Burgin sets personal best at Diamond League Rabat
British middle-distance runner Max Burgin ran a personal best time as he finished second in the 800m at the Diamond League meeting in Rabat.The 23-year-old beat Olympic champion, Kenya's Emmanuel Wanyonyi, into third place with a time of one minute 43.34 seconds.Botswana's Tshepiso Masalela won in a meeting record time of 1:42.69, ahead of Olympic finalist Burgin.Kenya's Beatrice Chebet, the Olympic champion over both 5,000m and 10,000m, ran the second-fastest 3,000m of all time to win in Morocco.Her time of 8:11.56 is second only to the 8:06.11 run by China's Wang Junxia - a record that has stood since 1993.Elsewhere Jamaican spinter Shericka Jackson, the two-time 200m world champion, claimed victory in her first 100m race of the season, in 11.04secs.South Africa's Akani Simbine ran 9.90secs to clinch his third 100m Diamond League win of the year in the men's race, in which Olympic 200m champion Letsile Tebogo struggled and finished last, before withdrawing from the 200m event.Another withdrawal in Rabat was British pole vaulter Molly Caudery, leaving America's world champion Katie Moon to take victory.Caudery, who won the event at last week's Doha meeting, had pulled out after she felt a niggle in her warm-up.Finally, Dutch sprint star and world champion Femke Bol started her summer season with victory in the 400m hurdles.
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The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Kagiso Rabada lays down marker of excellence with fiery spells for South Africa
Given there was a certain scepticism about South Africa's suitability for a place in this final – their spot secured through a run of good results, mostly at home, in short series that notably did not involve either of the two sides ranked a long way ahead of them – perhaps they needed an early marker of excellence, a demonstration of merit. Fortunately they had just the man. At 10.30am, the ground still filling, the pre-match pyrotechnic mist cleared with Kagiso Rabada at the Nursery End, ball in hand. Perhaps Usman Khawaja's personal fog lingered a while longer, the first ball of the day zinging past his outside edge and sending the Australian opener into survival mode. Rabada started his day with a maiden, and then another, and then another. Khawaja faced every delivery, including a couple more that he barely survived. And then, two balls into Rabada's fourth over of the day, one he didn't. It was not only because of those fireworks, or the helpfully overcast conditions, that Rabada started this game under a cloud. Temba Bavuma insisted beforehand that the drug test his teammate failed in January, leading to a month-long suspension in April, had left Rabada with nothing but extra motivation, adding that his bowler was 'in the best shape he's ever been'. Kyle Verreynne described him as 'without a doubt the best bowler in the world', a bold but not outlandish claim (Rabada has frequently topped the ICC's Test rankings and is currently second, albeit with India's Jasprit Bumrah in the far distance) cautiously backed up by David Bedingham, who went with the slightly more equivocal: 'I genuinely think he's the best bowler in the world.' Later in the day Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc all made compelling cases of their own for this accolade, and while Verreynne and Bedingham are obviously biased, in this form, and in this place, he was all but irresistible. Cricketing mythology has it that unfamiliarity with the Dukes ball and the Lord's slope disadvantages visiting teams, but Rabada used both expertly to coax the ball into marginal diversions from its path, and to befuddle his opponents. The scoreboard will tell you that Beau Webster was the most successful of them, but it disguises a period after lunch during which the 31-year-old seemed unable to understand what was happening to him, just as those watching struggled to work out how he negotiated it. Rabada's first spell of six overs yielded just nine runs and two wickets, Cameron Green becoming the second when he, like Khawaja, was well caught at slip. His second brought 26 runs, no wickets, but brilliant entertainment. There was one notably poor delivery, perhaps his only one of the day, which Steve Smith dealt with appropriately, before he got to work on Webster, and soon this Beau was tied up in knots. Twice the ball jagged off a wobble seam, veered up the slope and just cleared the stumps; one stayed low as Webster slashed at it, another rose just high enough to clear the top edge; another faded away and just past the outside, a fourth hit the inside but was diverted into pad rather than wicket. Then there was one that crashed into Webster's back pad as it arrowed towards middle stump, halfway up. A second sound saved him, perhaps the bat clipping a pad. 'Did he hit it?' Bavuma asked as the countdown timer showed the seconds ticking away for a possible review. Webster was on nine. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion He had scored another 63 by the time Rabada made amends, during a spell after tea that brought three more wickets and with them a place on the honours board. He also took five in the first innings the last time he played at Lord's, three years ago, and perhaps Stuart Broad's brief stint as South Africa's bowling consultant, focused on preparing their bowlers for this ground's unique challenges, had not been entirely necessary. Rabada has always been an enthusiast for this format, but not so much for this competition. 'I would imagine all great players who play all formats would say Test cricket is their favourite format. It is the same for me,' he said last year. And then, a few months later: 'Winning the World Test Championship would not completely satisfy me. The 50-over World Cup has so much value and history. The World Test Championship is not there yet, it's a new thing.' One imagines there might be a different answer if that question were asked today. Whatever, Rabada's excellence is anything but a new thing. What remains unknown is whether it will be enough.
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Tuchel searches for England's missing joy after worrying defeat to Senegal
It was 11pm on Tuesday and it sounded as if there was some kind of road rage incident on the forecourt of the City Ground in Nottingham. All that could be heard was the deep blare of a horn from a large vehicle, which went on for an uncomfortably long time. Then the realisation dawned. It was the Senegal team bus and the driver was geeing up the gaggle of fans draped in the country's colours, still ecstatic at how they had beaten England 3-1. The celebrations had got into full swing when Cheikh Sabaly, on as a substitute, swept home the clinching goal in stoppage time, the Senegal bench emptying, everybody wanting in on it. No team from Africa had beaten England before and it did not matter it was a friendly. The scene in the visiting dressing room was probably best described – as heard – by Thomas Tuchel. 'The players came in … it was next to my changing room … screaming: 'Senegal!' The next one: 'Senegal!'' the England head coach said. 'Hitting on boxes and whatever. It was not offensive. It was nice to see what it means to them.' Tuchel wondered how his players would have reacted if they had won 3-1. 'Would player after player go in the dressing room, would the coach go in the dressing room, screaming: 'England'? Would the players jump up and down? Or would we all say: 'Hey guys, it's a friendly match, this is what we expect'?' Tuchel's question was essentially rhetorical. England would not have been overjoyed. 'We would have said: 'Calm down, it's just a friendly, it was good but OK … a good development, put it into context,'' he said. 'It shows me what it means to them, an excitement and joy to celebrate this victory. We are not there at the moment. 'We expect a lot from us. I get it because we expect also a lot from us and myself. I'm missing a little bit the excitement and laughter and the joy. I see it in training. I saw a glimpse of it after the 2-1 [for Senegal in the 62nd minute]. I liked the reaction [to that goal]. But in general: no.' For Tuchel, something is missing and he seems a little baffled. When he breezed into the job, it was with talk of a quick and aggressive approach, of Premier League passions, of a band of brothers high-fiving their way to World Cup glory. The famous Tommy Tuchel main character energy would light a fire in everyone. It has not happened, the overall sense being a heaviness of body and soul, safe passes into feet, not enough dynamic running or risk-taking. It is a worry. Tuchel is not the first England coach to see a gap between how the players express themselves at club level and for the national team; how happiness and freedom can be overtaken by fear of what might go wrong, a desire just to muddle through. Against Senegal, there were other causes for alarm, starting with a back four that has a transitional feel with John Stones injured and Tuchel looking beyond Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw. It was easy to fret about the fourth member of the defensive line that has served England so well for so long. Kyle Walker was awfully slow to react to Ismaïla Sarr's run for the Senegal equaliser and it chimed with a jittery performance undermined by an apparent lack of certainty in the attribute that has always sustained him: pace. Has it finally deserted him? Tuchel made the point that Walker lacked rhythm after a disrupted end to the season with Milan, mainly because of a broken arm. It was his first start since 5 April. Tuchel also said it was vital that Walker, and every other England player, was able to resolve his club situation. Walker is back at Manchester City, but he will not go with them to the Club World Cup. The 35-year-old has been written off before, not least when he went more than a year without a cap under Gareth Southgate from the summer of 2019. He must find the answers again if he is to reach 100 caps. He is on 96. There were errors across the defence against Senegal; the first two concessions, in particular, so cheap after routine balls over the top. Trevoh Chalobah was exposed on the first, Myles Lewis-Skelly on the second. Then there was the structure as England tried to build out from the goalkeeper, Dean Henderson. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The team were static, the options not there, which also took in those in midfield. Passes went astray under pressure. Tuchel needs time to finesse the patterns and it will be vital to master a controlled, possession-based approach for the expected high temperatures at the World Cup next summer. He does not have time. The good bit against Senegal, after the stodge of the 1-0 qualifying win over Andorra in Barcelona on Saturday, came in response to Habib Diarra's goal for 2-1. With Morgan Gibbs-White and Morgan Rogers on and Eberechi Eze coming alive, there was speed and intensity, promising combinations. Tuchel would also introduce Jude Bellingham and Noni Madueke in the 71st minute. An equaliser looked on, although it did not come, Bellingham having a goal disallowed towards the end. There were questions within this, including where it left Harry Kane, who made way for Rogers. The captain scored England's early goal and caught the eye, dropping deep to make turns and play searching passes. However, the team danced to his tune and played at a slower pace. Perhaps, as Tuchel has suggested, England will need more than one way of working. As Tuchel assesses the camp, he will know there were mitigating factors for the performances. The tired legs after a gruelling club season. The awkward break between its climax and the international matches, the need for many players to effectively clock back on. The lack of jeopardy against Andorra and Senegal. Tuchel is fond of telling reporters what the headline in their newspapers should be. So, what was it after Senegal? 'Your headline is maybe a bit harder than I would make a headline,' he said, with a smile. 'Headline: yeah … a lot to learn.'
The Guardian
3 hours ago
- The Guardian
Starc leads Australia fightback after Rabada stars for South Africa on day one of WTC final
South Africa have had to put up with a fair few grumbles about their place in this World Test Championship final and grew tired of the topic during the build-up. Other than pointing folks in the direction of the International Cricket Council, the teams who can afford to arrange more fixtures, and the league table they topped, the only response they could really give was to compete out on the field. It was a case of mission accomplished with the ball, at least, even if a topsy-turvy opening day that saw 14 wickets fall ended with Australia in the ascendancy. Led by Kagiso Rabada, a player dogged by headlines about his recent ban for cocaine use, the Proteas were delighted to skittle the defending champions for 212 in two-and-a-half sessions, only to close on a troubling 43 for four in reply. A penny for the thoughts of Temba Bavuma. Other than missing the chance to review what would have been a three-red lbw against Beau Webster on nine – the giant all-rounder went on to top score with 72 – South Africa's captain had enjoyed a pretty faultless day in the field. It helps to have a bowler with the qualities of Rabada, who claimed five for 51, but Bavuma still shuffled his pack shrewdly. And yet by the close Bavuma found himself clinging on for dear life amid a clatter of wickets, reaching three not out after taking 31 balls to get off the mark. It was tough going out there, Mitchell Starc wiping out both openers, Pat Cummins castling auxiliary No 3 Wiann Mulder, and Josh Hazlewood doing the same to Tristan Stubbs. Bavuma will resume alongside David Bedingham in the morning, the pair charged with chiselling away at a 169-run deficit. Ali Martin's full report to follow
