
History Made! Australia Fends Off Japan To Clinch First FIBA Women's Asia Cup Title
However, missed opportunities—including two missed free throws—proved costly for Japan. Clutch baskets from Australia's Alexandra Fowler and Alex Brooke Wilson helped the Opals regain control as time slipped away for their opponents.
Historic Triumph for the Opals
Ranked second in the world by FIBA, Australia erupted in celebration at the final buzzer, finally putting an end to their Asia Cup title drought.
Fowler, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, led her team with 15 points. Wilson added 14 points, while point guard Stephanie Reid contributed 13 in the championship win.
Despite the loss, Japan's teenage phenom Kokoro Tanaka impressed once again. The 19-year-old, who scored 27 points in Japan's semi-final win over host nation China, finished the final with 21 points and nine assists, capping a breakout tournament.
China Secures Bronze with Zhang's Dominance

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
an hour ago
- News18
Karthi eyes India comeback after key learnings on Europe tour with India A
Bengaluru, Jul 23 (PTI) Tamil Nadu forward Karthi Selvam is hopeful of earning a recall to the Senior India men's hockey squad after gaining valuable experience on the recent India 'A' tour of Europe, which he believes has boosted his chances of donning national colours again. Karthi, who last represented the senior India side at the Asian Champions Trophy in Chennai in 2023, said the exposure and the specific inputs he received from the coaching staff have given him fresh belief to push for a place in the core group. 'The recent India 'A' tour to Europe has instilled fresh hope for India comeback for me," Karthi stated in a Hockey India release. 'It's going to be two years since I last wore the India colours and there've been a lot of learnings for me in this tour which had a combination of young players and those who have played for India," he added. The India 'A' squad is now back at the SAI centre in Bengaluru, where they will train alongside the senior core group and be in contention for selection for the upcoming Australia tour and the Asia Cup in Rajgir, Bihar next month. Karthi's return to the probables was prompted by a strong showing for Tamil Nadu Dragons in the revamped Hockey India League earlier this year, which impressed the selectors enough to include him in the national camp and the development squad under coach and former India striker Shivendra Singh. The India 'A' side began the tour brightly with back-to-back wins over Ireland (6-1 and 6-0) and a win and a loss against France (3-2 and 0-2). They ran England close in a narrow 2-3 defeat, before going down 1-3 to Belgium and 0-3 and 2-8 to the Netherlands. 'We started the tour very well and the match against England was also quite close. But we couldn't finish the tour on a high with the Netherlands posing stiff competition. Overall, it was a top experience for us," he said. The young forward credited the coaching team for helping him refine his game, particularly on off-the-ball tactics. 'There have been some specific inputs that Craig (Fulton) has given me and also Cosma, our Analytical Coach, has provided valuable inputs for my game particularly on off-the-ball tactics. I've been implementing this in my game and look forward to breaking into the India side again," Karthi said. Karthi knows the challenge ahead remains stiff. 'There is still a lot of hard work to do. There is a fine difference in how the senior team performs and how we have fared as a development team. There are some gaps that we need to work on, and that will be our focus in this camp," he concluded. PTI TAP KHS KHS view comments First Published: July 23, 2025, 13:00 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)

First Post
2 hours ago
- First Post
Asia Cup meeting may not hold up legally; Bangladesh caught in crossfire as PCB makes last-ditch effort: Report
The venue of the Asia Cup meeting has triggered an India vs Pakistan standoff in the cricketing world, with the PCB adamant about holding the Asian Cricket Council AGM in Dhaka. However, they may not receive enough support. read more The venue for the upcoming Asia Cup meeting has become the new battleground for India and Pakistan. Image: PTI With the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) enjoying the support of major Test-playing nations like Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, there's a high chance the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Annual General Meeting (AGM) scheduled for 24 and 25 July in Dhaka, Bangladesh, may not hold any legal value. The ACC meeting is expected to deliver a solution on the Asia Cup 2025 standoff. There have been question marks over the future of the Asia Cup 2025 since the Pahalgam terror attack. Cricket fans in India have been demanding a boycott of all matches against Pakistan and it also led to the cancellation of the India vs Pakistan match last week in the World Championship of Legends (WCL). STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Asia Cup meeting to fail legal test? Nonetheless, BCCI has communicated to ACC that the venue for the meeting needs to be shifted away from Bangladesh due to India's deteriorating relationship with the country. They have also postponed the ODI series to Bangladesh in August 2025 to next year. The ACC, which is currently chaired by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) head Mohsin Naqvi, is reportedly adamant about holding the ACGM in Dhaka, but they may not have enough members attending the meeting. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the ACC constitution states that at least 10 full or Associate members (non-Test playing nations) need to be part of the AGM for a valid quorum, which may not be possible as Sri Lanka and Afghanistan are also ready to boycott the meeting. Nepal, UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Qatar are remaining full members of ACC. The Associate members include Bahrain, Bhutan, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Maldives, Japan, Iran, China, Myanmar and Indonesia. As per Cricbuzz, Oman, Nepal, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar and Indonesia may also skip the meeting. PCB makes last-ditch effort The report further adds that PCB's Naqvi was in Kabul on Sunday in an attempt to persuade Afghanistan to attend the ACC meeting, but the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has assured BCCI that they will boycott the AGM in Dhaka. BCCI's refusal, meanwhile, has become a major issue for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), where one faction has even asked Aminul Islam, the BCB president, to cancel the meeting. 'Bulbul (Aminul) was requested to cancel the meeting as some of the board directors were not ready to do anything that can hurt the BCCI but the president insisted that he had given his word so cannot return back after giving his words to PCB,' a BCB source told Cricbuzz.


India.com
5 hours ago
- India.com
Pakistan Hockey Federation unlikely to send team to India for Asia Cup, due to...
Pakistan Hockey team The Pakistan Hockey federation has informed the International Hockey Federation that they won't send the team to India for the Asia Cup next month, citing 'security concerns' PHF President Tariq Bugti said that they have written to both the FIH and the Asian Hockey Federation (AHF), over sending team to India. 'We have informed them that in the existing scenario, our team will face security risks playing in India,' he said. 'We have informed them our players are also not keen to travel to India for the Asia Cup which is also a direct qualifying tournament,' he added. The PHF said that now the decision is with the FIH and AHF to take the final call over the event and Pakistan's matches. 'We have asked them to let us know what guarantee is there that our players will be safe in India and will be able to focus on the tournament,' he said. Tariq Bugti cites security concerns for not sending the team to India Although the Pakistani government has not yet released an official statement on the matter, a senior government official recently declared that the team would not visit India. Following a terrorist attack in Pahalgam in April, tensions between the neighboring nations grew, leading India to launch airstrikes that destroyed hostile elements threatening the country's security. Although a ceasefire was reached after several days of conflict, the damage to mutual trust appears to be irreparable, with numerous sporting events subsequently affected. Indian Sports Ministry has granted permission to Pakistan hockey team to play in India The Pakistani hockey team has been given permission by the Indian Sports Ministry to compete in the Asia Cup, which is being held in India. The ministry clarified that it has no issues with any team participating in international competitions hosted in India, according to media reports. It did, however, insist that India and Pakistan would not participate in any bilateral athletic events. Since the Pahalgam attack in April, which killed 26 civilians, tensions between the two countries have been high. Since the Asia Cup started in 2011, India has emerged victorious five times. South Korea's only victory came in Dhaka in 2021, while Pakistan has won the championship three times.