Cricket

Lahore, Pakistan: Pavan Rathnayake's brilliant century proved futile as England defended a massive 387-run target to defeat Sri Lanka by 55 runs in Thursday's dead-rubber ODI at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Sri Lanka's Pavan Rathnayake plays a shot during the one-day international (ODI) tri-series cricket match between England and Sri Lanka at the Gaddafi stadium in Lahore on October 29, 2026. (Photo by ARIF ALI / AFP) On the same day last week, Rathnayake scored an epic 130 in Sri Lanka's 430-run chase in Rawalpindi but this time his 77-ball 118 was not enough as Sri Lanka were dismissed for 331 in 45.1 overs. England opener Ben Duckett had earlier smashed his highest ODI score of 167 to propel England to 386-5. With 87 needed in the last ten overs Sri Lanka were on course for another upset victory but hopes vanished when spinner Liam Dawson dismissed Rathnayake caught off a miscued sweep in the 45th over. Dawson finished with career best figures of 4-49, while Sonny Baker finished with 2-75. Besides Rathnayake's third ODI hundred, skipper Kusal Mendis chipped in with a 71-ball 89 with five sixes and eight boundaries to keep Sri Lanka in the hunt. Despite the loss Sri Lanka can take heart for Saturday's final against Pakistan -- also in Lahore -- with sloppy England departing with just one win in four games. Rathnayake, who hit 15 boundaries and a six, added 80 for the third wicket off just 59 balls with Mendis to keep England at bay. Mendis had earlier added 84 for the second wicket with Avishka Fernando, who scored a quickfire 48. Rathnayake kept the fight with a 72-run stand for the fifth wicket with Janith Liyanage (30) but Baker broke the stand to bring England back in the gameDuckett's 132-ball knock included 24 boundaries, anchoring the innings along with Tom Banton's 74 runs after England were put in to bat. Duckett, whose previous highest was 165 against Australia in the Champions Trophy at the same venue last year, put on 163 for the opening wicket with Banton. Banton's 75-ball knock had two sixes and eight boundaries. Duckett added another rapid 107 off just 75 balls for the second wicket with Harry Brook, with skipper Brook hitting two sixes and three fours in his 34-ball 44. Duckett finally fell to a miscued scoop off Eshan Malinga in the 42nd over. Jordan Cox, with 43 runs, Will Jacks's 30 and Sam Curran, who was 21 not out, helped England add 92 runs in the last ten overs. Pacer Asitha Fernando chipped in with 2-63 but fellow pacer Malinga's only wicket cost 101 runs.

Baseball

Miami: The Milwaukee Brewers defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 on Wednesday to capture their maiden Major League BaseballWorld Series title in franchise history. Rookie shortstop Cooper Pratt drove in one run, plated another with a sacrifice fly and scored as the Brewers -- denied a sweep by the Rays' thrilling extra-innings comeback win on Tuesday -- celebrated a four games to one victory in the best-of-seven series at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. Milwaukee's first World Series title comes 44 years after their only other trip to the Fall Classic, when they lost to St. Louis in seven games in 1982. "This is one of the greatest moments of my life. Oh my gosh," said the 22-year-old Pratt, who made his major league debut in June. "It doesn't even feel real. This is surreal." The Brewers, who swept the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League Championship Series, gained an early 1-0 edge on Pratt's single to center field that scored Brice Turang in the top of the second inning. Pratt was cut down trying to reach second base and the Rays escaped the inning without further damage. Pratt singled again -- his sixth hit in six straight at-bats -- and scored on David Hamilton's single up the middle as the Brewers doubled their lead in the top of the fifth. Milwaukee added two more runs for a 4-0 lead in the sixth, when Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger hit Christian Yelich to open the inning. William Contreras followed with a double to left field that scored Yelich. Contreras, who drove in four runs in the series, was named World Series Most Valuable Player, the third Venezuelan to earn the award. After Turang belted a single, Tyler Wells took the mound for Tampa Bay. He struck out Sal Frelick before Pratt lofted a sacrifice fly to right field that allowed Contreras to score. Milwaukee's flame-throwing pitching ace Jacob Misiorowski, who led the major leagues with 252 strikeouts in the regular season, recorded just two. But the pitcher almost certain to win the National League Cy Young Award hurled five and two-thirds scoreless innings, giving up just two hits before exiting with apparent leg cramps. "I don't even have words. It's amazing, just watching my guys celebrate," Misiorowski said. "I know they're going crazy in Milwaukee. It's awesome." Misiorowski didn't get his first strikeout of the game until the fourth inning. He then gave up a two-out single to Chandler Simpson, who reached second on a fielding error by Sal Frelick as Liam Hicks -- who had reached first when he was hit by a Misiorowski pitch -- advanced to third. Misiorowski escaped the jam when Ben Williamson grounded out to third to strand the Rays runners in scoring position. Brewers fans were a raucous presence at Tropicana Field. Pratt said the expectations added to the pressure -- and the satisfaction. "It's loud, it's crazy. The pressure is out of this world," he said. "It's some of the hardest but most fun baseball I've ever been a part of. "I messed up a lot of times this postseason. But the guys picked me up, and we're here, and we're world champions." Trailing by four runs, the Rays got a glimmer of a chance in the bottom of the seventh when Simpson's one-out chopper was mis-handled by Brewers catcher Contreras, whose high throw down the right field line allowed Simpson to make it to second base. Simpson reached third base on Richie Palacios's ground out, but Brewers reliever Abner Uribe retired Victor Mesa Jr. to end the threat. Simpson drove in the Rays' only run, with a double in the bottom of the ninth, but there would be no miracle comeback and the Rays remain in search of a first title, having now come up empty in three World Series appearances.

Tennis

Paris: Stan Wawrinka bid farewell to tennis as he brought the curtain down on a decorated 24-year career following a first-round exit at the Basel Open on Tuesday. The 41-year-old Swiss announced earlier in the season that his last tournament as a professional would be the ATP 500-level event in his home country and a 7-5, 7-6 (7/2) defeat by Czech Jiri Lehecka brought an end to the career of the three-time major champion. Former world number three Wawrinka, along with Andy Murray, was the only player to win multiple Grand Slams in a period dominated by Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. He bested Nadal to win his first Grand Slam at the Australian Open in 2014, before beating Djokovic in the French Open final the following season and then again in the US Open title-match in 2016. Alongside his compatriot Federer, the Lausanne native won the Davis Cup for Switzerland and claimed gold in the doubles at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. On court in Basel, Wawrinka’s every point won, as well as several trademark booming one-handed backhands, was greeted by wild cheers from the partisan home crowd. But Lehecka got his nose in front with a break of serve in the 11th game and sealed the opening set with an ace as he held to love. A tight second set rumbled towards a tie-break, but it was just a step too far for Wawrinka as his 21st-ranked opponent took firm control to seal the breaker and the match.