Babar Azam felt the decision to give Saud Shakeel out cost Pakistan as they slumped to a Test series defeat to England on day four at Multan Cricket Stadium.

The tourists won another dramatic match by 26 runs on Monday to take an unassailable 2-0 lead.

Shakeel (94) and Mohammad Nawaz (45) appeared to have given Pakistan the upper hand with a sixth-wicket stand of 80, but both were removed in quick succession by Mark Wood.

Aleem Dar put his finger up after Shakeel edged a delivery from Wood down the leg side and third umpire Joel Wilson stayed with the on-field decision, seeing no evidence that Ollie Pope did not take the ball cleanly.

Pakistan captain Babar believes Shakeel should have remained in the middle.

He said: "The Shakeel dismissal cost us. It looked to us as if the ball had touched the ground. As a professional, you have to respect the umpire's decision, but we felt the ball had been grounded."

England skipper Ben Stokes had a different opinion on the incident.

He said: "I don't think [there were any doubts about the catch], personally. The only thing where you start worrying is when it gets looked at for a long period of time because that's when you start having doubt in your own head.

"I've been part of games before where I've been on the team who's been on the receiving end of those decisions and you're always like, 'that's not carried'.

"You see a lot of those decisions and those type of catches in cricket. You could say the similar thing was when Rooty [Joe Root] got caught at short leg - you could say that might have touched the floor.

"But you've just got to go with what the umpire's decision is. It went our way but I've been involved in a few decisions where stuff like that has gone against us. But you can't change that."

Harry Kane's penalty miss in England's World Cup defeat to France may have been influenced by the long VAR check, according to Jurgen Klinsmann, who feels there is "more to come" from the Three Lions.

England suffered an agonising quarter-final defeat to the reigning champions on Saturday, as Kane blazed an 84th-minute spot-kick over the crossbar after scoring an earlier penalty.

Referee Wilton Sampaio – who was criticised by some England players after the game – was initially unmoved by Theo Hernandez's push on Mason Mount, only awarding England's second penalty after a long VAR review.

Speaking in his role as part of FIFA's Technical Study Group on Monday, former Tottenham forward Klinsmann blamed that wait for Kane's costly error.

"From the time that he whistles for the penalty until the time he gets a chance to actually execute the penalty, there's far, far too much time passing by, and it works into your brain," Klinsmann said.

"I'm obviously a big Harry Kane fan and if Harry had the chance to just put the ball down and shoot, no big deal.

"But the whole VAR situation, double-checking whether it was a penalty… time goes by and by and by.

"Then you obviously start thinking and you get to a point where you don't execute the penalty the way you would have done it right after the whistle."

Kane's miss ensured England suffered a record seventh World Cup quarter-final exit, but Klinsmann believes they remain on the right path despite several near misses under Gareth Southgate.

"I think, overall, it was a very positive presentation from the English side in this entire tournament," the 1990 World Cup winner said.

"This game, France v England, came just too early. It should have been a semi-final or the final.

"But one team had to go home and unfortunately it was England, from an English perspective. But I think overall they played a very good tournament.

"It's still a team in growth. I think this team is still able to get better over the next few years. They are, age-wise, not on the limit now by any means.

"They have a lot of talent coming through, getting better, getting more experienced. They have now had three very positive tournaments with the one in Russia [in 2018], obviously the Euros where they went to the final.

"Now I think this was a very positive tournament, even if it ended in the quarter-finals. There's more to come from this England side, in my opinion."

England were not the only team to suffer penalty heartache in Qatar, with pre-tournament favourites Brazil bowing out at the same stage courtesy of a shoot-out defeat against Croatia.

Brazil planned for star forward Neymar to take their fifth and final penalty, which never arrived after Rodrygo and Marquinhos failed to convert, and Klinsmann believes that was a mistake.

Asked for his thoughts on where the Selecao went wrong, Klinsmann said: "Put your best shooter first. Set the tone with your best penalty-taker."

Manchester City are considering plans to expand the capacity of their Etihad Stadium home to over 60,000.

In a statement released on Monday, the Premier League champions said they were exploring proposals to expand the stadium's North Stand, as well as creating a covered fan zone.

City added their ambition is to turn the stadium into a "world-leading" sport and entertainment venue, while also creating growth and employment opportunities in the local community.

Planning permission to renovate the North Stand – which was initially built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games – has been in place since 2015.

The club said supporters will be invited to share feedback on the proposals in early 2023.

The Etihad currently possesses a capacity of 53,400 as a result of a 2015 expansion, making it the fifth-largest stadium in the Premier League.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles says his side must decide for themselves if they want to be involved in the postseason conversation after a humiliating loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

The Tom Brady-led Florida outfit were handed a 35-7 drubbing out west at Levi's Stadium, to take them to a 6-7 record for the season.

Though they remain on top of NFC South with a handful of games to go, the prospect of the Buccaneers launching another dynamic run through the playoffs looks slim at best on their current form.

Bowles, who guided the team to glory at Super Bowl LV almost two years ago, says his side need to take a look in the mirror and decide how they will show up for the rest of the campaign.

"We've got to decide what team we want to be," he stated. "We can't be one set of Bucs and another set of Bucs. It's got to mean something.

"Either we want it or we don't. We can't care more than everybody else. As a coach, you don't go out on the field, but we got out-coached, so we're not excused from this at all.

"We got outplayed as well. As a team, as a group, we've got to buckle down and decide what our fate is in the next few weeks."

A superior record over the Carolina Panthers (5-8) means there is still some wiggle room for the Buccaneers, whose fate remains within their own hands.

Wide receiver Mike Evans accepted the team are struggling to make their familiar tactics stick this season, and that it could yet cost them dearly.

"We're just not making plays," he added. "The plays that we're used to making in previous years, we're just not making them as consistent. I don't know what it is. We're just not connecting like we usually do."

Marcus Rashford is only second to Kylian Mbappe as the best player in the world right now, says Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag.

The forward has rediscovered his best form under the Dutchman this season, earning a recall to the England fold and featuring in their World Cup campaign.

Rashford and the rest of the Three Lions ultimately came up short in the quarter-finals against Mbappe and France on Saturday, in a close-fought Qatar 2022 encounter.

But his performances this term have got Ten Hag singing his praises, crediting him for his tactical intelligence and positional play.

"From the first moment, I recognised huge potential [in Marcus]," the former Ajax boss stated.

"When Marcus' positioning is on the back of the defending line, there is almost no better player in the world. It's really difficult to stop him.

"There is Mbappe [at] this moment [who is better than him]. When [Rashford] is getting in that position, he's great, and he's really improved."

Rashford has coincidentally been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, where Mbappe penned a new contract ahead of the this campaign.

With a deal at Old Trafford that expires at the end of the season, the forward could be headed for the door, though Ten Hag says they will activate a one-year extension.

The manager acknowledges the final call on his future rests with the player, however, adding: "He has to make a decision.

"The only thing we can do is show him this is the best club to be in, in the way we play and the way we train and if we are offering the right environment to progress," he added.

"It's a financial issue as well. Then it is up to him to make the decision. But for one-and-a-half years, he will be here."

Mark Wood reflected on England's Test series victory over Pakistan as "a monumental day" after they won by 26 runs on day four at Multan Cricket Stadium.

Wood steamed in to take 4-65 as the tourists took an unassailable 2-0 lead with one match to play.

England had only won two Tests in Pakistan before a dramatic triumph in Rawalpindi last week and have now doubled their tally.

Ben Stokes' in-form side have made history, becoming the first England team to win two Tests in a series in Pakistan as they continue to ride on the crest of a wave under the inspiration captain and head coach Brendon McCullum.

Fast bowler Wood swung the game back in England's favour by getting Mohammad Nawaz (45) caught behind to end a sixth-wicket stand of 80 before seeing the back of Saud Shakeel (94) in his next over.

The excellent (2-23) Ollie Robinson finished off the job, while James Anderson (2-44) also bowled brilliantly in win that will live long in the memory for Wood.

He told Test Match Special: "It's a monumental day. Amazing feeling. The effort that everyone's put stands out for me. It's not just one game, it's two games.

Wood added: "I managed to get two wickets when Stokesy asked me to change the game. All game I got my bouncer a bit too off side but in that spell, I got it right.

"I feel knackered. It was a big effort and I'm proud of myself for it. Everyone feels great."

Wood continued: "It's something we'll look back at proudly at the end of our career. It hasn't sunk in completely yet but I think we'll be very proud."

England have won eight of their nine Tests with Stokes as skipper and McCullum at the helm.

 Zion Johnson feels "things are starting to click" for the Los Angeles Chargers after they boosted their playoff hopes with a 23-17 win over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

Quarterback Justin Herbert was outstanding at SoFi Stadium as the Chargers bounced back from their Week 13 defeat to the Las Vegas Raiders in style.

While Herbert claimed the record for the most pass yards in a player's first three seasons in NFL history on Sunday, Mike Williams also stood out with 116 yards from six receptions on his return from an ankle sprain.

Speaking after the Chargers improved to 7-6 for the season, guard Johnson focused on the impact of players returning to full availability. 

"I feel like this is probably our first game since Week 1 where we had most of our guys active," Johnson said. 

"I think you can really tell with how explosive some of the passes were down the field and some of the things we were doing. 

"I'm just really glad that guys are getting healthy, and things are starting to click."

Wide receiver Williams set the Chargers on their way with a second-quarter touchdown, and head coach Brandon Staley was in no mood to play down the importance of his return.

"When you get Mike back in this movie, it just looks different, it feels different," Staley said. "There's just more available to you. Those guys were able to connect tonight.

"Nine guys caught passes tonight. That's the offense that we like to play, where people touch the ball."

Deebo Samuel likely sustained a high ankle sprain rather than a fracture during the San Francisco 49ers' 35-7 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, head coach Kyle Shanahan said.

Samuel's season appeared to be in jeopardy when he was carted off in the first quarter of the 49ers' victory on Sunday, after his knee was trapped and twisted under a mass of bodies.

The All-Pro wide receiver was unable to get to his feet following the concerning incident, but encouraging reports subsequently suggested he had avoided a major injury.

49ers coach Shanahan offered a positive update on Samuel's condition after the win, telling reporters the wide receiver did not suffer a fracture.

Shanahan added Samuel's injury was "most likely" a sprain, though reports said the 26-year-old would undergo tests on Monday.

The 49ers had already established a commanding 21-0 lead before Samuel's injury, and they entered half-time 28-0 up in what represented a dream first start for stand-in quarterback Brock Purdy.

"Everyone knows how much Deebo means to us, but half-time is so hectic and it was awesome to finish that half with the score," Shanahan said of losing Samuel.

"We didn't really do anything differently after half-time."

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw, meanwhile, praised the team's reaction to Samuel's exit.

"We hate to see guys go down, especially one of our leaders like Deebo," he said. "You've just got to go with the punches and just keep fighting and that's what everybody on this team did.

"That's just the type of team that we've got. You get hit in the mouth and you've got to just keep fighting."

Mark Wood inspired England to a first away Test-series win against Pakistan in 21 years after another dramatic match finished in a 26-run victory in Multan.

An 80-run stand between the formidable Saud Shakeel (94) and Mohammad Nawaz (45) had put Pakistan in a great position to level this sensational series at 1-1.

But Wood snared both their wickets in a brilliant spell shortly before lunch to swing it back in England's favour and finished with 4-65 in the second innings.

Ollie Robinson had Mohammad Ali nick behind for the final wicket as Pakistan were all out for 328 in pursuit of 355.

England had just two wins on Pakistan soil in the preceding 60 years prior to this series and have chalked up as many in the past fortnight. For the hosts, it is the first time they have lost three straight home Test matches since 1959.

It had not looked a foregone conclusion either, even after Faheem Ashraf poked a Joe Root off-break to Zak Crawley in the clips.

Shakeel had batted valiantly for almost five-and-a-half hours as Pakistan put themselves in a great position for a series-levelling victory.

At 290-5, captain Ben Stokes pulled Wood for a chat and immediately a short one from the paceman saw Nawaz play behind.

From Wood's next over, the dangerous Shakeel was gone, albeit contentiously when caught by Pope, with replays unable to conclusively show whether he had dragged the ball along the ground.

The soft dismissal was upheld, but Abrar Ahmed's fine debut continued with a quickfire 17 that was ended when he whacked James Anderson to Ben Duckett at cover.

Wood came back to rip up Zahid Mahmood's off stump and, although Agha Salman (20no) continued to give Pakistan hope, Robinson finished the job to complete one of England's finest away series wins and make it eight victories from nine Tests under Stokes and Brendon McCullum.

Wood rises to the occasion

Wood's injury troubles have been well documented but when fit and firing he is a huge asset to England and so it proved here.

With his side under the cosh and facing the very realistic prospect of losing the Test, Wood turned a see-saw match back in the tourists' favour.

Shakeel fights hard

That Pakistan were in the game at all owes much to the efforts of Shakeel, who fell agonisingly short of a maiden Test century as he followed up his 63 from the first innings with a patient 213-ball knock.

He will be desperately disappointed with a dismissal that was far from conclusive but his fight gave Pakistan real hope.

Zion Williamson was in no mood to downplay the New Orleans Pelicans' top ranking in the West after inspiring the team to another victory over the Phoenix Suns on Sunday.

Having defeated the same opponents two days earlier, the Pels cemented their position as Williamson once again put up 35 points in a 129-124 overtime triumph.

It represented a seventh straight win for the high-flying Pels, who are top of the Western Conference with an 18-8 record.

While there is still plenty of basketball left to be played this season, Williamson said the team's aim is to build on their status as pacesetters.

"We're number one in the West right now," Williamson said. 

"I know to a lot of people that's not a big deal because it's still early in the season, but for us to have that ranking right now, that's big.

"We want to not only hold on to it but build on it.

"The Suns, they've earned their resume; they're a great team. So, for us to get two back-to-back wins against them, that's big for our confidence."

Head coach Willie Green said of Williamson: "Zion is – he's a matchup problem. 

"He just attacks. And when he attacks like he does, he's just tough to cover. It's incredible what he can do."

The Suns, who were without Devin Booker, were once atop the West but now sit fourth and are on a four-match losing streak.

Star man Chris Paul believes now is not the time to panic, however.

"Let it slide off. Realise it's a long season," Paul said. "We know we definitely have to get better and right some things here. But it's not do or die yet."

New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has reassured Mike White is his first-choice quarterback after copping multiple hits in Sunday's 20-12 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

White has stepped in as the Jets' starting quarterback for the past three games from Zach Wilson, completing 27-of-44 passing for 268 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions on Sunday.

The 27-year-old QB, who threw three touchdowns against the Chicago Bears before going without a TD in his past two games, copped a physical pounding from the Bills' defense, and was sent for a hospital visit after the game to check his ribs.

White had also undergone evaluation in an ambulance in the stadium tunnel in the third quarter where Saleh said he "checked out good" allowing him to play out the game.

Saleh along with several Jets players were full of praise for White for his toughness after the loss to the AFC East-leading Bills.

"I thought he showed resolve, toughness, everything we've been seeing," Saleh told reporters. "He's a good player."

Saleh responded with "for sure" when asked if White would start against the Detroit Lions next Sunday if healthy, in a sign that he is now their preferred QB from Wilson or veteran Joe Flacco.

Offensive tackle Duane Brown added about White: "He took some shots and I know he was hurting. He didn't want to be out of the game — he wanted to finish.

"Major heart, toughness. He's a dog, that's the bottom line, but we have to do a better job of protecting him."

Jets center Connor McGovern also hailed White, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

"He's willing to do whatever it takes to win," he said. "That's what every guy in this locker room, if they aren't that way, they need to be that way. I believe everybody is that way.

"Today, Mike was unfortunately an example of that. Guys are willing to do whatever it takes to get the Jets to the playoffs and beyond."

Joel Embiid downplayed the enormity of his historic 53-point performance for the Philadelphia 76ers on Sunday, insisting that his teammates simply fed the hot hand.

Embiid reached 50 points for the second time this season, both occurring in the past nine games as the Sixers won 131-113 over the Charlotte Hornets.

The center also joined Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in 76ers franchise history to have two 50-point games over a nine-game stretch.

Embiid also joined Chamberlain as the only Sixers in franchise history with at least 30 games of 40 points and 10 rebounds.

"We won," Embiid told reporters. "It's good to do that when you win. It would suck to have those type of scoring nights if you lose.

"I'm just happy it's contributing to winning. Whether I'm scoring a lot, but especially if I'm scoring a lot, at the end of the day, what matters is if it brings us the win."

He added: "We have a saying that you gotta feed the hot hand. My teammates, if I just scored once, it doesn't matter.

"If anybody on the team, if they just score once, you gotta keep feeding them until the defense stops them once or twice or three times. In that situation, I just kept scoring, and they just kept giving me the ball."

Embiid's dominance was underlined by a second-quarter stretch where he scored 15 points in a row. He shot 20-for-32 from the field, making 11-of-11 free-throws with 12 rebounds.

"Every single time, it seems to bring us the win so just gotta keep trying to be efficient and try to play with my teammates," Embiid said.

"Good things happen when you’re worried about the right things and that’s moving the ball and the ball just finds me."

Teammate James Harden, who laid off 16 assists with 19 points, praised the MVP contender.

"He was in attack mode for the entire game," Harden said. "He made scoring look easy tonight, you know what I mean? He was just in attack mode, getting to the basket, his jumper was falling, he had an aggressive night tonight."