Aussies finish fifth at World Cup in India

Australia recovered from two tough opening days to finish fifth at the 2023 World Cup in Chennai, India.

It was the first time the tournament had been staged since 2011, with the fast-paced format popular with the large crowds which attended the event.

Drawn in Pool A, Australia went down to Egypt 4-0 on the opening day, before going down 3-1 to Malaysia on day two in a tie which could have gone either way.

Alex Haydon, Joseph White, Jess Turnbull and Nick Calvert then all scored victories over Colombia in their final pool game to raise the confidence levels going into the classification stage.

In the 5th-8th semi finals, Australia took on Hong Kong and notched a 2-1 win to set up a final day rematch with Colombia.

Like they had in their pool clash, Australia were too strong for their South American opponents, claiming the tie 2-1 to finish in fifth overall.

The World Cup was taken out by Egypt who beat Malaysia in the final.

Australian head coach Stewart Boswell said the tournament was a great success with the players set to benefit from five days of high quality competition.

“It was a unique tournament, a unique environment but one which all our players gained a lot from,” he said.

“I hope that it’s an event which can continue be a part of the international calendar in the coming years.”