England captain Ben Stokes is back in the squad for their tour of Pakistan in October, with uncapped duo Brydon Carse and Jordan Cox both included.

Stokes missed England's 2-1 series win over Sri Lanka this month with a hamstring injury and is continuing his recovery, as is opener Zak Crawley, who is also back after missing it with a broken finger.

Durham fast bowler Carse has made 14 ODI appearances and played three T20Is for England, while Essex batter Cox is expected to make his T20I debut against Australia on Wednesday.

Spinners Rehan Ahmed and Jack Leach, who has not played since January, are recalled, having also played in the 3-0 Test series away to Pakistan in 2022.

Seamer Josh Hull is included in the squad for his first senior tour after making his Test debut at The Oval.

Dan Lawrence, who was given the opportunity to open in Crawley's absence, struggled to make an impact and registered a highest score of just 35 in six innings, with that coming in England’s final Test, which they lost on Monday.

England's tour of Pakistan begins with the first Test on October 7.

England squad for Pakistan tour: Ben Stokes (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Shoaib Bashir, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes.

Australia's wastefulness in front of goal cost them in World Cup qualifying once more as they drew 0-0 with Indonesia on Tuesday.

Nestory Irankunda came closest for the Socceroos, hitting the woodwork, as Graham Arnold's side failed to pick up their first win in the third round of the 2026 AFC World Cup qualifiers. 

Indonesia had an early flurry of chances, with Sandy Walsh and Rafael Struick both testing Mat Ryan inside the opening 17 seconds.

Australia dominated after that though, with Harry Souttar seeing a couple of efforts saved in quick succession before Irankunda struck the woodwork from range just after the half-hour mark.

The visitors pushed for an opening in the second half but struggled to create many chances of note as Craig Goodwin had Australia's only shot on target after the break. 

Witan Sulaeman almost snatched it at the end, but missed a glorious chance in the dying seconds, poking a close-range shot wide of the near post under no pressure. 

Data Debrief: Socceroos fire another blank

Australia suffered a shock 1-0 defeat to Bahrain in their last match, with a Souttar own goal compounding their misery that day.

And their lack of a clinical edge cost them once more against Indonesia, as they had 19 shots (five on target); they last recorded more without scoring against the United Arab Emirates in January 2019 in the Asian Cup (22).

Meanwhile, Indonesia's defence stayed resolute, but they offered little in terms of attacking threat, managing only two shots on target, which both came within a second of each other.

Ahead of his 100th appearance for England, Harry Kane is next targeting 100 goals for his country.

The Three Lions captain is set to make his landmark appearance against Finland at Wembley on Tuesday, becoming the 10th player to reach the milestone, and the first since Wayne Rooney in November 2014.

Kane is England's record goalscorer, netting 66 goals in his 99 appearances so far, and has 17 assists for the national team.

He scored three times for England at Euro 2024, sharing the Golden Boot with five other players, with his last goal coming from the penalty spot against the Netherlands in the semi-final.

Kane started their Nations League opener against the Republic of Ireland on Saturday, a match they won 2-0, though the striker failed to hit the net despite having the most shots (four) and touches in the opposition box (nine).

Kane, who averages a goal every 117 minutes for England, has now set himself the target of 100 goals, shrugging off a suggestion that it is too ambitious.

"It's possible, it's there," Kane said. "What is it, 34 goals?

"It is strange, I have touched on it a bit, 100 caps have come round so quick – especially the last few years, playing three major tournaments in such a short space of time. In those years I've done around 15, 16, 17 caps a year, whereas a normal year would be 10.

"The goals were similar. I felt I was on 30 goals and then, bam, I went to 50 and 60. It is definitely there and definitely possible. I feel like I am in a good place, and these are good targets to try to reach.

"Some people may see them as unrealistic, but I would rather go for something unrealistic and not quite make it, rather than be comfortable just saying I will be happy with 70 or 80 goals."

Kane is set to be awarded a golden cap ahead of kick-off on his landmark appearance.

Memphis Depay has signed a two-year contract with Brazilian club Corinthians following his departure from Atletico Madrid.

Depay was left out of the Netherlands' Nations League squad this month due to not having a club, but has now committed his future to Corinthians until December 2026.

The Dutchman made just 23 LaLiga appearances for Atletico last season, netting five goals, the fifth-best tally in the squad, and registering one assist.

He originally joined the club in January 2023 on a two-and-a-half-year contract but agreed to part ways with Atletico at the end of last season.

Depay then played in all six of the Netherlands' Euro 2024 matches, scoring against Austria before getting an assist against Turkiye, and Ronald Koeman has assured he will not close the door on the winger's international future like he did after Steven Bergwijn's move to the Saudi Pro League.  

Kirk Cousins and the Atlanta Falcons made a disappointing start to the NFL season with a defeat, but coach Raheem Morris says he was not hindered by injury.

The quarterback struggled in an 18-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, playing his first game since suffering a torn Achilles in week 8 last season.

Against the Steelers, he was 16-of-26 for 155 yards, with one touchdown and two interceptions overall. In the second half, Cousins had just 19 passing yards, the lowest total of his career.

The 36-year-old did not play in pre-season, but Morris believes his performance likely came from "some rust from not playing for so long".

"I feel like Kirk is healthy," Morris said on Monday. "He's been healthy since he's been here.

"With Kirk being here, we've been doing the same thing since he's been here, and that's how we've planned on playing and we've played that way throughout."

Many thought new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's play-calling was designed to protect Cousins after his lengthy lay-off, though it did not pay off as the Steelers' defense dominated much of the game.

"We played, I thought, winning football in two phases of the game, and we didn't play winning football in our offensive phase of the game," Morris added.

"The plan was to go out there and win the football game, but it exposed some things inside for us.

"We want to get better. But we got to play better at the [quarterback] position, we got to play better around him."

The Falcons’ next game is against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Kevin De Bruyne hit out at Belgium following their 2-0 defeat to France on Monday, claiming they have "to be better in every way".

Ousmane Dembele ran the show for Les Bleus in their second Nations League match, scoring France's second after Randal Kolo Muani had opened the scoring in the first half.

Belgium, meanwhile, managed just nine shots in the game, with just two of those coming in a lacklustre first-half performance.

While De Bruyne refused to give any details of his half-time team talk, he did not hold back his criticism of the team.

 "I can't say here what went wrong. I already did that to the team at half-time," he said.

"I cannot repeat that in the media, but it has to be better in every way. If the standard we want to reach is the best, but we're no longer good enough to get to that level, then you have to give everything.

"If you don't even do that, it's over.

"I can accept that we're not as good as in 2018 [when they reached the World Cup semi-finals].

"I was the first to see that, but other things are unacceptable. I'm not going to say what."

Belgium sit third in Group A2 after two games, level with France on three points. 

Aaron Rodgers says there are "no excuses" for the New York Jets after mistakes saw them fall to a 32-19 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in their NFL opener.

Rodgers, making his first appearance since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the Jets' first game of 2023, struggled for much of his return.

He was held to just 167 yards on 13-of-21 passes and had an interception that led to one of five field goals for San Francisco, though he did throw one touchdown pass to Allen Lazard in the third quarter. 

The 40-year-old was less than impressed with his first start in 20 months and is already looking for improvements.

"That's an excuse [none of the starters playing in pre-season]. I'm not going to use that," Rodgers said. "I don't think we should. We expect greatness when we step on the field.

"This is a tough opener for us, travel-wise and schedule-wise, but no excuses. We have to play better, and I have to play better, and we'll bounce back."

Rodgers became just the 22nd quarterback in the Super Bowl era (since 1966) to play after his 40th birthday, and despite the disappointing result, he was pleased to be back out on the field.

"It felt great," he added. "A lot of gratitude just to be back in pads. So many people helped me get to this spot.

"I'm really thankful for my surgeon, my loved ones, my friends, the staff and the training staff to help me get back. Obviously, I wanted to take a shot and feel the physicality of it.

"Once I threw a couple of balls and took a shot, it felt good."

The 49ers played without star running back Christian McCaffrey, who was ruled out shortly before kick-off due to a calf and Achilles injury.

Jordan Mason stepped up in his absence, playing a starring role for the Super Bowl runners-up as he finished with a career-high 28 carries for 147 yards and a touchdown.

"I thought he runs like he always does," coach Kyle Shanahan said.

"When you get him the ball, he breaks tackles, usually gets more than we block for. When we had the good lanes, he always hit them, and we got a bunch."

Didier Deschamps is confident Kylian Mbappe will regain his scoring touch soon and is not worried about his captain's current dry spell.

France got back to winning ways in the Nations League on Monday, beating Belgium 2-0 thanks to goals from Randal Kolo Muani and Ousmane Dembele, who put on an inspired display in Lyon.

Mbappe started on the bench and, after coming on, had four shots, two of which were on target, but failed to hit the back of the net for the fifth game in a row for Les Bleus.

At club level, Mbappe got off the mark for Real Madrid in LaLiga with a brace just before the international break, and Deschamps is confident he will be back to his free-scoring best sooner rather than later.

"Kylian feels good. Obviously, like almost all players, he is not yet at 100%," Deschamps told TF1.

"His dry spell? Knowing his demands on that... Kylian will score goals. We may have focused a little too much on him. It doesn't happen with the snap of a finger.

"But I repeat, the French team will always be stronger with him. I am convinced that in a month he will be better.

"There are very high demands in his club. With us, he fully assumes his role as captain, even when he is not playing. I have no worries with Kylian."

France endured an underwhelming Euro 2024 campaign before following it up with a disappointing loss to Italy in their Nations League opener last week.

Despite getting back to winning ways on Monday, the French fans made their frustration with the national team heard, directing boos and whistles at Deschamps during the match.

The 55-year-old was unfazed by the criticism but believes it will negatively affect the team as a whole going forward.

"I didn't hear the whistles," Deschamps added. "But you know, I'm not going to say that I was born with criticism, but it's part of the game, it's my responsibility, I'm immersed in everything that's happening.

"It doesn't have an influence on me, but on the players, the environment... When we come, we support the French team, so the whistles... That people are unhappy, disappointed, that they show it, why not, but now when the players are on the field... I don't think it's for the good of the French team."

Luciano Spalletti is confident Federico Chiesa can fit into his new-look Italy side after they continued their impressive run in the Nations League.

The Azzurri are currently at the top of the standings in Group A2, having followed up their impressive 3-1 win over France last week with a 2-1 victory over Israel.

Davide Frattesi and Moise Kean netted the goals for Italy on Monday, though they were set up for a nervy finish after Mohamed Abu Fani's late strike.

And they managed to do it without a key player in Chiesa, who was not involved in the squad this international break due to his recent move to Liverpool, but Spalletti is adamant he can find a place for the midfielder in his set-up.

"I imagine he can play as a support striker, but with more freedom to go near the flanks," Spalletti said.

"This 3-5-2 is versatile, at times it can be a centre-forward with a wider figure, it doesn't necessarily have to be two central strikers."

Italy's strength in the final third was the difference in Hungary on Monday, as they had 12 shots, six of which were on target.

Israel were able to match them quite well in the middle of the park, but Spalletti was impressed with his team's patience to get the result over the line.

"The team proved itself very mature, despite generally being of a young age," Spalletti said.

"There was difficulty running into the traffic of the Israeli midfield, it was far more dense and blocked up than against France.

"We had to keep the balance and ran very few risks, but also didn't get frustrated."

Kean had three shots, creating 0.56 expected goals, more than any other Italy player, while Frattesi was close behind him, with two shots, getting both of his on target.

"Frattesi works so hard and creates this superiority in different areas, but he also knows how to read the game and always finds himself in the right place at the right time," Spalletti added.

"It's true that we didn't give Kean enough service, but we did better in the second half and won thanks to our maturity.

"I thought long and hard before choosing these players, as I wanted to bring down the average age of the group and the response was perfect.

"Now we just need to reinforce that initial idea and be open to letting others in, along with the two or three who were left at home this time."

Austin Wells snapped a tie game with a three-run homer in the seventh inning as the New York Yankees rallied for a 10-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday that extended their lead atop the American League East.

The Yankees scored seven times over the seventh and eighth innings to erase a 4-3 deficit and take the opener of this three-game series between AL post-season contenders.

New York also received some assistance from its biggest rival, as the Boston Red Sox rolled to a 12-3 win over Baltimore that increased the Yankees' advantage over the second-place Orioles to 1 1/2 games in the division race.

Wells added a run-scoring double and Alex Verdugo had a two-run homer among his two hits for New York. Gleyber Torres and Aaron Judge also knocked in runs in the win, with Torres ending 3 for 5 and Judge collecting two hits. 

Salvador Perez went 4 for 4 with a home run and three RBIs for Kansas City, which currently holds the AL's second wild card. The Royals also received a solo homer from Hunter Renfroe, but had a four-game winning streak snapped after failing to protect a one-run lead in the seventh inning. 

James McArthur (5-7) entered with one out in the bottom of the seventh and allowed a single to Torres before walking Juan Soto in front of Judge, who ripped a single to left to bring in Torres and tie the game at 4-4.

Wells followed with a blast deep into the seats in right center field to put New York ahead.

The Yankees tacked on three more runs in the eighth. Oswaldo Cabrera doubled and later scored on a Torres single, and New York loaded the bases with none out before Judge hit into a double play to bring in another run. Wells then delivered a double that plated Anthony Volpe for a 10-4 advantage.

Verdugo's two-run homer off Brady Singer in the fourth inning gave the Yankees a 3-2 lead, though the Royals pulled even in the fifth when Bobby Witt Jr. reached on a single and scored all the way from first on Perez's blooper to right that fell in for a hit.

Kansas City went ahead an inning later on Renfroe's homer off Carlos Rodon, who struck out nine in six innings but permitted four runs - three earned.

Perez singled in a run in the first inning and homered in the third to put Kansas City up 2-0, but the Yankees later countered with three runs in the fourth.

Jasson Dominguez, called up from the minors before the game, singled in the fourth and eventually scored on Perez's throwing error as the young Yankee outfielder stole third base. Verdugo followed with his 12th homer of the season for a 3-2 New York edge.

Mets rally late to down Blue Jays, boost play-off hopes

New York's other team also improved its play-off standing, as the red-hot Mets scored twice in the eighth inning to pull out a 3-2 win over the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mets got their late runs on a wild pitch and a passed ball to win for the 10th time in 11 games and move one game clear of Atlanta in the race for the National League's third and final wild card spot. The Braves were handed a 1-0 loss by the Cincinnati Reds on Monday.

Tyrone Taylor scored the tying run after pinch-running for Jesse Winker, who drew a lead-off walk against Tommy Nance in the eighth with the Blue Jays ahead 2-1. Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement's throwing error on an infield single hit by Francisco Alvarez allowed Taylor to reach third, and Taylor scored when Nance uncorked an errant pitch.

Alvarez moved to third on the play, then crossed the plate when Blue Jays catcher Brian Serven couldn't handle Nance's pitch for a passed ball.

Relievers Ryne Stanek and Edwin Diaz held Toronto scoreless over the final two innings, with Stanek recording the win and Diaz working the ninth for his 17th save.

Mets starter Tylor Megill left with a no-decision despite yielding just one hit and striking out nine over six scoreless innings, as the Blue Jays scored twice off New York's bullpen in the seventh to erase a 1-0 deficit.

Toronto loaded the bases with one out on a hit batter and singles by Clement and Alejandro Kirk. Jose Butto then hit Leo Jimenez with a pitch to force in the tying run, and Nathan Lukes followed with a sacrifice fly to put the Jays ahead.

The Mets had taken a 1-0 lead in the fourth. After Pete Alonso walked and Jose Iglesias was hit by a pitch, J.D. Martinez delivered a single to right to score Alonso from second.

Cantillo's gem lifts AL Central-leading Guardians over White Sox

Joey Cantillo took a perfect game into the seventh inning en route to his first major league win as the Cleveland Guardians held on for a 5-3 victory over the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Cantillo (1-3) retired the first 20 Chicago hitters before Andrew Benintendi singled with two outs in the seventh. The rookie left-hander surrendered a run-scoring single to Andrew Vaughn after that before completing his superb seven-inning stint with 10 strikeouts.

David Fry and Bo Naylor supported Cantillo with solo homers as Cleveland increased its lead in the AL Central to 3 1/2 games over second-place Kansas City. The Guardians also remained a game back of the New York Yankees for the AL's best record.

Chicago, meanwhile, set a franchise record with its 13th straight home loss. The White Sox fell to 33-112 overall and remained on pace for the most losses in a season in modern MLB history, set by the 1962 New York Mets (120).

The Guardians quickly jumped out to an early lead when Steven Kwan opened the game with a single, stole second, and scored on a base hit from Josh Naylor, who was then brought in by Lane Thomas' double for a 2-0 advantage.

Fry's homer in the third and Bo Naylor's blast in the fourth extended the margin to 4-0. The Guardians then tacked on another run in the fifth despite not recording a hit during the inning.

After Cleveland loaded the bases on two walks and an error, Chicago's Jairo Iriarte forced in a run by issuing a free pass to Jhonkensy Noel.

Benintendi stole second after breaking up Cantillo's perfect game bid before Vaughn drove him in with a single to get the White Sox on the board in the seventh.

Chicago got closer in the eighth on Bryan Ramos' first major league homer, a two-run shot off Nick Sandlin that followed Lenyn Sosa's single.

The White Sox did not get a hit the rest of the way, however, as Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase struck out two during a scoreless ninth to record his AL-leading 43rd save.

Jordan Mason filled in superbly for an injured Christian McCaffrey by rushing for a career-high 147 yards and a touchdown, and the San Francisco 49ers made Aaron Rodgers' return to the field a frustrating one with a dominant 32-19 season-opening win over the New York Jets on Monday.

The 49ers made McCaffrey inactive with a calf injury that limited the reigning NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the pre-season, but still managed to bully New York's usually stout defence for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns. 

Mason did most of the work by logging 28 attempts, and San Francisco also received a rushing touchdown from wide receiver Deebo Samuel to win its first game since a tough 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in last February's Super Bowl.

Rodgers threw a 36-yard touchdown pass to Allen Lazard, but struggled for much of his first appearance since rupturing his Achilles tendon in the Jets' 2023 opener. The four-time NFL MVP was held to 167 yards on 13-of-21 passing along with an interception that led to one of five field goals by 49ers kicker Jake Moody.

The 40-year-old quarterback did look like his vintage self on the Jets' third drive of the night, a 12-play, 70-yard sequence in which Rodgers completed 6 of 7 passes for 62 yards. Breece Hall capped the series with a 3-yard touchdown run that gave New York a 7-3 lead with 3:51 left in the first quarter.

New York's offence mostly sputtered from there, however, as the 49ers scored 23 consecutive points to move ahead comfortably.

After Moody hit a 51-yard field goal in the opening minute of the second quarter to get San Francisco within a point, the 49ers defence forced a three-and-out before Mason made his presence felt on the ensuing possession.

The backup running back rushed six times for 43 yards on the 12-play drive, which ended in Samuel's 2-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep that put San Francisco up 13-7 with 6:54 left in the first half.

Another three-and-out by the Jets followed by another long drive by San Francisco set up Moody's 31-yard field goal that sent the 49ers into the break with a 16-7 advantage.

San Francisco started the second half in much the same fashion, going 70 yards in 11 plays to increase its margin on Mason's 5-yard touchdown run.

Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles then picked off Rodgers on the following series, which led to Moody's 53-yard field goal that extended the lead to 26-7 with 3:28 left in the third quarter.

The Jets did answer on Rodgers' deep touchdown pass to Lazard on the next possession, though the 49ers stopped Hall on the resulting 2-point conversion try. New York's next drive again went nowhere, however, and Rodgers was pulled in favour of backup Tyrod Taylor with under 4 1/2 minutes to play.

San Francisco had a 32-13 lead at that point after Moody knocked home his fourth and fifth field goals of the game.

Lazard also caught a 3-yard touchdown pass from Taylor in the game's final minute, though the Jets again misfired on the 2-point attempt.

Moody's first field goal, a 46-yarder, opened the scoring just over four minutes into the contest. The kick came shortly after 49ers linebacker Fred Warner jarred the ball loose from Hall on a reception and San Francisco recovered at the New York 32-yard line.

Brock Purdy threw for 231 yards on 19-of-29 passing for San Francisco, while Lazard led the Jets with 89 yards on six catches in addition to his two touchdowns.

The Los Angeles Rams placed star wide receiver Puka Nacua on injured reserve Monday after he re-aggravated a right knee injury in Sunday night’s season opener.

Nacua will miss a minimum of four games. With the Rams’ bye Week falling in Week 6, the earliest Nacua could be back on the field is Oct. 20.

Nacua missed most of training camp due to a PCL sprain in his right knee. He re-injured the knee in the second quarter of Los Angeles’ Week 1 overtime loss against the Detroit Lions.

“It’s unfortunate for him, and I’m bummed out for the person,” Rams coach Sean McVay told reporters on Monday.

With Nacua missing the entire second half Sunday, Cooper Kupp was targeted 21 times and made 14 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Johnson finished second on the team in receiving with five receptions for 79 yards.

Johnson will be among the receivers asked to step up in Nacua’s absence, along with DeMarcus Robinson and rookie Jordan Whittington.

Nacua will miss division games against the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, as well as dates against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers.

A fifth-round pick out of BYU last year, Nacua had arguably the best rookie receiving season in NFL history. Nacua set rookie records with 105 receptions for 1,486 yards in 2023.