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• Stokes out of first Pakistan Test through injury

  England captain Ben Stokes is out of their first Test against Pakistan having failed to recover from a hamstring tear in time.

  Stokes suffered the hamstring injury in August playing in The Hundred and has not played since, missing England's three-match series against Sri Lanka last month.

  England said last week that the 33-year-old was "on track" to participate in the tour and trained away from the rest of the team in their first session.

  Stokes confirmed he will miss the first Test, which begins on Monday in Multan, and Ollie Pope will continue to deputise as captain in his absence.

  "I tried my hardest to get myself fit for this game but have taken the call to miss this one because I've not quite managed to get game-ready," Stokes told BBC Sport.

  "There is a lot that has to go into my rehab programme. We got to a certain point, but looking at the picture of what we've got coming up and physically where I'm at, I'm not quite ready to play.

  "It's always frustrating to miss out. I've got some good things to focus on, so even though I'm not playing, I've got a goal in mind."

  The second Test starts on October 15, but the all-rounder admitted he was not sure whether that was a realistic target for his return.

  "I've pushed myself incredibly hard and worked really hard with the medical team to get to where I'm at now. I think I'm further ahead than what we expected," he added.

  "I'll be working just as hard over the next 10 days to try to get myself fit for the second Test."

  In his absence, Durham seamer Brydon Carse will make his England Test debut.

  He has previously played 19 ODIs and four T20s for England and will make his red-ball bow just over a month after completing a three-month ban for historical gambling offences.

  England XI for first Test against Pakistan: Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope (captain), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jamie Smith, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Bryson Carse, Jack Leach, Shoaib Bashir.

• Eidevall slams 'amateurish' WSL after Arsenal fixture congestion

  Arsenal head coach Jonas Eidevall slammed the "amateurish behaviour" of the Women's Super League, who he feels are damaging English teams' chances of success in European competition.

  The Gunners are one of three English teams competing in the Women's Champions League group stages this season, along with Manchester City and Chelsea.

  All three are due to commence their campaigns in midweek, but while Arsenal and City are in WSL action on Sunday, Chelsea's scheduled clash with Manchester United was postponed due to player welfare concerns.

  Eidevall's side, who face Bayern Munich on Wednesday, then take on the Blues three days later, and the head coach feels his side are at a "sporting disadvantage" with their fixture congestion.

  "It's not a good situation," he told reporters during his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Everton. "There are 16 teams involved in the Champions League, how many teams are playing on Sunday, October 6?

  "We are, that is one. If it was only us, it would be an Arsenal problem - but it's also Man City. The only two teams that are playing are English teams. The only other team scheduled to play was Chelsea.

  "[It's the] first time that three [English] teams reach the group stage. [It] should be celebrated, but it's now a problem. It's very important for the whole league that we are successful in Europe.

  "Now, obviously, it's worse for us because of the amateurish behaviour of no plan and taking away the game like Chelsea.

  "It puts us into play on Sunday, then Wednesday away at Bayern Munich, who don't play Sunday, then we return to play Chelsea on Saturday (October 12).

  "[That is] less preparation than our opponents. We have been handed a sporting disadvantage in two huge games for us."

  Nevertheless, Eidevall insists his players will tackle the busy period head on, rather than feel sorry for themselves.

  "We won't lie down and give up because the situation is tough," he said. "We will dig deeper than we ever have before, but what needs to change is the approach to Champions League football and respect to the supporters.

  "It's not good enough to blame UEFA, the only one who hasn't acted on the information is the WSL."

• Premier League rejects Man City request to delay 2025-26 season start

  The Premier League has rejected a request from Manchester City to delay the start to their 2025-26 campaign to allow for more recovery time after the Club World Cup.

  As 2022-23 Champions League winners, City are one of two English clubs – alongside Chelsea – to have secured a spot at FIFA's first 32-team Club World Cup, which will be held in the United States next year.

  The tournament's expanded format has proven extremely controversial, provoking widespread criticism for denying players rest time during the off-season.

  Players' union Fifpro has started legal proceedings against FIFA over the scheduling of the tournament, claiming the fixture schedule has become "unworkable".

  The Club World Cup is set to run from June 15 to July 13, with players involved unlikely to receive substantial rest time before the domestic season begins in early August.

  Speaking ahead of Saturday's Premier League clash with Fulham, boss Pep Guardiola revealed City had already seen a request to delay their opening game knocked back.

  "The Premier League has not allowed us to postpone the first two games for our recovery," Guardiola said. "Thank you so much.

  "I think the club asked the league to postpone one or two or three weeks so we can have a holiday after the [Club] World Cup but it is absolutely not allowed. 

  "Would the Premier League say yes to us? No. Absolutely not. They won't postpone these games so there will be a moment of, 'what do we do?

  "I don't have an answer right now but we are going to take a decision with common sense."