• 2nd T20: England, 304-2, bt South Africa, 158, by 146 runs

• Hosts hit their highest T20 total to go level in the series

England made history, and for the first time more than 300 runs, on an extraordinary night in Manchester as they buried South Africa under a mountain of runs and shredded ­statistics. The highest total in the team’s T20 history was turbocharged by a brilliant opening stand of 126 between Phil Salt and Jos Buttler and by the nation’s highest individual score, Salt knocking himself off the top of that chart with an unbeaten 141. So within a week and against the same opponents they have set national records for winning margins in both one-day internationals and now T20s, the difference here an almost comic 146 runs.

From the very start, with boundaries struck off each of the first three balls of the day, Salt tore into South Africa’s bowling much as he would in time tear up the record books. The result was the third highest team total in the history of international T20s, behind only Zimbabwe’s 344 against Gambia last year and Nepal’s 314 against Mongolia in 2023, and an implausible target of 305 for the visitors to chase.

• Leigh 28-10 St Helens

• Leopards run in five tries in impressve display

Leigh Leopards confirmed a home tie in the opening round of the playoffs for both themselves and Leeds Rhinos after inflicting more misery on St Helens – who look anything but Super League Grand Final contenders at precisely the wrong time of the season.

Adrian Lam’s side have never ­finished inside the top four in Super League but they are now in pole position to claim third spot ahead of the playoffs starting in a fortnight’s time. They were far superior to the fifth-placed Saints, whose poor form against the better teams in the ­competition continued here with another insipid display.

Arsenal came from behind for the second time in two games to move top of the Women’s Super League. This time it was an own goal from goalkeeper Daphne van Domselaar that put them in trouble, before strikes by Frida Maanum, Stina Blackstenius, Caitlin Foord and two from Alessia Russo ensured the European champions maintained a 100% start to the season.

It is early in the new campaign but in a 12-team league every point matters and for a side desperate to stop Chelsea from winning a seventh consecutive title, dropping points so soon into the campaign would be bruising. This is a new Arsenal though, one fuelled by a fire lit by their phenomenal defeat of Barcelona in the Champions League final in May. They know they can beat the best, now they have to prove they can beat the best, the worst and those in between consistently.

Ruben Amorim inherited a mess but his position being under threat so early is simply life in football’s hottest seat

Soap opera, wall-to‑wall media coverage, a sporting Truman Show and real-life panopticon. Ruben Amorim, like those before him, blinks in the glare of the endless fascination with Manchester United’s leading man, and may wonder whether this is the impossible job.

Three games into a first full campaign the 40-year-old seemed to believe so. The desultory 12-11 Carabao Cup penalty shootout defeat at Grimsby followed a 1-0 loss to Arsenal and 1-1 draw at Fulham. Three matches, zero wins, and the executioner’s song began to wail for the Portuguese’s job security.

Duke says serving others has saved him as he announces support for veterans through his Invictus foundation

Prince Harry laid a wreath at a flower and flag memorial to Ukraine’s war dead in Kyiv’s Maidan Square during a surprise visit to support the country in its fight against Russia, as well as its thousands of seriously injured veterans.

Harry said he wanted to do “everything possible” to help the recovery of the thousands of military personnel who have been seriously injured in the three-year war against Russia.

Top Senate Republican says Democrats see shutdown as ‘politically advantageous’ as 30 September deadline looms

The US government is drawing nearer to a potential shutdown after Donald Trump told Republicans on Friday “don’t even bother dealing with” the Democrats , whose congressional leaders are refusing to support spending bills that do not include their healthcare priorities.

Congress is up against an end-of-the-month deadline to approve legislation funding the federal government, otherwise many departments will stop work and employees will be told to stay home. While the Senate and House of Representatives have made some progress on passing the 12 appropriations bills that make up the budget, it seems certain that Congress will need to pass a short-term measure to keep the government open beyond 30 September.

Watchdog says there are also allegations of discriminatory and misogynistic comments, centring on Charing Cross police station

Nine Scotland Yard officers have been suspended after an investigation was launched into claims of excessive use of force and the making of discriminatory and misogynistic comments.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the allegations centre on Charing Cross police station in central London, the source of a previous scandal for the Metropolitan police.

After disastrous week, some MPs predict challenge likely if local and Welsh elections go badly next May

Keir Starmer has been warned that time is running out to repair his faltering premiership, with Labour MPs beginning to ask whether he could be challenged as prime minister.

After a disastrous week which saw Angela Rayner resign and Peter Mandelson sacked as ambassador to Washington, a number of MPs said a challenge was likely if local and Welsh elections went badly next May. Some said the one thing currently protecting Starmer was the lack of an agreed replacement.

• Belgian rider wins his third stage of 2025 race

• Vingegaard adds four seconds to overall lead

Belgium’s Jasper Philipsen sprinted clear at the end of stage 19 to seal his third win at this year’s Vuelta a España on Friday while overall leader Jonas Vingegaard added four seconds to his advantage over Joño Almeida.

After 160km of relatively flat riding in west central Spain, Alpecin-Deceuninck’s Philipsen burst to the front near the finish and never looked like being caught.