Skipper Salman Agha hit an unbeaten half century and fast bowler Haris Rauf grabbed four wickets as Pakistan upstaged Afghanistan by 39 runs in the tri-series opener in Sharjah on Friday.

Agha hit a 36-ball 53 not out with three sixes and as many boundaries which lifted Pakistan to 182-7 in their 20 overs.

Pacers Rauf took 4-31 and Shaheen Afridi 2-21, while spinners Mohammad Nawaz (2-23) and Sufiyan Muqeem (2-25) dismissed Afghanistan for 143 in 19.5 overs before a noisy capacity 16,000 crowd at the Sharjah stadium.

Afghanistan matched Pakistan with opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 27-ball 38 with a six and three boundaries, adding 51 for the second wicket with Sediqullah Atal, who made 23.

It was Rauf who changed the game with a two-wicket 12th over sending Atal and Karim Janat back without conceding a run.

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan smashed five sixes and a four in his whirlwind 16-ball 39 but fell to Rauf to end his team’s fight.

Earlier, Pakistan was lifted by Agha’s fourth T20I half century.

Agha anchored the innings admirably well after opener Sahibzada Farhan smashed two sixes and a boundary in his 10-ball 21 after Pakistan won the toss and batted.

Agha added 53 for the fifth wicket with Nawaz whose 11-ball 21 had two sixes and a boundary as the duo helped Pakistan get 51 runs in the last five overs.

Pakistan play hosts United Arab Emirates on Saturday. All three teams face each other twice with the top two playing the September 7 final.

The transfer window is only open across Europe until Sept. 1, so with only a few days left, what are ESPN’s reporters hearing about possible deals?

We bring you the latest updates and insights on the biggest transfer news.

Transfers homepage | Done deals | Men’s grades | Women’s grades

Will Liverpool land a striker (Alexander Isak) and defender (Marc Guéhi) before the deadline?

Liverpool have played the long game with Isak this summer. After their opening offer of £110 million was emphatically rejected earlier this month, the Premier League champions maintained a respectful distance to allow for Newcastle United to resolve their striker situation.

Now, with Eddie Howe’s side set to sign Nick Woltemade from VfB Stuttgart, the dominos could start to fall and allow for Isak to seal his move to Anfield, providing Liverpool return with an improved bid.

As far as Guéhi is concerned, talks with Crystal Palace have been ongoing for weeks and, with the FA Cup winners having qualified for the UEFA Conference League on Thursday night, proceedings could start to accelerate in the coming hours over a deal in the region of £35m. — Beth Lindop

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What can Newcastle expect from Nick Woltemade?

Archie Rhind-Tutt explains what Stuttgart striker Nick Woltemade could provide Newcastle amid links to the Premier League side.

Will Newcastle keep Isak and what can they do before the end of the window either way?

That’s the big question and only Newcastle’s Saudi owners truly know the answer. Progress in a £65m deal for Woltemade could unlock a move for Isak, but it’s still complicated. Don’t forget that Newcastle let Callum Wilson leave as a free agent in the summer, so their attacking options were already in need of reinforcement before the Isak situation became the saga of the transfer window.

If Woltemade signs and deals can be done to sign Brentford‘s Yoane Wissa or Wolves forward Jorgen Strand Larsen over the weekend, then that would open the door for Isak to leave — but Liverpool would also have to meet Newcastle’s valuation. There are still obstacles to overcome for Isak to move to Liverpool before the deadline, though they are not insurmountable. — Mark Ogden

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Laurens ‘surprised’ by Arsenal’s interest in Hincapié

Gab & Juls discuss Arsenal’s interest in Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Piero Hincapié.

Arsenal are closing on Piero Hincapié, but who could leave before the window closes?

Left-sided defender Jakub Kiwior is in advanced talks to join FC Porto and that would create space for Hincapié within the squad.

Winger Reiss Nelson, left back Oleksandr Zinchenko, and midfielders Fabio Vieira and Albert Sambi Lokonga, are among the others who could depart. There is a need to trim the squad after seven new arrivals totaling more than £260m. — James Olley

Man United finally look like they might be able to move some players on, but who will they be?

United are confident they will get deals done with Chelsea for Alejandro Garnacho and Real Betis for Antony. The sticking point with Garnacho had been United’s £50m valuation, but they have now agreed to move the winger on for a fixed fee of £40m and 10% of any future transfer.

There’s been very little interest in left back Tyrell Malacia this summer, but United think they can sort a late loan to get him out of the building. There’s not so much confidence with winger Jadon Sancho after he rejected moves to Chelsea and Roma.

A deal to take striker Rasmus Højlund to Napoli could also get over the line. Højlund initially wanted to stay and fight for his place at Old Trafford, but being dropped from the squad for three games in a row is a pretty strong message that he needs to move. — Rob Dawson

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What signings do Manchester United need before the transfer deadline?

Ian Darke and Rob Dawson believe Manchester United still need to sign at least two players as the end of the summer transfer window approaches.

Chelsea also need to move players on before they can sign anyone, right?

If they want to register them for the Champions League, yes. As per the terms of their UEFA punishment, Chelsea need a net positive transfer balance relating to the squad selected for last season’s Conference League if they want all their new signings to play in Europe this year. That means not all exits count: for example, João Félix‘s €50m move to Al Nassr isn’t included in UEFA’s accounting because he wasn’t registered for the Conference League.

That is why the departures of Nicolas Jackson (with Bayern Munich and Newcastle linked) and Christopher Nkunku (€42m to Milan) are important in helping bring in Garnacho and, potentially, RB Leipzig midfielder Xavi Simons. However, Spurs are frontrunners for the Netherlands midfielder now after agreeing a €60m move, and the Blues have to either respond or switch their attentions elsewhere, possibly to Fermín López at Barcelona. — Olley

And what of Spurs? They’ve struggled all window, with Savinho the latest target to seemingly stay put, so who is on their radar in the final few days?

Spurs have held an interest in Simons for some time and were understandably a little tentative to go for a player so heavily linked with another club (Chelsea) after what happened with Eberechi Eze‘s move to Arsenal. But they were given encouragement Simons was willing to join them, and that triggered them to act.

Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche and Lucas Paquetá at West Ham are among the other players under consideration. There was an enquiry for Marseille midfielder Adrien Rabiot, while sources say Spurs were exploring whether they could enter the running for Leicester City’s Bilal El Khannouss, who has been heavily linked with a move to Crystal Palace.

City might still let Savinho move if a big enough offer comes in and the same is also true of Como winger Nico Paz. Spurs are also open to bringing in a center back if the right target becomes available, but their priority with just a few days to go is strengthening the attacking positions. — Olley

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Why Gianluigi Donnarumma could be a bad fit for the Premier League

Julien Laurens and Don Hutchison discuss Gianluigi Donnarumma’s potential transfer to Manchester City.

A new goalkeeper is on the agenda for Man City, right? Anything else?

Not necessarily. There’s interest from Galatasaray in Ederson and City will only step up interest in Paris Saint-Germain‘s Gianluigi Donnarumma if he goes. It’s entirely possible that Ederson stays and fights for the No.1 shirt with James Trafford. As a result, City are working on finding backup goalkeeper Stefan Ortega a move before the deadline. — Dawson

Barcelona have been pretty quiet… what’s going on with them? Are they signing a defender? And is Fermin Lopez leaving?

Barça signed goalkeeper Joan García and forward Marcus Rashford (on loan from Man United) early on but have had their hands tied financially since. That could change in the final days of the window should someone leave, but that is looking increasingly unlikely. Fermin is one to keep an eye on, with plenty of Premier League interest in the midfielder, led by Chelsea and Newcastle.

However, Barça’s €90m asking price, coupled with the Spain international’s hesitance to leave, are making a late deal difficult to do. If Fermin does depart, Barça could look at adding a defender to the squad — they’ve looked at Monaco’s Vanderson — but, again, time and money is against them. — Sam Marsden

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Does Alonso now believe in Rodrygo?

Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss whether they think Real Madrid manager Xabi Alonso now believes in Rodrygo as he started in their 3-0 win against Oviedo.

What’s the latest on the future of Real Madrid forward Rodrygo? Will he leave? And could Madrid sign anyone if Dani Ceballos moves on?

At the time of writing, Rodrygo’s situation remains as it has all summer: Madrid have received no concrete offer for the player from any of the clubs he’s been linked with. So, as it stands, he’ll be staying put. He started for Madrid last weekend, picked in his preferred position on the left side by coach Xabi Alonso, and that was viewed as a positive step.

As for Ceballos, it looks like he’s staying too, after his U-turn on a move to Marseille. Sources have told ESPN that his camp are still in touch with Real Betis, which would be his preferred move, but a transfer that’s acceptable to all parties would be difficult to pull off, given Betis’ finances. — Alex Kirkland

The Women’s Super League window closes on Sept. 4, anything major going on?

WSL champions Chelsea have been hoping to bring in a winger for some time but, after a productive window, they are content with where the squad is at.

Meanwhile, Manchester United are hoping to sign two forwards before the window shuts. Having made only two signings this window, the is a serious lack of depth in the side. The failed signing of Germany striker Giovanna Hoffmann has only made United more desperate to get deals over the line in the next few days. — Emily Keogh

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Will Giovanni Reyna benefit from the expectations at Gladbach?

Alejandro Moreno assesses Giovanni Reyna’s move to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Any other interesting deals in the works?

– Man City defender Manuel Akanji is one to keep an eye on, as Galatasaray, Crystal Palace, AC Milan and Bayer Leverkusen have all expressed interest. City will accept offers of around £15m, which is considered a relative bargain by a lot of clubs. — Dawson

– Monaco defensive midfielder Soungoutou Magassa is closing on a move to West Ham. Magassa, 21, progressed through Monaco’s youth academy but is now set to move to London for around €20m. — Julien Laurens

– Villarreal are negotiating the €7m transfer of Sevilla striker Rubén Vargas, following the expected €30m departure of Yeremy Pino to Palace. Meanwhile, Villarreal continue to search for another striker, as the departure of Etta Eyong (who has been linked with Barcelona) can’t be ruled out. — Rodra

– Sevilla striker Dodi Lukebakio is highly valued among Premier League clubs and could be on the move as his club are open to letting him go. — Rodra

– Rayados continue their search for a forward, with Getafe‘s Borja Mayoral top of the list of candidates. If Mayoral’s signing is not finalized, Rayados will consider other options: Julián Carranza, Peter Musa, Rafael Navarro, and even former Real Madrid star James Rodríguez. Meanwhile, Argentine goalkeeper Esteban Andrada wants to extend his contract until 2027, and is not considering a move to Saudi Arabia, despite interest from several clubs. — Oscar Gallardo, ESPN Deportes

– Vasco da Gama are interested in Pumas defender Nathan Silva. Sources have confirmed to ESPN that Pumas have received an initial offer to sign Silva and though the player is happy in Mexico, he hasn’t ruled out returning to his home country. — Adriana Maldonado, ESPN Deportes

When it comes to Grand Slam tournaments, American tennis star Coco Gauff doesn’t mess around with her look. 

The U.S. Open is the calendar finale of the Grand Slams each year, and she said that she’s planned her outfits for tournaments like this in advance. 

As some questioned why she gets all glammed up – having her hair and nails done for the tournament, along with coordinated outfits – Gauff defended the choice. 

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As the saying goes: “Look good, play good.”

“I don’t know why it’s such a big deal what women choose to do with their on-court or off-court looks,” Gauff said in a Vogue Beauty Secrets video.

“I’m like, ‘I’m a human. Tennis is what I do, but it’s not who I am. And I like to express my way just like any other person likes to express themselves.’”

AMERICAN TENNIS STAR COCO GAUFF MAKES MAJOR CHANGE JUST DAYS BEFORE US OPEN

Gauff added that it’s “very rare” she has all three areas of her look planned – hair, nails and outfit – but she has focused on that just as much as preparing for her opponents. 

“For me, that’s just showing up on court being the best version of myself. But I definitely think if women want to do that, they should be celebrated and not persecuted for it,” Gauff said. 

Coco Gauff enters to play Donna Vekic (not pictured) on day five of the 2025 U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 28, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)

Gauff, who is ranked third in women’s singles at the U.S. Open, won her first two matches to move on to the third round this Saturday against No. 28 Magdalena Fręch. 

During her second-round match against Croatian Donna Vekić, which ended in a straight-sets victory for Gauff, 7-6 (7-5), 6-2, she sported a red New Balance top with a red band around her waist, accompanied by a white skirt. She also had on a maroon headband and arm band during the match. 

It was the same look she had in her first-round match against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic. 

Coco Gauff hits to Donna Vekic (not pictured) on day five of the 2025 U.S. Open tennis tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Aug. 28, 2025. (Robert Deutsch/Imagn Images)

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Gauff is hoping she can show off her style with another U.S. Open win, having collected the women’s singles title in 2023. She also won the French Open this year – another Grand Slam on the schedule.

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