England sealed an innings and 47-run victory over Pakistan on Friday, with Jack Leach shining on day five.
After a dominant performance on day four, England went into the final three sessions within touching distance of what had seemed like an unlikely victory when Pakistan mounted 556 in their first innings.
Pakistan began the day requiring 115 to match England's huge total of 823-7, which Joe Root (264) and Harry Brook had propelled them to.
But with Abrar Ahmed unable to feature due to illness, Pakistan were left with just three wickets to play with, and Leach - playing in his first Test since January - needed little time to wrap up the victory.
Salman Agha (63) was trapped lbw inside four deliveries, while Shaheen Shah Afridi was caught and bowled on 10 before Leach's spin did for Naseem Shah, who was stumped by Jamie Smith to see Pakistan all out for 220.
Leach finished with figures of 4-30 as England celebrated an emphatic victory that gives them a 1-0 lead in the series ahead of the second Test, which will also be played in Multan, next week.
Data Debrief: Record breakers
England have now reeled off three straight wins when they have conceded a total over 500, a remarkable feat in and of itself.
In fact, this victory marks the first time a team has been hit for as many as 556, yet still gone on to win by an innings.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have now lost 11 Test matches on the bounce as hosts, and four in a row to England on home soil.
Brock Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Deebo Samuel had a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the defending NFC champions (3-3), who moved into a tie with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after an uneven start to the season.
George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who beat the Seahawks for a sixth straight time. Kyle Juszczyk added a late TD run for the 49ers, and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores by leaping into the stands to embrace their wives, who were sitting together in the first row.
Matthew Wright, who joined San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, had a trio of first half-field goals from 25, 41 and 35 yards.
Geno Smith passed for 312 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, and the Seahawks lost their third straight after a 3-0 start under new coach Mike Macdonald.
Brock Purdy threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns, and the San Francisco 49ers never trailed in a 36-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Deebo Samuel had a 76-yard catch-and-run touchdown and finished with three catches for 102 yards for the defending NFC champions (3-3), who moved into a tie with Seattle (3-3) for first place in the NFC West after an uneven start to the season.
George Kittle added five receptions for 58 yards and two scores for the 49ers, who beat the Seahawks for a sixth straight time. Kyle Juszczyk added a late TD run for the 49ers, and he and Kittle both celebrated their scores by leaping into the stands to embrace their wives, who were sitting together in the first row.
Matthew Wright, who joined San Francisco earlier this week to replace injured kicker Jake Moody, had a trio of first-half-field goals from 25, 41 and 35 yards.
Geno Smith passed for 312 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice, and the Seahawks lost their third straight after a 3-0 start under new coach Mike Macdonald.
Gerrit Cole pitched like a postseason ace Thursday night, holding the Kansas City Royals to a single run over seven innings and sending the New York Yankees to a 3-1 victory that put them back in the American League Championship Series.
The six-time All-Star scattered six hits and struck out four before handing the ball to the New York bullpen, which dominated a tense AL Division Series. Clay Holmes tossed a perfect eighth inning and Luke Weaver breezed through the ninth, extending the scoreless streak by Yankees relievers to 15 2/3 innings this postseason.
New York will play Cleveland or Detroit of the ALCS starting Monday night at Yankee Stadium.
Juan Soto, Gleyber Torres and Game 3 star Giancarlo Stanton drove in runs for the Yankees, who fittingly clinched a spot in their fourth ALCS in eight years on the road. They won 50 games away from home in the regular season, their most in 21 years.
Michael Wacha failed to get through five innings for Kansas City, allowing two runs, six hits and a walk. He didn't get much help from a long-scuffling offence that managed just five runs total over the final three games of the series.
New York set the tone from the start, pouncing on Wacha like it did in the series opener. Torres hit the veteran right-hander's first pitch of the game for a double, and Soto followed with an RBI single on just the third pitch of the night.
Anthony Volpe kept on the pressure with his single in the fifth. And after Alex Verdugo grounded into a forceout and Jon Berti singled to put runners on the corners, Torres lined a two-out single to make it 2-0 and put an end to Wacha's night.
Stanton, who hit the go-ahead homer in the eighth inning in Game 3, extended the lead to 3-0 with his single in the sixth.
Guardians edge Tigers to stay alive
Pinch-hitter David Fry hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning, then bunted home an insurance run in the ninth to help the Cleveland Guardians force a decisive Game 5 against the Detroit Tigers in their AL Division Series with a 5-4 victory.
Cleveland ended a streak of 11 losses in postseason elimination games dating to Game 6 of the 1997 World Series.
Game 5 is Saturday in Cleveland, with ace Tarik Skubal set to start for the Tigers. The winner advances to the ALCS against the New York Yankees starting Monday.
On the verge of reaching the AL Championship Series for the first time since 2013, the Tigers overcame a 2-1 deficit when Zach McKinstry homered in the fifth and Wenceel Pérez hit a run-scoring single in the sixth.
Beau Brieske had pitched scoreless ball for 5 1/3 innings over four postseason appearances before Fry, batting for Kyle Manzardo, drove a fastball off an advertising sign between the two bullpens in left for the second pinch-homer in Cleveland postseason history after Hank Majeski in Game 4 of the 1954 World Series.
Emmanuel Clase retired five batters, preserving a 4-3 lead in the eighth when he escaped a second-and-third jam by striking out Trey Sweeney.
Fry’s bunt brought home Brayan Rocchio in the ninth to boost the lead, which proved important. Detroit pulled within a run in the bottom half when pinch-hitter Justyn-Henry Malloy doubled, advanced on a groundout and scored on Jace Jung’s groundout.
Sweeney hit a sacrifice fly in the second and José Ramírez put Cleveland ahead with a fifth-inning homer off Tyler Holton.
Argentina dropped points in a second successive CONMEBOL World Cup qualifier, as Venezuela held them to a 1-1 draw in Maturin.
The spoils were shared at Estadio Monumental de Maturin, where Salomon Rondon's second-half header cancelled out Nicolas Otamendi's earlier effort.
After heavy rain delayed kick-off, Argentina took the lead in the 13th minute.
Venezuela goalkeeper Rafael Romo failed to properly clear the returning Lionel Messi's free-kick, and Otamendi reacted quickest to poke home from 12 yards out.
The hosts went close to levelling either side of the break. German Pezzella cleared off the line from Rondon, while Geronimo Rulli - deputising for the suspended Emiliano Martinez - kept out Yangel Herrera's powerful header.
However, Venezuela did grab their equaliser in the 65th minute - and subsequently a point - when Rondon rose at the near post to power home from Yeferson Soteldo's cross.
Messi returned to the international scene for the first time since limping off in tears during the Copa America final.
But the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner could not help Argentina get back to winning ways, while he conceded possession the joint-most times (19) by any visiting player.
The conditions certainly affected the flow of the game, and was more to the suiting of Venezuela. Although they had just 40.1% of possession, the hosts outshot their opponents 16-8.
However, they have now failed to win their last five CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers; their longest streak since going six without victory between June and October 2021.
France made it back-to-back wins in the Nations League, with Christopher Nkunku and Bradley Barcola among the scorers as they thrashed Israel 4-1 in Hungary.
Playing at a neutral venue in Budapest's Bozsik Arena, France flew out of the traps as Israel goalkeeper Omri Glazer let Eduardo Camavinga's strike squirm past him in the sixth minute.
Israel did draw level midway through the first half as Omri Gandelman headed Oscar Gloukh's cross home, but they were on terms for less than five minutes as Chelsea forward Nkunku flicked the ball through Ilay Feingold's legs before slotting a low finish into the far corner.
Randal Kolo Muani twice went close to extending France's lead before Matteo Guendouzi gave them breathing space in the 87th minute, rolling a finish beyond Glazer and into the bottom corner.
Didier Deschamps' men added further gloss to the scoreline two minutes later, Guendouzi finding a similar position, but this time opting to pick out Barcola for a curled finish.
The result sees France move onto six points in Group A2, one adrift of Italy – who beat them on matchday one. They face Belgium next time out on Monday.
Data Debrief: New-look Bleus sparkle
With Kylian Mbappe absent due to a niggling injury and Antoine Griezmann retiring from international football, Deschamps fielded a new-look frontline of Nkunku, Kolo Muani, Ousmane Dembele and Michael Olise.
Recording 33 touches in the area to Israel's five, and 15 shots to their opponents' one, France certainly impressed.
Kolo Muani was a particular bright spark despite not getting on the scoresheet, with his four chances created being at least twice as many as any other player (Theo Hernandez laid on two).
Erling Haaland became Norway's all-time leading scorer with a brace in their 3-0 victory over Slovenia.
The Manchester City striker was captaining his first nation for the first time, and marked the occasion in trademark record-breaking fashion.
Haaland broke the deadlock after just seven minutes of the Nations League clash at the Ullevaal Stadium, where Alexander Sorloth doubled the lead seven minutes after the restart.
Sorloth then turned provider just after the hour mark for Haaland, who broke Jorgen Juve's 87-year record with his 34th international goal in just 36 caps.
The result put Norway firmly in charge of Group B3 with seven points, three ahead of Austria and Slovenia, with Kazakhstan propping up the table on one point.
Italy dropped their first points of this Nations League campaign, as they were held to a 2-2 draw by Belgium in Rome.
The 10-man Azzurri, who had Lorenzo Pellegrini sent off, were pegged back from 2-0 up at Stadio Olimpico, where Maxim De Cuyper and Leandro Trossard cancelled out earlier efforts from Andrea Cambiaso and Mateo Retegui.
Just 59 seconds had elapsed when Italy broke the deadlock as Federico Dimarco played a one-two with Pellegrini, before his low cross was turned in at the far post by Cambiaso.
It was 2-0 in the 24th minute when Koen Casteeles parried Cambiaso's low drive straight to Retegui, who tapped into an open goal.
However, the Azzurri's momentum was halted after 40 minutes when Pellegrini was shown a straight red card following a VAR review after his late challenge on Arthur Theate.
Belgium quickly took advantage to halve the deficit with a neatly worked free-kick as Youri Tielemans and Trossard combined to tee up De Cuyper, who curled past Gianluigi Donnarumma.
And the comeback was completed just after the hour mark when Wout Faes nodded a deep corner into the six-yard box, where Trossard nipped in ahead of Donnarumma to ensure a share of the spoils.
Data Debrief: Italy's quick start counts for nothing
After back-to-back victories over France and Israel, Italy were quick out of the blocks in their quest to make it three wins from three.
Cambiaso's strike saw the Azzurri score in the opening minute of a match for the first time since June 2013, when Emanuele Giaccherini struck early against Haiti.
However, the pendulum certainly swung away from them following the dismissal of Pellegrini, who became the first Italy player to receive a direct red card since Domenico Criscito against Netherlands in June 2018.
Vangelis Pavlidis' dramatic 94th-minute winner brought Lee Carsley's perfect start to life as interim England coach crashing to a halt, as the Benfica forward netted twice in a stunning 2-1 win at Wembley.
Pavlidis danced through the Three Lions' static defence to give Greece a shock lead early in the second half, only for Jude Bellingham to fire home a leveller in the 87th minute.
But England struggled to find their groove with captain Harry Kane out injured, and after Greece had three goals disallowed, they could have few complaints when Pavlidis took advantage of a defensive mix-up to score a famous winner deep into stoppage time.
England's willingness to throw men forward allowed Greece plenty of opportunities in the first half, and only a spectacular goal-line clearance from Levi Colwill prevented the visitors from going ahead when Anastasios Bakasetas lobbed Jordan Pickford.
Pickford was then arguably fortunate to win a foul when his missed punch led to Konstantinos Mavropanos nodding the resulting corner in, before Cole Palmer fired off-target from a great position at the other end.
Anthony Gordon headed Trent Alexander-Arnold's cross over shortly before half-time, but Greece continued to threaten and got their reward four minutes after the restart.
Receiving the ball with three white shirts surrounding him in a crowded penalty area, Pavlidis showed great feet to retain possession before slotting his finish beyond Pickford.
Pavlidis was denied a second goal by the offside flag seven minutes from time, and England drew level just four minutes later, with Bellingham's side-footed finish packing too much power for Odysseas Vlachodimos in the Greece goal.
There was to be one final twist, though, as England's hapless defence missed multiple chances to clear their lines in the 94th minute, allowing Pavlidis to take possession and fire into the bottom-left corner to spark wild celebrations among the Greek fans.
Data Debrief: Wembley woes ancient history for Greece
Prior to Thursday, Greece had never scored at Wembley and had failed to beat England in nine competitive meetings (two draws, seven losses), being shut out on seven occasions.
But they showed no fear on a memorable night in London, beating a team ranked in the world's top five by FIFA for the first time since overcoming France en route to their stunning success at Euro 2004.
While Lee Carsley fell short of becoming the first England boss since Fabio Capello (in October 2008) to win his first three competitive matches in charge, Greece claimed a huge scalp on an emotional night, one day after the tragic death of full-back George Baldock.
Germany coach Julian Nagelsmann says football's decision-makers must introduce longer breaks between competitions, with players threatening to strike over the packed schedule.
Debates over fixture congestion at the elite level have intensified in recent months, with FIFA's decision to organise an expanded Club World Cup a particularly thorny issue.
The inaugural 32-team tournament – which will be held in the United States at the end of the club season – will add another seven matches to some teams' fixture lists, while UEFA has also added two extra matches to the first phase of the Champions League.
Manchester City midfielder Rodri recently talked up the prospect of players taking strike action over a lack of rest time, but Nagelsmann does not envisage the number of games being reduced.
Speaking ahead of Friday's Nations League clash with Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Germany boss called on organisers to look to American sports for inspiration when it comes to recovery times.
"I have often said that I won't complain about the calendar. A lot of matches are financing this sport," Nagelsmann said at his pre-match press conference.
"You have to have a healthy balance. I don't think there will be fewer games in the future.
"There will be more matches and we should be talking about how to structure the breaks [between competitions]."
Pointing to the way the NBA and NFL manage player workloads, he added: "NBA players play 85 games or so but then have a long break.
"The NFL has a long break. We don't have that in football. The players just don't get any break."
Ronald Koeman can see "the bar going up in training" as he challenged the Netherlands to build on their momentum against Hungary.
The Oranje, who reached the Euro 2024 semi-finals, have made an unbeaten start to their Nations League Group campaign with four points from their opening two Group A3 matches.
After opening with a 5-2 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Dutch then played out a 2-2 draw with Germany.
Next up for Koeman's side is a trip to the Puskas Arena to face Hungary on Friday, and the head coach wants his players to keep building on the positive aspects of their performances so far.
"I've showed the players what was good and why it was good. The football was good," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference.
"We always had depth in our game, created many chances and the transitions were very good. I want us to keep that up. The energy was also good, and I saw that this week in training, too.
"I see that the bar is going up in the training. There is a lot of competition for places. We've had quite a few injuries at the back and in midfield, which gives others a chance."
The Netherlands will be the favourites to take all three points, but Koeman is not underestimating the Magyars, who defeated England twice and Germany during the last edition of the Nations League.
"To be honest, I was quite surprised that Hungary had a good chance of reaching the final four," he added.
"They still have many of the same players. I don't understand why their recent results have not been as impressive, but we should not think that we are just easily going to win this."
Novak Djokovic believes Rafael Nadal's "legacy will live forever" as the 24-time major winner paid tribute to his great rival.
Nadal announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
It brings the curtain down on a glittering career in which he won 22 grand slams, including a record 14 French Open singles triumphs.
His major tally was then a record, but has since been surpassed by Djokovic, against whom he contested what many believe to be tennis' greatest rivalry.
The pair faced off 60 times, including nine times in slam finals, with the Serb boasting a narrowly superior 31-29 record, while he prevailed in their final clash at the Paris Olympics.
And Djokovic has followed suit in paying tribute to the Spaniard, who was dubbed "the King of Clay" for his exploits at Roland-Garros.
"Rafa, one post is not enough to express the respect I have for you and what you have done for our sport," he wrote on his social media platforms.
"You have inspired millions of children to start playing tennis, and I think that's probably the greatest achievement anyone can wish for.
"Your tenacity, dedication, fighting spirit are going to be taught for decades. Your legacy will live forever. Only you know what you had to endure to become an icon of tennis and sport in general.
"Thank you for pushing me to the very limit so many times in our rivalry, which has impacted me the most as a player.
"Your passion for representing Spain has always been remarkable. I wish you the best possible farewell in Malaga with the Davis Cup team of Spain. I will be there in person to pay respect to your stellar career."
Aryna Sabalenka paid tribute to "legend" Rafael Nadal, acknowledging the retiring Spaniard is "an inspiration to all of us".
The 22-time major winner announced on Thursday via a video on his social media platforms that he will retire from competitive tennis following next month's Davis Cup finals in Malaga.
Nadal's decision - generally expected given his injury struggles in recent years - has been met with widespread tributes throughout the tennis and sporting world.
And WTA number two Sabalenka - the reigning Australian and US Open champion - was the latest big name to salute the 14-time French Open winner, who was dubbed "the King of Clay".
"He's an inspiration for all of us, for the next generation, for current players. He's a legend," Sabalenka told WTA.
"As he said, everything has a beginning and an end. We are all going to be there. I'm really happy for what he was able to achieve. He was inspiration for everyone. He's a hard worker. He definitely had so much love for this sport."
Sabalenka is through to her 11th successive WTA quarter-final at the Wuhan Open after coming from behind to beat Yulia Putintseva 1-6 6-4 6-0.
The reigning champion recovered from losing the opening set - plus a break point at 4-3 down in the second set - to claim his 14th straight victory in Wuhan.
"In the first set, I was all over the place," she added. "I'm really glad that I was able to put myself together in the second set and things clicked.
"In that game [the eighth in the second set], I was just trying to cool myself down and just to remind myself to keep trying, keep fighting.
"You have to work for it, you have to run, you have to play the point, build the point, find the right shot, then go for it, not rush things. I was just having that conversation in my head all the time.
"After that game, I felt like something clicked. The return was better. The movement was better. The decisions I was making were much better. I felt like that was really the turning point in the match."
Cristiano Ronaldo has hailed Rafael Nadal as an "incredible" inspiration to millions around the world after the King of Clay announced he will retire from tennis next month.
Having struggled with injuries throughout the last couple of years, 22-time grand slam champion Nadal confirmed 2024 will be his final year on the ATP Tour on Thursday.
Nadal will call time on his glittering career after November's Davis Cup finals in Malaga, where he will feature for a Spain team also containing four-time major champion Carlos Alcaraz.
Only Margaret Court, Novak Djokovic (24 each) and Serena Williams (23) have won more grand slam singles titles than Nadal in tennis history (22), with his 14 triumphs at the French Open a record for titles won at a single major.
He posted a video explaining his decision to bow out to his social media channels on Thursday, saying he had been playing with "limitations" for the last two years.
Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Ronaldo was among the first to react to the news, commenting on Nadal's Instagram post: "Rafa, what an incredible race you've had!
"Your dedication, passion and incredible talent have inspired millions around the world.
"It has been an honour to witness your journey and to be able to call you a friend. Congrats on an amazing career! Enjoy your retirement!"
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