night. To get two key wickets last night made the job today that much easier.

"He's obviously frustrated because he was batting really well and close to getting a hundred. They'll be another opportunity for him, no doubt, if he keeps batting that way."

Speaking from the viewpoint of a fellow lower-order batsman, Lyon sympathised with Starc but insisted he would have wanted what is best for the team

"I can tell you one thing, as one of my best mates, if we get close to a hundred like that they don't come around very often," he said. "It's unfortunate he didn't get the opportunity, he would have liked one more to give it a crack. He supported Sabba [Sean Abbott] extremely well, but Starcy is the least selfish team man I've ever met, he's always about the team and always wanting the team to win. He's alright."

Nevill's declaration worked perfectly as Trent Copeland claimed two wickets meaning New South Wales needed just eight on the final day. After a wicketless opening session, Lyon struck straight after lunch and victory was secured in the last session.

It meant that New South Wales' first innings 64 became the second lowest first-innings total to be on the winning side in the Sheffield Shield after South Australia's 55 all out in 2010, which also came against Tasmania, although South Australia did with a match in 1968 after declaring at 7 for 40.

"I was thinking about it on the field today, I can't think of too many better victories I've been involved in than that one," Nevill said. "To be in that sort of position and be able to fight back to dominate the next three days and actually win the game by a significant margin is an incredible performance."

Graham Cowdrey, the former Kent captain and part of one of the sport's best known family dynasties, has died at the age of 56.

Cowdrey enjoyed a long career as an aggressive middle-order batsman for Kent, before going on to work for the ECB as a Cricket Liaison Officer; a role well-suited to his good-natured and gentle bonhomie. Both his father, Lord Cowdrey, and his brother, Chris Cowdrey, captained England, while his grandfather and nephew also played first-class cricket.

He was a key part of the Kent side which won AXA Equity & Law League trophy in 1995 - he was the club's top run-scorer in the competition that year, hitting two centuries and averaging 53.90 - and made it to the final of the Benson & Hedges Cup. He also helped Kent finish second in the 1992 County Championship; a season in which he scored 1,291 runs in the competition at an average of 53.85. His stand of 368 made with Aravinda de Silva against Derbyshire in 1995 remains the club's highest fourth-wicket stand and was, until broken by Sean Dickson and Joe Denly in 2017, Kent's highest partnership for any wicket.

While he was unable to follow his father and brother into the England side, he represented Young England as a teenager, made his first-class debut aged 20 and was awarded a county cap in 1988. After being awarded a Benefit Year in 1997, he retired from the game in 1998 having played 440 first team games and amazed exactly 14,000 runs for the club. He just missed out on the advent of the T20 format which would, you suspect, have well suited him.

"I am numb with shock and sadness that the brilliant, generous, funny and complex friend who lit up so many cricket grounds, on and off the pitch, has slipped away," said Cowdrey's former team-mate and captain, Matthew Fleming. "'Van' as he was universally known because of his love of all things Van Morrison, was an instinctive cricketer, a game changer, who won matches with his prowess as a batsman and a fielder.

"However, it was his deep love of cricket and Kent, his commitment as a team-mate, his integrity and his wicked sense of humour, his loyalty as a friend and the 'twinkle in his eye' that shaped almost everything he did that we will also remember with the greatest possible affection."

Kent cricket have released a statement expressing "its deepest sympathies to Graham's family and friends at this difficult time, especially his children, Michael, Grace and Alexander." It went on to say the club was "devastated to learn of the passing of our much loved former player… after a short illness."

The statement continued: "More than his facts and figures, Graham will be remembered for the way he played the game: his vibrant personality at the wicket or in the field, with his sense of fun as clear as his competitive passion.

"Graham recently appeared on the Club's 'Spitfire Sessions' alongside his brothers Chris and Jeremy earlier this year, where he discussed his "happy memories of all those days down at Canterbury, Maidstone and everywhere we used to play".

"During the live forum, his brother and former Captain Chris, highlighted Graham's outstanding talent in one-day competitions. Stating that if he were to select his all-time Kent T20 XI, 'there's one person that I would pick first, and that would have been Graham Cowdrey. He was the most devastating striker of the ball and could turn a match in four overs.'"

New South Wales 64 (Bird 4-14) and 6 for 522 dec (Larkin 161, Henriques 113, Abbott 102*) beat Tasmania 239 (Silk 106, Abbott 4-33) and 202 (Starc 3-52, Lyon 3-60) by 145 runs

New South Wales produced one of the greatest comeback victories in Sheffield Shield history with Test duoNathan Lyon and Mitchell Starc claiming three wickets each to bowl Tasmania out on a dramatic final day.

The Blues' win by 146 runs ranks as the state's finest ever fightback after being bowled out for just 64 and trailing by 175 runs on the first innings.

Tasmania began the final day at 2 for 26 but an excellent partnership between Matthew Wade and Peter Siddle took them through to lunch unscathed and had Tasmania in a comfortable position at 2 for 101 needing 247 in the final two sessions for victory.

However, Lyon struck with the first ball after lunch, extracting sharp turn and bounce to have Siddle caught brilliantly at short leg by Nick Larkin who needed two bites to pouch the reflex catch.

Wade and Ben McDermott then settled into a 52-run stand. McDermott survived some nervous moments but Wade looked in control against Lyon and Starc to bring up his third half-century of the season. But Lyon changed the game again when Wade tickled a leg glace to a well-placed leg slip, on 59, with Larkin snapping up another sharp chance.

The Test spinner knocked over Jake Doran cheaply with a classical off-break that scratched the edge of the left-hander's groping blade. McDermott reached his fourth half-century of the season but ran out of luck against Starc to give the Blues two wickets in two overs and when, just before tea, Beau Webster inexplicably carved Starc straight to point and the end was nigh for Tasmania.

Starc and Harry Conway wrapped things up shortly after the final break, with Starc claiming the last wicket, pinning Test captain Tim Paine lbw to complete the remarkable result.

South Australia 154 and 385 (Nielsen 114, Ferguson 97, Steketee 4-43) lost to Queensland 5 for 496 dec and 3 for 105 dec (Khawaja 46*) by 62 runs

Three late wickets from Mitchell Swepson following a fine spell from Mark Steketee handed Queensland a last-gasp victory over South Australia at Glenelg Oval and denied Callum Ferguson, who was lbw for 97, a fairytale finish to his first-class career.

A 218-run stand between Ferguson and Harry Nielsen (114) was broken by an outstanding spell of reverse swing bowling from Steketee, before some gritty lower batting from Liam Scott, Chadd Sayers, and Daniel Worrell took South Australia to within 20 minutes of another remarkable draw and within 65 runs of an unlikely victory. However Swepson, who had bowled 50 wicketless overs, then took 3 for 0 in 11 deliveries to seal the match.

South Australia began the day needing 310 for victory with just six wickets in hand. Ferguson and Nielsen were unfazed by the task and batted through the morning session as both reached their half-centuries prior to the second new ball being taken.

The new ball accelerated the game as the scoring rate quickened. Nielsen had taken 126 deliveries to reach his half-century but needed just 53 to go from fifty to a hundred when he brought up his second Sheffield Shield century with a streaky slice through point. It had been more than two-and-a-half years since his first century came on debut against Victoria.

The partnership passed 200 and took them into the afternoon session but both had their share of luck. Nielsen survived a very close lbw shout playing back to Swepson and Ferguson nicked Michael Neser just wide of Jimmy Peirson with no slip in place.

A Ferguson farewell century looked written in the stars until Steketee broke Redback hearts with a devastating spell of reverse swing to open up the game for Queensland, trapping Ferguson lbw just three short of a hundred with a ball than darted back late. Every Queensland player gave Ferguson a fist bump as he left for the final time to warm applause from the crowd.

Nielsen's exit six overs later was far less glamorous. He was given out lbw to a full late inswinger and showed his displeasure at the decision in no uncertain terms feeling he got an inside edge.

Queensland's path to victory seemed clear but they ran into two roadblocks in the form of Scott and Sayers. Both men faced over 100 deliveries to take the game deep into the last session and frustrate the visitors no end.

It was Steketee once more who made the breakthrough. He hit Scott flush on the helmet with a sharp bouncer that followed the tall right-hander as he swayed back to avoid it. Play was delayed for several minutes as Scott was tested for concussion and had his helmet replaced. Despite being passed fit to continue his judgment was clearly rattled as he shouldered arms to the next delivery only to have his off stump knocked back by a sharp late inswinger.

Sayers and Worrall fought doggedly for 17 overs taking the game into the last half an hour. But Swepson, in his 51st over of the innings saved his best until last. He produced a textbook leg-break to have Sayers caught at second slip for 46 and two balls later bamboozled Wes Agar with a faster legbreak from wide of the crease to trap him plumb lbw playing the wrong line.

In his next over, he found the edge of Lloyd Pope's bat in a carbon copy of Sayers' dismissal to cue Queensland celebrations.

The WBBL will get its first prime time conclusion with the semis and final being played under lights at North Sydney Oval in late November.

The two semi-finals will be played on November 25 and 26 with the final on November 28 - the day between the opening two ODIs between Australia and India - with all matches to begin at 7.10pm local time.

The WBBL finals have previously been played in afternoon time slots, including last season when it was a standalone tournament for the first time.

"The move to a full prime time Finals series is another major leap in the evolution of the rebel WBBL," Alistair Dobson, the head of the Big Bash, said.

"As we pass the half way mark of our second standalone season, we're delighted to confirm that the pinnacle events of our season will be taken live into homes around the country at a family friendly time.

"This announcement is a testament to the outstanding work of our Clubs and the League who have delivered a safe and successful tournament thus far. We thank the NSW Government for recognising this and rewarding our loyal fans in Sydney."

The tournament has just passed the halfway mark with the group stage finishing on November 22.

Victoria 4 for 414 dec (Pucovski 202) and 4 for 199 drew with Western Australia 479 (Marsh 135, Inglis 125, Holland 4-115)

Will Pucovski's attempt at a third consecutive century was the only storyline of note heading into the final day and a line-ball lbw scuppered those hopes early in the morning as the match between Victoria and Western Australia at Karen Rolton Oval petered out to a draw.

WA's decision to bat deep into the third day and surpass Victoria's first innings total left Victoria with little else to do but see out the final day. Pucovski, with scores of 255 not out and 202 to his name this season, began the day unbeaten on 32 alongside Marcus Harris with time to carve out another big score prior to the Test squad announcement.

But he was undone in the 11th over the morning having added just six runs to his overnight total. Cameron Gannon nipped one back off the seam and he was adjudged lbw despite being hit high on the leg and having survived a very similar appeal earlier in the morning. Victoria's opening partnership of 84 was also 102 runs shy of their second-lowest for the season.

Harris ground out 45 from 150 deliveries as the surface slowed considerably before chipping a catch to midwicket. Peter Handscomb and Nic Maddinson spent some valuable time at the crease, as did Matt Short who was batting for just the second time this season.

Handscomb was undone by a neat delivery from Gannon that just left him off the seam while Maddinson was bowled through the gate driving at a full inswinger from Aaron Hardie before the match was called off at tea.

Cameron Green did not bowl a single ball on the final day having bowled just four overs on the third evening.

The Australia men's team will wear an Indigenous shirt for the T20I series against India next month.

The shirt continues the storytelling of the first ever Australia team to tour overseas when in 1868 a group of Aboriginal cricketers played 47 matches in the UK having made a three-month journey.

Kirrae Whurrong woman Aunty Fiona Clarke, great great-grand daughter of Grongarrong (Mosquito), who was one of the members of the team that played in England in 1868, designed the original Walkabout Wickets artwork that will feature on the front of the playing shirt.

The artwork represents past, present and future Aboriginal cricketers, with the large circle representing Lord's and the smaller circles signify the team's various meeting places during that tour.

The shirt was co-designed by Courtney Hagen, Butchulla and Gubbi Gubbi woman and Cricket Australia's Indigenous Engagement Specialist

"Through the design, we wanted to create something that paid tribute to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cricketers - past, present and future," Hagen said. "We've incorporated artwork that symbolises strength, guidance and support through a connection to our ancestors, represented through the stars and the resilience of the 1868 team represented strongly. It was an honour to be able to co-design this shirt with Aunty Fiona."

Australia's women's team wore a shirt with similar artwork earlier this year, while the Walkabout Wickets logo has been a feature on Test shirts and Indigenous shirts have featured in the WBBL and BBL.

This week's matches in the WBBL and Sheffield Shield are taking part during NAIDOC week and teams have been taking Barefoot Circles before games.Ashleigh Gardner, one of five Indigenous players in the WBBL, has also designed artwork for players' footwear in that competition.