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Australia and China win FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2022

news editor — Mon, 11 Jul 2022 07:18:04 +0000

SINGAPORE – Australia’s men and China’s women won the FIBA 3×3 Asia Cup 2022, which took place in the footsteps of Singapore’s iconic Marina Bay Sands on July 6-10.

Australia completed a three-peat after defeating New Zealand 21-17 in a thriller of a final. Sharpshooter Andrew Steel had ice in his veins to finish with 8 points along with big man Daniel Johnson.

New sensation Jesse Wagstaff wrapped up the title with a layup and also won MVP after leading the scoring charts with 42 points from 5 games. He was joined on the Team of the Tournament by New Zealand’s Nikau McCullough and 23-year-old Jiaren Zhao, who led China to a podium finish.

In the men’s bronze medal game, a youthful China repeated their result from 2019 after surviving a furious challenge from the Philippines to prevail 20-18. Zeyi Liu was unstoppable in the paint to finish with 9 points, while Philippines star Almond Vosotros finished a spectacular tournament with 8 points.

In the women’s category, Tokyo Olympic and Crelan FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2022 bronze medalist China won their first-ever Asia Cup after shutting down defending champs Australia to win 14-10 and cap a dominant run.

Towering ZhiTing Zhang scored a game-high 6 points while Kun Huang added 5 points as China ended Australia’s hopes of a repeat.

China superstar Lili Wang was named MVP after once again showing her liking for the big stage having made the Team of the Tournament at the recent World Cup.

Joining Wang in the Team of the Tournament were rising star Anneli Maley (Australia) and bucket getter Kimberley Pierre-Louis, who led surprise packet Indonesia to a fairy-tale podium finish from qualifying after topping the overall scoring charts with 54 points from 5 games.

In the women’s bronze medal game, Indonesia created history with their first Asia Cup medal after upsetting Japan 21-17 in a tense clash. Pierre-Louis continued her scoring binge with an insane 14 points to crush the hearts of Japan who were hoping to repeat their bronze finish from 2019.

The gold medals were presented by FIBA Secretary General Andreas Zagklis and International Olympic Committee vice-president Ng Ser Miang.

Both Australia and China are now qualified for the FIBA 3×3 World Cup 2023.

It was the fifth edition of the Asia Cup, the first since 2019, and played in Singapore, where 3×3 was memorably unleashed to the world at the Youth Olympic Games in 2010.

Belgium tops France for No. 5 in ranking; Korea, Nigeria and Bosnia and Herzegovina also move up

news editor — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 10:52:13 +0000

MIES (Switzerland) – The latest FIBA World Ranking Women, presented by Nike, has several teams rewarded after solid results at the recent FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup 2022 Qualifying Tournaments in Osaka (Japan), Belgrade (Serbia), and Washington D.C. (USA).

While the top four teams remain unchanged, with the USA still having the No. 1 spot, followed by Spain, Australia and Canada, Belgium have leapfrogged France into the No. 5 position on the strength of resounding victories over Puerto Rico and Russia in the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Washington. In the current system of ranking, all games matter.

The French dropped a place to No. 6 after suffering defeats in two of their games at the World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Belgrade.

Nigeria, who opened their tournament in Belgrade with a loss to China, bounced back from a 20-point deficit with the surprise victory over France, and had a thrilling triumph over Mali in a rematch of last year’s FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Final.

On the strength of these two victories, the Nigerians moved up a spot on the ranking to No. 14, with the team that had occupied that place, Korea, moving up to No. 13.

Korea, meanwhile, won against Brazil, a victory that clinched them a place in the upcoming World Cup, which tips off in Sydney, Australia, on September 22 and concludes on October 1. China hold their spot at No. 7 with three solid wins in Belgrade.

Bosnia and Herzegovina also moved up a place to No. 26 after some hard-fought games against top 10 opponents in the Qualifying Tournament in Osaka. Despite falling to Canada, Bosnia and Herzegovina surprised No. 8 hosts Japan, 87-82 with the win.

Bowlers shine as Nepal and Oman secure semi-final spots

news editor — Tue, 22 Feb 2022 10:14:48 +0000

Bowlers dominated the afternoon session of day 3 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Qualifier A, supported by Dream 11, at Al Amerat on Monday aiding Nepal and hosts Oman to advance to the semi-final of the tournament from Group A.

Nepal defeated Canada by eight wickets while Oman raced to a nine-wicket win over the Philippines.

Having bowled out Canada for 80 in 15 overs, Nepal were never in trouble, chasing down the target in 14.1 overs for the loss of Aasif Sheikh and Kushal Malla’s wickets.

Kushal Bhurtel, who became only the third Nepalese batter to score a T20I century on Saturday against the Philippines, stayed unbeaten on 34. Along with Dipendra Singh Airee (27), the side cantered to victory.

Nepal emerged as the Group A topper with a clean slate after recording three successive wins for six points. Oman with two victories finished a runner-up with four. Nepal will take on the Group B runner-up UAE while the hosts will face Group B topper Ireland in the semi-finals, which will be played on Tuesday. Both the matches begin at 14.00 hrs (local time).

At Oman Academy 2 ground, Oman missed a chance to script history. They recorded one of the largest margins of victory in a T20 International by bowling out Philippines for 36 in 15.2 overs, their lowest-ever T20 International total, the hosts chased the target in just 2.5 overs, scoring 40-1.

The huge win for Oman, with 103 balls remaining was just a ball more than the world record margin achieved by Austria. On 31 August 2019, Austria had defeated Turkey in a T20I match with 104 balls remaining in Ilfov County, Romania. Electing to bat first, Philippines was rocked by the pace attack of – Bilal Khan, Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt. Khan gave away just seven runs in his three-over spell on a trot to build the pressure. Kaleemullah and Fayyaz Butt complimented each other as they sent back the top-order by the eighth over.

Khawar Ali and Aamir Kaleem then spun a magical web as wickets fell at regular intervals. Philippines, who are making their debut in the global qualifiers, were bowled out for 36 in 15.2 overs. Ali bagged four for 11 in 3.2 overs while Kaleem had figures of 2-1-2-2. Butt and Kaleemullah also bagged a brace each. Oman lost Kashyap Prajapati off the second ball of their innings but with a small total, it turned out to be a stroll in the park for the hosts.

Khurram Khan smashed a quick fire 12-ball 33, which included 5 fours and 2 sixes, and along with Jatinder Singh, wrapped up an easy win.

Daniel Smith, Philippines Captain said: “It is really tough to take – getting bowled out in the 30s. For us now, I think it is just about reflecting. We are getting to play the game we love against some of the best players and teams out there. So, we are going to take some time off tonight, reflect on how far we have come.

“We still have two playoff games to look forward to. We are going to turn up and play with some heart in those.”

Smith had led the side in place of regular captain Jonathan Hull, who missed the game.

Zeeshan Maqsood, Oman Captain said: “I’m really happy with the performance today. We will try and put in similar levels of performance in the semi-finals. Despite the victory, we did make some mistakes today. So, we will be looking to correct those in the semi-finals [vs Ireland]. We have to play good and smart cricket tomorrow. We have to use our home conditions in the best possible way.”

Nepal on top

Nepal skipper Sandeep Lamichhane led from the front with a three-wicket haul (3-12) to bowl out Canada for 80. Kamal Airee and Abinash Bohara picked two wickets apiece. The Canadian innings were rocked by two run out dismissals with in-form opener Rayyan Pathan triggering a collapse.

Three balls after Pathan’s exit, Ravinderpal Singh followed him in the pavilion with the team’s total at 39-4. The Canadian batters were stifled against some accurate bowling and could never recover from the double-wicket loss in the sixth over. A procession continued as the next five batters were dismissed for the addition of just nine runs, which included another run-out dismissal [Saad Zafar]. At 48-9, Canada were in a precarious situation with nearly ten overs remaining.

Dilon Heyliger and No 10 Salman Nazar adopted a counter-attack strategy to push the score to take it to 80 with a crucial 32-run stand. Heyliger smashed 2 sixes and a four in his unbeaten 22-ball 24 while Nazar made 10.

Navneet Dhaliwal, Canada Captain said: “It was one of those days where nothing worked for us. The run-outs never let us build any momentum and changed the complexion of the match.”

Sandeep Lamichhane, Nepal Captain said: “The best of Nepal is yet to come. Absolutely thrilled with the win and the way everyone showed character. Canada was playing really well in those first few overs of the Powerplay. Credit goes to all the fast bowlers who bowled in all the right areas.

“It is really nice to see that all the bowlers are in good shape. As a captain, it becomes easy once they are getting wickets.”

Ahead of the semi-finals, the captain, who was also named the Player of the Match, said: “We have been working really hard for this moment [reach the semi-finals]. This journey so far has been great and we are all looking forward to tomorrow’s match.”

coronavirus:World Athletics Indoor Championships postponed

newseditor — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 23:16:42 +0000

The 2020 World Athletics Indoor Championships in Nanjing have been postponed because of fears over the spread of the coronavirus in China.

The championships were to be held from 13-15 March but governing body World Athletics pushed them back 12 months.

World Athletics sought advice from the World Health Organisation and turned down offers to host from other cities.

The coronavirus has killed more than 130 people in China and has spread to 16 countries globally.

Around 6,000 people in all have been infected by the virus, for which there is no specific cure or vaccine.

The epicentre of the outbreak is the Chinese city of Wuhan, around 370 miles from Nanjing.

A World Athletics statement read: “The advice from our medical team, who are in contact with the World Health Organisation, is that the spread of the coronavirus both within China and outside the country is still at a concerning level and no one should be going ahead with any major gathering that can be postponed.

“We have considered the possibility of relocating the event to another country and would like to thank the cities that have volunteered to host the championships.

“However, given concerns still exist regarding the spread of the virus outside China, we have decided not to go with this option, as it may lead to further postponement at a later date.

“We have chosen not to cancel the championships as many of our athletes would like this event to take place so we will now work with our athletes, our partners and the Nanjing organising committee to secure a date in 2021 to stage this event.”

The 2018 World Indoor Athletics Championships was held in Birmingham, while they will be held in Belgrade, Serbia, in 2022

Badminton: Indonesia beat China to clinch Asia Team title

newseditor — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 15:22:08 +0000

KUALA LUMPUR – Defending champions Indonesia defeated favourites China 3-1 in dramatic fashion to claim the Asia Team Championship badminton title on Sunday in Malaysia.

It was a remarkable but deserved victory for the Indonesians, who demonstrated consistency and discipline to win all their matches from the group stages.

Badminton powerhouse China came to the regional tournament minus their superstars such as Lin Dan and Chen Long.

But Indonesia said they still had to fight hard to take home the silverware.

“We learnt from our mistakes and we came to this tournament well prepared. It gives us the ideal preparation for the Thomas Cup in May,” Herry Iman Pierngadi, Indonesia coach told reporters after the stunning win.

The Indonesians took the lead through their first men s singles Jonatan Christie, who recovered from a game down to beat world number seven Shi Yuqi 16-21, 21-17, 21-18.

It was a powerful attacking comeback from the 20-year-old Indonesian, who had defeated South Korea s world number four Son Wan-Ho in the semifinals on Saturday.

Angga Pratama-Mohammad Ahsan put Indonesia closer to victory after needing only 36-minutes to dispose of He Jiting-Tan Qiang 21-19, 21-18.

Qiao Bin, however, gave China a fighting chance after he beat Anthony Sinisuka Ginting 21-12, 11-21, 21-14. But doubles pair Rian Agung Saputro/Hendra Setiawan helped Indonesia lift the title with a 21-14, 21-19 win over Han Chengkai/Zhou Haodong.

The women s event saw Japan thrash defending champions China 3-0 for the title.

World number two Akane Yamaguchi put on a scintillating attacking display to dispose of Chen Yufei 21-16, 12-21, 21-14 to give the Japanese an early lead.

They added to that advantage through their world number two pairing of Misaki Matsutomo/Ayaka Takahashi, who beat Du Yue/Li Yinhui 21-13, 21-16 in the women s doubles.

Nozomi Okuhara completed the triumph when she tamed He Bingjiao 19-21, 21-16, 21-10.

The Asia Team Championship consisting of three singles and two doubles also serves as Asian qualification to the Thomas Cup, where the semifinalists make the cut for the team event to be held in Thailand s capital Bangkok in May.

Malaysia and South Korea have also qualified for the Thomas Cup finals which is one of badminton s most prestigious team event.