With the national team set to take on England in the upcoming Test series, Pakistan’s red-ball captain Shan Masood on Monday stressed the need to back the players in order to move forward.

Speaking at a press conference, Masood said: “It’s easy to make changes after a loss, but if we want to move forward, we must back our players.”

His statement comes as the national side is set to take on England in a three-match Test series against England commencing on October 7 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

The second match will also be played at the second venue whereas the third match is scheduled from October 24 to 28 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

The home series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25.

Continuing on today, the red-ball captain said that the players were deeply regretful of the recent losses and are determined to achieve better results.

“We’ve learned a lot about our physical and mental condition, and it’s clear that improvements are needed,” he added.

Elaborating on his role as the team’s leader, Masood admitted that losing is always difficult and said: “As a captain, it feels terrible when the team loses. It wasn’t the ideal start, but accountability comes with defeat.”

He also pointed out that the team had several opportunities to gain the upper hand against Bangladesh but failed to take advantage of them.

“If Pakistan want to become a top Test side, we need to significantly improve both physical and mental fitness. Our conditioning should be on par with other top teams in the world,” the left-handed batter said while emphasising the importance of mental and physical fitness, particularly for Test cricket.

He also addressed the return of Aamir Jamal from injury, noting that the current Test squad was selected based on player fitness.

“For now, we’ve built the squad for one Test, considering the players’ fitness levels. Meanwhile, If required, Zahid Mahmood would be brought into the squad,” Masood explained.

Concluding his remarks, Masood acknowledged the pressure of professional sports but affirmed that no player enjoys losing.

It is to be noted that Mahmood will join the pre-test camp in Multan as the 16th player, but the final squad will be trimmed to 15 players for the first Test.

Lahore: The online tickets for the three-match Test series between Pakistan and England will go on sale from 5:00pm today (Monday), with free admission to the general enclosure on the first day.

For the convenience of the fans, the physical tickets will be available for purchase from various outlets from October 4 onwards after 9:00am. This series is part of the International Cricket Council (ICC) World Test Championship. The first and second Test matches will be played from October 7 to 19 at the Multan Cricket Stadium. The third Test match will be played from October 24 to 28 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

To encourage a large number of fans, entry to the general enclosures (Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed) will be free on the first day of both the Test matches in Multan, while entry to the premium enclosures (Meeran Bakhsh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanveer and Yasir Arafat) will also be free for the first day of the Rawalpindi Test.

For the first Test, tickets for the general enclosure from Tuesday to Thursday, i.e. from the second to the fourth day, will be priced at Rs50, while fans can buy tickets for the Hanif Muhammad and Mushtaq Ahmed enclosures for Rs100 on the fifth and final day.

Tickets for the first-class enclosures (Wasim Akram and Elahi Brothers) will be available at Rs100 for the first four days of the Test, while tickets for fans on the fifth day will cost Rs200. Tickets for Premium Enclosures (Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas) will be available for Rs200 from Monday to Thursday i.e. 1st to 4th day. Fans can watch the fifth day’s play from the same enclosures for Rs300.

Tickets for VIP enclosures (Fazal Mahmood and Imran Khan) and PCB Gallery (Inzamam-ul-Haq) will be available for fans at Rs300 and Rs2,000 respectively for the first four days of the first Test match. On the fifth day, tickets for VIP enclosures will be available at Rs400 and tickets for PCB Gallery (Inzamam-ul-Haq Enclosure) will be available at Rs2,500. Fans will be served lunch at the PCB Gallery for all three Test matches.

For the second Test match to be played from October 15 to 19 at the same venue, tickets for general enclosures on Wednesday and Thursday (second and third days) will be available at Rs50, while tickets for general enclosures on the fourth and fifth day will be available at Rs100.

For the first class and premium enclosures, fans can purchase tickets for the first three days of the Test match at Rs100 and Rs200 respectively. Tickets for the first class and premium enclosures for the fourth and fifth day will be available for fans at Rs200 and Rs300 respectively.

People wishing to watch from the VIP enclosures and PCB Gallery can get tickets for the first three days of the Test at Rs300 and Rs2,000 respectively, while tickets for both venues [Friday and Saturday (fourth and fifth day)] are available for Rs400 and Rs2,500 respectively.

Entry to the premium enclosures (Meeran Bakhsh, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanveer and Yasir Arafat) will be free on the first day for the third Test at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.

Tickets for the premium enclosures on the second day will be available at Rs200 while tickets for the premium enclosures for the remaining days of the third Test will be available for fans at Rs300. VIP enclosures (Imran Khan and Javed Miandad) tickets will cost Rs400 for the first two days and Rs500 for the remaining days.

PCB Gallery seats will be available at Rs2,000 for Thursday and Friday (first and second day) while fans can buy gallery tickets for Rs2,500 on the remaining days of the Test match.

Former Indian tennis star and global sports sensation Sania Mirza graced her fans with a charming set of pictures in a classic red lipstick and a chique cream-coloured suit blazer on Monday.

With her adorable life updates and stunning outfit pictures on her official Instagram account, Mirza has won the hearts of her fans and admirers from time to time.

Taking to her Instagram, Mirza posted a series of pictures showing her embracing her red lipstick look with style. She captioned the post: “Put on some red lipstick and live a little they said.”

Notably, the tennis star also adorned voguish gold hoop earrings, bracelets and a signature locket piece on her neck.

Moreover, her cream-coloured blazer style was further complimented by an all black inner top.

Mirza is not only known for her skills as a sportsperson but also for her social media updates.

Earlier on Tuesday, she ruled the hearts of her fans with her unique aura by posting a thread of photos which also included a selfie with her son Izhaan Mirza Malik and a couple of mirror selfies.

“Places change but selfies remain,” the tennis player wrote on the photo-and-video sharing app.

In the first picture, the athlete was seen posing with her son while sitting in a car.

However, in the next couple of photos, Mirza was seen showing off her cute outfits while standing in front of a mirror. The tennis star looked radiant wearing an all-black dress with her hair tied in a bun.

PHOENIX — It has been three games, but Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels already has made an impression on his team and the NFL.

He has earned multiple player of the week honors, given a near-perfect performance in front of a national audience and instilled hope in an organization that hasn’t had much for a long time.

“It’s amazing,” veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner said. “It’s a good start [but] let him finish writing his story for the season … but what he’s been able to do, his composure, the way he handled himself from the moment he walked in you knew he’d be special and he’s showing it.”

The numbers back up Wagner’s statement. A key to Washington’s 2-1 record entering Sunday’s game at the Arizona Cardinals (4:05 p.m. ET, Fox) is Daniels’ early season excellence.

He completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for another score in a Monday night win against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was selected the NFL’s Offensive Player of the Week, two weeks after being named the offensive rookie of the week.

Two days after his breakout moment in Cincinnati, he was unfazed.

“It’s another game,” Daniels said. “That game’s in the past, don’t even mean nothing no more.”

A look at his numbers over those first three games shows his season so far is not just another start to a season by a rookie.

Here are the stats behind Daniels’ impressive NFL start:

This encompasses what Daniels has provided so far: a good arm, strong decision-making and the ability to run. Both touchdown passes came Monday against the Bengals, including a 27-yarder in the fourth quarter against an all-out blitz. He was leveled by a free rusher on the play but threw a perfect pass to receiver Terry McLaurin in the end zone to seal a 38-33 victory.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, coach Dan Quinn said he was “proud of the decision-making, the process he’s going through.

“He’s hard to defend because of his legs. He can get outside the pocket. There’s a dual threat.”

This is impressive, but he’s not even halfway to the record set last season by Houston’s C.J. Stroud, who attempted 192 passes before he was intercepted in Week 6. Dallas’ Dak Prescott previously held the record at 176, having broken Tom Brady’s mark of 162.

It helps that 36.8% of his throws are at or behind the line of scrimmage. But, for context, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes ranks second in the NFL behind Green Bay Packers QB Malik Willis in this area at 39.1%.

Prescott set the NFL record for rookie completion percentage (67.6) in 2016, ranking 14th in air yards per attempt.

“When you’re in the end of the game to have a good chance to win it,” Quinn said of Daniels, who has led Washington to a score in the final possession of each game, excluding a kneel-down against the Bengals, “and you are smiling because you know you’re ready and you’ve been in that space, that’s one of the things that I love about him.”

His QBR rating of 92.5 against the Bengals is the sixth best by a Washington quarterback since 2015.

The Commanders have had only nine games in the previous five seasons combined when a quarterback finished with a rating that high. From 2018 to 2023, Washington’s QBR for the season was never higher than 45.7. The last time the franchise finished with a QBR of 60 or better was in 2016, when Kirk Cousins started every game. That’s also the last time the Commanders finished with a winning record.

Since 2000, the highest percentage of first downs per pass attempt by a rookie quarterback is 44.1% by Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. Stroud completed 37.7% of his passes for first downs last season, finishing 10th in the NFL.

Only one player ranks in the top five in first downs per run among qualified rushers as well as first downs per pass attempt: Daniels. He trails only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (40.0%) by one half of a percentage point in first downs per rush. Jackson ranks eighth in first downs per pass attempt at 36.7%.

There’s room for growth by Daniels as Quinn has pointed out — keeping his eyes upfield when he scrambles, hitting more big plays downfield. But the Commanders are confident those plays will occur more often, as he becomes more comfortable and continues to develop.

“He is still growing,” Quinn said. “I can’t wait to see who he’s becoming.”