Pakistan patiently advanced to 350 for eight against a toothless England attack to take control of the first Test on the second day at Lord’s yesterday.

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan starred with bat and ball to help Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) fix a date with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in tomorrow’s final after beating Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 13 runs in the Indian Premier League (IPL) Qualifier 2 at the Eden Gardens here yesterday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp called opposite number Zinedine Zidane “a fighter” before the Champions League final against Real Madrid and praised the Frenchman for his supreme record in Europe’s elite competition despite his short coaching career.

Rafael Nadal said yesterday he is happy to “suffer” as he chases an 11th French Open title.

Advertising rates for this season’s Indian Premier League cricket tournament have shot through the roof with a record 125 brands riding on the country’s most lucrative sports competition, far exceeding expectations of Star India, its new broadcaster.

Britain’s Chris Froome, of Team Sky, relaunched his bid for a maiden Giro d’Italia triumph yesterday by soloing to victory, and the pink jersey, from 80km out on a dramatic 19th stage that proved disastrous for overnight leader Simon Yates.

Daniel Ricciardo hides a streak of raw determination behind his sunny smile and he is looking for ‘payback’ in tomorrow’s Monaco Grand Prix after missing out on a merited win in 2016.

Northern Irish golf star Rory McIlroy played such a sublime second round of golf at the PGA Championship yesterday he had defending champion Alex Noren quipping he thought about quitting.

The Houston Rockets clawed out a 98-94 victory over the reigning champion Golden State Warriors on Thursday to move within one win of reaching the NBA Finals.

Blake Snell continued his dominance of the Boston Red Sox with eight strikeouts over six scoreless innings as the Tampa Bay Rays avoided a three-game sweep with a 6-3 win on Thursday in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Giro d’Italia leader Simon Yates buckled then rallied as his rivals took turns to attack him on the final steep climb to a summit finish on stage 18, which was won by Germany’s Max Schachmann after a long breakaway.

World champion Justin Gatlin has withdrawn from tomorrow’s Prefontaine Classic with a hamstring injury and chief rival Christian Coleman will only race in the 100 metres, their managers said on Wednesday.