Nick Rakocevic (driving) and the rest of the Hotshots had it easy against the Bossing. —PBA IMAGES
Two weeks removed from its last game where Magnolia took a first loss in the PBA Commissioner’s Cup, the Hotshots were back to their dominant selves on Sunday and ripped Blackwater to shreds, 91-69, to stay in the elimination round lead.
The Hotshots looked very much rejuvenated the entire time at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City, besting the enemy in nearly every statistical category behind the outstanding efforts of Ian Sangalang and Nick Rakocevic as Magnolia rose to 6-1.
“Although we were 5-1 [before tip-off], it felt like it wasn’t us. We’re not in the [tournament’s] Top 3 in defense, so we wanted to go back to our defensive mindset, which is really this team’s identity,” Magnolia coach Chito Victolero told reporters on his way out of the Big Dome—while still on a mobility scooter.
“We revisited some things and then broke the elimination phase into two phases. We’re starting our journey in the second phase, and I think we did a good job limiting them to under 70 points,” he added.
Sangalang hardly showed any ill effects from his accident during pregame warmups, putting up 17 points to lead Magnolia. Rakocevic finished with the same tally while turning in 15 rebounds as the Hotshots recovered from a stinging loss to sister team and fierce rival Barangay Ginebra last Oct. 23.
Scottie Thompson hit a triple with four seconds left as Barangay Ginebra completed a come-from-behind 97-96 win over San Miguel Beer in the nightcap.
The Gin Kings improved to 5-2 and dealt the Beermen their third loss in four games.
Rookie Ato Ular had 14 points, while Trevis Jackson added 10 for Blackwater, which absorbed a third-straight loss in a 3-6 card that kept the Bossing near the bottom of the standings. Cameron Krutwig, the import whom Blackwater coach Ariel Vanguardia defended to reporters after an impressive performance against San Miguel Beer, finished with just eight points that went with 16 rebounds and couldn’t help his team absorb this beating.
Victolero was truly delighted on his charges’ return to form, which he feels should be immensely crucial now that they gird for a dangerous enemy.
Magnolia next plays Phoenix, one of the two hottest teams in the league with a five-game winning streak.
“They’re No. 1, I believe, on defense. So we really need to bring our A-Game,” Victolero said.
“Topex [Robinson] [and his guys] are really hot. We expect a grinding game on Saturday, a dogfight,” he added of the clash set Nov. 12 at Ynares Center in Antipolo City.
Blackwater, regressing after a promising turnaround during the Philippine Cup, battles desperate Meralco on Nov. 11 also at the hilltop area. INQ
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BEIJING, Nov. 6, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — More than a billion people across the world depend on wetlands for their livelihoods – that’s about one in eight people on Earth. However, these lands are Earth’s most threatened ecosystem.
According to the United Nations, 35 percent of the world’s wetlands have disappeared since 1970.
Themed “Wetlands Action for People and Nature,” the 14th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties (COP14) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands is being held from November 5 to 13, with its main venue in China’sWuhan, and a parallel session in Geneva, Switzerland, in both in person and online formats.
This meeting gives us an opportunity to raise awareness, strengthen cooperation, and scale up wetlands action across the world, Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed on Saturday when delivering his speech via video at the opening ceremony of the events.
Xi vowed China will pursue modernization of harmony between humanity and nature, promote high-quality development in the wetlands conservation cause and promote international exchanges and cooperation.
What China has done?
With four percent of the world’s wetlands, China has met the diverse needs of one-fifth of the world’s population for wetland production, living, ecology and culture.
In his speech, Xi noted that historic achievements have been made in wetlands conservation in China. The country has increased the area of wetlands to 56.35 million hectares, put in place a protection system and enacted a Wetlands Conservation Law, according to Xi.
Since it acceded to the Ramsar Convention in 1992, China has established and improved its legal framework for wetland protection as well as systems for protection management, project planning, and investigation and monitoring. It has also fulfilled its obligations under the convention and continued to expand international cooperation in this regard.
The central government has spent 19.8 billion yuan (about $2.73 billion) on over 4,100 projects to advance wetland protection and restoration across the country since 2003.
China now has 64 wetlands of international importance and 29 wetlands of national importance, as well as 901 national wetland parks.
Last month, China released a plan for wetland protection for the 2022-2030 period, aiming to increase its wetland protection rate to 55 percent by 2025, while increasing the number of wetlands of international importance and national importance by 20 and 50, respectively.
The Chinese president also introduced China’s further plan of incorporating 11 million hectares of its wetlands into the country’s national park system, adding a national wetlands conservation plan and major conservation projects will be implemented.
Path to global ecological conservation
The Chinese president Saturday urged efforts to build global consensus on prizing wetlands, advance the global process of wetlands conservation and enhance people’s well-being globally by leveraging the role of wetlands.
China will build an international mangrove center in Shenzhen and supports the convening of a conference of the World Coastal Forum, Xi announced.
According to China’s white paper on biodiversity conservation, the country has provided support for more than 80 developing countries in biodiversity conservation under the framework of South-South cooperation.
China has also made ecological cooperation a key part of Belt and Road cooperation. In 2021, China launched “the Belt and Road” Green Development Partnership Initiative with 31 partner countries, calling for international cooperation to achieve a green and sustainable economic recovery and promote low-carbon, resilient and inclusive economic growth post-epidemic.
Moreover, China has taken an active part in international conferences and activities, including the United Nations Summit on Biodiversity and the Leaders’ Summit on Climate, giving impetus to biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
These cases are a microcosm of China’s concrete steps to promote global ecological cooperation, with the notion of building a shared future for all life on Earth as the underpinning.
The content is by PR NewsWire. DKODING Media is not responsible for the content provided or any links related to this content. DKODING Media is not responsible for the correctness, topicality or the quality of the content.
Holger Rune’s rapid rise hit a new milestone on Sunday at the Paris Masters, where the 19-year-old staged a stunning comeback to down six-time winner Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and clinch men’s singles title and his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown.
“It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It’s a privilege to share the court with Novak,” said Rune. (Image: Twitter)
Paris, Nov 6: Holger Rune’s rapid rise hit a new milestone on Sunday at the Paris Masters, where the 19-year-old staged a stunning comeback to down six-time winner Novak Djokovic 3-6, 6-3, 7-5 and clinch men’s singles title and his maiden ATP Masters 1000 crown.
Having dropped the first set, Dane recovered from 0/40 in the opening game of the second and a 1-3 deficit in the third, saving six break points in the final game as he dug deep to defeat Djokovic and claim the biggest title of his young career in dramatic fashion.
“It means everything to me, a perfect way to finish the week. It’s a privilege to share the court with Novak,” said Rune.
Rune was playing in his fourth consecutive ATP Tour final and has now won 19 of his past 21 matches. The Dane’s title run in Paris will also lift him to No. 10 in the ATP Rankings for the first time on Monday.
The win against Djokovic also made it five Top 10 wins in as many days for Rune who moved past Hubert Hurkacz, Andrey Rublev, Carlos Alcaraz and Felix Auger-Aliassime to reach his first Masters 1000 final. Those victories followed a thrilling first-round win in which he saved three match points against Stan Wawrinka.
Rune was delighted to have held his nerve in another nail-biting clash against Djokovic.
“It was the most stressful game of my life. My heart was almost in my brain. I was already starting to think about the tie-break. I’m very proud I could finish it,” said Rune of the marathon 12th game of the third set.
Rune had shown no sign of nerves in snapping Felix Auger-Aliassime’s 16-match unbeaten run in the semifinals in Paris, but the 19-year-old made a tense start to his maiden Masters 1000 final. Back-to-back double-faults from the Dane handed Djokovic an early break for 2-1, and the Serbian dialled in behind his groundstrokes to ease to the opening set.
Djokovic appeared to be in command when he immediately opened a 0/40 lead in the opening game of the second set, but a series of points completely changed the momentum of the match. He uncharacteristically sent a backhand pass long after a weak Rune approach, before the Dane demonstrated high-class defence and some confident shotmaking to complete the escape.
The importance of Dane’s recovery was immediately emphasized as he converted his first break point of the match in the next game after Djokovic pushed a forehand wide. Rune began to dictate play effectively with his backhand and confidently held onto his lead to force a deciding set.
After breaking for 6-5 in the deciding set, Rune showed his mettle to fend off six break points as Djokovic refused to lay down in pursuit of his 39th Masters 1000 title.
The Dane finally clinched a stunning victory in a raucous atmosphere on his second championship point to become the youngest champion in Paris since Boris Becker in 1986.
Goalkeeper Kishan Bahadur Pathak came to the rescue as a below-par India ended the first mini-tournament which started the fourth season of the FIH Pro League on a winning note, prevailing 3-1 via shootout after a 2-2 draw against European stalwarts Spain at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.
Pathak was at it again in the shoot-out as he pulled off two saves as India won 3-1 to bag a bonus point. (Image: IANS)
Bhubaneshwar, Nov 6: Goalkeeper Kishan Bahadur Pathak came to the rescue as a below-par India ended the first mini-tournament which started the fourth season of the FIH Pro League on a winning note, prevailing 3-1 via shootout after a 2-2 draw against European stalwarts Spain at the Kalinga Stadium here on Sunday.
Having won twice against New Zealand, the third team in this cluster of matches, but losing 2-3 to the Redsticks on October 30, India went into the match with revenge on their mind. But were lucky to escape with a 2-2 draw in the game of two halves in which Spain missed at least six-seven good scoring opportunities. Pathak himself pulled off five good saves.
However, the hosts failed to capitalise on a 2-0 lead, conceded the advantage, and allowed Spain to control the pace and dictate terms in a dominant last 20 minutes of the match. It was some brilliant saves by goalkeeper Kishan Pathak that helped India survive the onslaught as they came out 2-2 at the end of regulation time.
Pathak was at it again in the shoot-out as he pulled off two saves as India won 3-1 to bag a bonus point.
With this bonus point, India ended the four-match cluster with two wins, one draw and one defeat, taking the top spot with eight points. Spain too have eight points from two wins and two shoot-out defeats.
The Indians played a big portion of the match a man down as they committed several fouls and were shown five cards in all, three green and two yellow. Spain had only one green card in the entire match.
Earlier, India looked on their way to victory as they held the advantage with Harmanpreet Singh scoring both of their goals off penalty corners — the first in the 11th minute and the second in the 31st minute.
The Olympic bronze medallists, however, went off the boil towards the end of the third quarter and allowed Spain to dominate the last 20 minutes of the match. Spain reduced the margin through skipper Marc Miralles in the 42nd minute and then Pere Amat scored off another penalty corner — the shot was saved by goalkeeper Pathak but it ricocheted off defender Jugraj Singh and trickled into the goal — to make it 2-2.
In the shoot-out, India started on a good note as Harmanpreet converted the stroke that India were given after he was fouled by goalkeeper Garin.
Joaquin Menini was thwarted by Pathak and then Raj Kumar Pal made it 2-0 for India with a clinical finish. Pathak saved Rafael Vilallonga’s effort also and though Shamsher Singh missed the third attempt for India — pulled up for a back stick foul, Gerard Clapes pulled one back for Spain to make it 2-1.
Abhishek converted the fourth attempt for India and Pathak ensured victory for the hosts as he deflected an attempt by Spain skipper Marc Miralles onto the post to seal a 3-1 win for India.
This was Spain’s second successive defeat in shoot-outs in this cluster as they had gone down to New Zealand on Saturday, failing to score on all five attempts.
The win in the shoot-out bodes well for India, who are ranked fifth in the world currently, three spots ahead of Spain. The two teams are in the same group for the World Cup and will be meeting again at the same venue in January 2023 in a crucial clash.
The Indians will take a lot from this match as their defense stood tall and absorbed a lot of pressure.
However, there were a lot of negatives too. Though they held 54 per cent possession as compared to 46 per cent by Spain, India could only take two shots at the goal while the Spaniards had nine. India managed to make only 15 circle penetrations while Spain had 35. The Spaniards also led in the penalty corner count, earning more than double the number bagged by India.
There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition, even if it comes from the same stable. With a clean design, refined sound signature and noise-cancelling smarts, the Beats Studio Buds are a home-grown AirPods rival. Fitted with a twist, the sculpted earbuds sit snug and light, no stems necessary. In the ear, the Studio Buds deliver a more balanced listen than previous Beats earphones, with a spacious presentation and decent detail. And there’s still plenty of punch and energy. No H1 chip means no multi-device pairing for Apple users, but Bluetooth 5.2 compatibility and one-touch Android pairing make the Studio Buds more inclusive. And while there’s no EQ, Apple Music users can enjoy Spatial Audio on Atmos tracks. Dashing out? Fast Fuel charging will fill the ‘phones for an hour’s playback in five minutes. Apple’s own earphones might edge them on features, but the Beats Studio Buds remain an attractive AirPods alternative.
Cambridge Audio Melomania 1+
Cambridge Audio’s first Melomania ‘buds were already five-star earphones in our book. Their successors only build on that benchmark, shaping up as a feature-packed and remarkably affordable set of AirPods alternatives. Styled like little bullets, the earbuds eschew ergonomics in favour of neat, uniform shells that are lightweight at 4.6g apiece. There’s no ANC, but the 1+ benefit from superb noise isolation, setting the scene for a wonderful listen: audio has a lovely balance, with a wide soundstage and real depth. EQ levels can be tweaked in the partner app, while battery life measures in at a class-leading 45 hours with trips to the charging case. Some will feel the absence of wear-detection, but voice assistant support gives the 1+ an additional dose of smarts. At full price, they’re hard to fault. At their latest, discounted ticket, the Melomania 1+ are an unbeatable AirPods alternative for buyers on a budget.
Beats Fit Pro
Combining AirPods tech with a fitness-friendly fit, the Beats Fit Pro are a superbly sporty alternative to Apple’s official earphones. Secured with flexible wings and silicone tips, they stay unshakeably in place during sprints and strolls alike. While Apple’s H1 chip means automatic switching for iOS devices, you don’t need an iPhone to access all the smarts: the Beats app for Android unlocks one-touch pairing, custom controls and more. While volume isn’t as loud as some rivals, the 9.5mm drivers inside ensure sound quality is excellent, pairing punchy bass with crisp clarity. It helps that the Beats Fit Pro benefit from the same ANC and Adaptive EQ as the AirPods Pro, tailoring sounds to your environment. There’s support for spatial audio too, which adds an immersive sense of dimension to the soundscape. Battery life is competitive at 30 hours, while wear-detect sensors prevent the Beats from playing in your pockets.
Denon AH-C830NCW
In white and at a distance, Denon’s first true wireless in-ears could readily be mistaken for a pair of AirPods. With a similar dangly stem design, their understated shells are neatly sculpted, fit comfortably and feel like they’re built to last. Where they sit apart from Apple’s wireless in-ears is in the smart stakes: unlike the AirPods, the AH-C830NCW have no smartphone partner app, no EQ to tweak and no voice assistant support. And while each earbud features a touch surface, it can’t be used to control the volume. So far, so old school. But while the Denon ‘buds don’t go big on connected intelligence, they excel when it comes to audio quality: deep, textured bass tones are balanced against an expressive mid-range and nicely judged high frequencies. Rivals might offer more skills for similar money, but Denon’s ‘phones deliver sonic satisfaction that’s up there with the best wireless earbuds.
Sony LinkBuds S
Featherweight earphones for all-day audio, Sony touts the LinkBuds S as the world’s lightest noise-cancelling wireless earbuds. At just 4.8g per ‘bud, they certainly go easy on your lugs, with an ergonomic shape and silicone tips ensuring a secure fit. Comfortable enough for long listening stints, the LinkBuds S also benefit from intuitive touch controls. Active noise cancellation isn’t the strongest, but the mics come into their own during voice calls: wind interference is minimal and clarity excellent. With relatively small 5mm drivers inside, sound output can lack a little energy. Bass is handled well, but higher frequencies tend to feel restrained. Battery life is average at six hours with ANC, which is fair when you consider the compact proportions. Pair with Sony’s Headphones Connect app to tweak the EQ, customise controls and adjust the Adaptive Sound Control, which automatically alters ambient noise levels based on detected actions and locations.
Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro
They might not look like the fanciest pair of AirPods alternatives, but the smooth matte black carry-case offers wireless charging and has a pleasing sliding mechanism. IPX4 water-resistance make them a good shout for a workout, too.Each earpiece is controlled via integrated touch-sensitive panels: double-tap the left ear to skip forward, the right to play or pause. You can usefully customise the functions in the Soundcore app, where you’ll also find personalisation options: a sound profile can be created based on a hearing exercise, adapting the sound to your specific aural needs. Sound quality is really impressive, with surprisingly impactful bass for such small earbuds. The ANC is reasonably effective too. No, it won’t cut out everything – but so few earphones do. A small gripe is that you can’t tweak the volume on the buds themselves, but then that’s the same with Apple’s AirPods Pro. Battery life exceeds all expectations: hey’ll last roughly seven hours from fully charged with a further 21 hours in the QI charging case. For the price, there’s not a lot to complain about.
Jabra Elite 7 Active
Sharing several specs with the Elite 7 Pro, Jabra’s Elite 7 Active exist to soundtrack your sporting pursuits. Contoured to fit the ear, a rubberised coating keeps the earphones firmly in place, while an IP57 rating beats the AirPods when it comes to water resistance. Bassy out of the blocks, audio can be balanced through the Sound+ app. Nuance might not be top of the order, but they give running playlists plenty of punch and energy. Passive noise isolation also proves effective, while ANC reduces background rumble reliably, even if sporadic sounds can still filter in. Staying power is impressive: eight hours is stretched to 30 with the charging case, putting battery life up there with the best in this bracket. You can find better-sounding earbuds for similar cash, but not with the same sweatproofing. For the money, the Jabra Elite 7 Active are tempting AirPods alternatives for fitness fans.
Nothing Ear (1)
Distinguished by see-through styling, these transparent AirPods alternatives arrive on a hype train worthy of Apple. Besides revealing neat circuitry beneath, their clear design is distinctive, if not exactly radical: the stem setup is a familiar one, as are the silicone tips which assist with fitting. Compatible with Google Fast Pair, the lightweight Ear (1) connect to a similarly minimalist app for iOS and Android, home to touch control customisation, four EQ presets and the option to disable wear detection. Tuned by the synth-tinkerers at Teenage Engineering, sound output from the 11.6mm dynamic drivers has nice depth and energy. High frequencies can be edgy on delicate details, but bass enjoys impressive presence. And while ANC can’t achieve total silence, it does reduce road rumble. They don’t trade blows with costlier competitors – especially on battery life – but Nothing’s earphones still offer an easy listen in unique packaging at a decent price.
Google Pixel Buds Pro
Google’s best earbuds yet, the Pixel Buds Pro do plenty to tempt Android users in search of an AirPods alternative. Google shaped the two-tone ‘phones to nestle in the outer ear, and they’re certainly among the more secure wireless earbuds we’ve tested. They naturally play nicest with Pixel phones, but a clever companion app and Google Fast Pair support means other Android devices don’t miss out on the fun. Google’s Silent Seal algorithm enhances the effectiveness of ANC based on ambient noise, doing well to dent the din of nearby noise pollution, while monitoring pressure for a fatigue-free listen. Audio is punchy and enveloping, with 11mm drivers producing impactful but balanced bass, together with crisp higher frequencies. Not remotely neutral, the fun, energetic signature favours everyday listeners. With competitive seven-hour battery life on-board, the Pixel Buds Pro don’t dominate in any one area, but they do offer compelling overall value.
Urbanears Boo Tip
A khaki colourway isn’t all that’s green about these affordable AirPods alternatives: 91% of their construction is recycled plastic. Ludicrously light at less than 4g per bud, the eco ‘phones feature a matte finish that’s subtly characterful, if not especially premium. 10mm drivers produce unexpectedly rich, well-balanced bass. While the soundstage can feel cramped on complex tracks, the Boo Tips benefit from an energy which belies their featherweight build and accessible price. Stem touch controls can’t be customised, although mirrored inputs are easy to master. Battery life is mediocre at 4.5hrs, but the most noticeable drawback is the noise isolation. In loud environments, the absence of ANC means the Boo Tips can struggle to keep external sounds from bleeding into what’s otherwise an enjoyable listen.
Jabra Elite 5
The Jabra Elite 5 offers superb call quality, physical controls, and a generous selection of codecs to keep Apple and Android users happy, including AAC, SBC and aptX.
Sound is punchy, but if you find things like the bass a tad overdone, you can tweak things using the equaliser settings in Jabra’s app. Noise cancellation, while not top-level, is still decent, and the seven-hour battery life is respectable, if not groundbreaking. Given its mid-range price though, this is a great choice for those looking for an all-rounder with particularly excellent call performance.
Beyerdynamic Free Byrd
Beyerdynamic’s first pair of truly wireless earbuds took their sweet time to enter the market, and while not the absolute king of wireless in-ears, they still deliver on practically all fronts, including a very sturdy build. It comes with a very generous selection of tips, so it should fit practically all ears. There’s also a useful sound customisation feature which tunes them to your ears, making for a more personalised listening experience.
ANC works well, and the wireless Qi case charging is a delightful touch for moments when you can’t be bothered to fiddle around with a cable— as are the customisable controls which can be easily changed in the Beyerdynamic app.
Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3
The third generation of Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless in-ears cement their place among the top headphones money can currently buy. Build quality feels just as bomb-proof as the company’s previous model, while a 16 per cent size reduction means that they’re now sleeker than ever.
Each bud features a touch interface, which can handily be customised and tweaked to your liking, via a feature-packed app. Options include tapping to cycle through ANC settings (which include effective transparency and anti-wind modes).
Battery life of seven hours is acceptable, if not mind-blowing, but the quality audio performance makes up for it. Favouring balance and fidelity over thumping bass, the Momentums demonstrate remarkable sonic control.
JBL Reflect Flo Pro
If you’re specifically looking for a pair of truly wireless buds that will confidently stay in your ear during a run with more confidence than a pair of AirPods, then look no further than the JBL Reflect Pro. Ticking almost every box including enjoyable sound, decent battery life, ANC, water resistance and more, they’re practically the Goldilocks of running headphones.
Throw in ANC for blocking out the outside world on commutes, along with a wireless charging case and reasonable price, and you’ve got very little reason for complaint here — especially as they back everything up with solid controls and a comfortable fit, too.
Dravid further stressed that the strike rate of batters will vary depending on how they adapt to the conditions, calling them as only certainty in an uncertain tournament.
‘I can’t sit here now just after a game and predict what’s going to happen there’- Rahul Dravid. (Image: IANS)
Melbourne, Nov 6: With India now setting up a semifinal showdown with England at the Adelaide Oval in Men’s T20 World Cup, one can feel optimistic about the side’s chances as they will play at the venue in which they survived a Litton Das scare to beat Bangladesh by five runs in a tense rain-hit match.
But Sunday’s matches showed that the pitch, which hosted the double-header, was a little slower and boundaries were a little smaller too. Asked about what India would do in a situation like this coming up in the semifinal against England, head coach Rahul Dravid remarked that his team will be quick to adapt to the situation if the pitch is indeed slow in nature.
“It was, again, a different kind of wicket, and it was played at Adelaide, as well. I can’t sit here now just after a game and predict what’s going to happen there. We’ll have a couple of days; we’ll go and have a look at that wicket and see what we think it might do. Of course, if it’s slow we’ll play according to those situations. If we think it might play differently, then we’ll have to put up a squad to match that.”
“Again, we’ll have to go there and see. I watched some of the games today and I know the tracks were slow and they gripped and they turned a bit. We might be playing on a completely new strip in Adelaide, and the strip we played with against Bangladesh, to be honest, did not spin,” said Dravid in the post-match press conference.
Dravid further stressed that the strike rate of batters will vary depending on how they adapt to the conditions, calling them as only certainty in an uncertain tournament. “Strike rate is different in every situation, ground and condition. If you are playing a match where 200 runs are to be made, or like on this wicket, where according to us, some movement was happening. But we felt that 170-180 was ideal, according to the information we got from the boys inside.”
“In a match like this, your strike rate has to be different. We have played in matches where 150 was a winning score and in Adelaide, 160 was a difficult score to chase in those conditions. In that scenario, you have to play the conditions.”
“Honestly, you can’t say that this is the strike rate I want to play on, as this is the only certainty the World Cup has shown us. Conditions have been so unique in different cities that you have to adapt. It’s not been easy for the opening batsman, powerplays, strike rates.”
“Other than I think in Sydney have been pretty low for all countries. Again, you have to adapt. Maybe when you go to Sydney you might have to play differently. Adelaide may be different, may not be different. I think it’s all about adaptability for me in this format.”
Almost a year ago, India were out of the race for making the semifinals in the UAE. But ever since Dravid took up as head coach immediately after India’s campaign ended, India have been on an upward swing which has now resulted in entering the semifinals as Group 2 table toppers. He acknowledged that entering the last-four stage was pleasing in a tournament that has seen results being decided on very fine margins.
“It’s a challenging format and tournament. When you have six teams and just one or two results don’t go your way, as we’ve seen with some of the other teams, I think with us, as well, I think one or two results could have gone the other way. We could have won some games, as well.”
“This is a very challenging format to be able to get through and get to the top four. It’s nice, and we’re happy about it, but obviously, we know that hopefully, we’ve got a couple of more good days in us as we go ahead.”
With the uncertainties this format brings and the different challenges posed by sides in Group 2, Dravid quashed the idea of him instructing players to do anything extra for winning against Zimbabwe in order to get the top spot.
“At this level, most of these guys are incredibly motivated. You don’t need to tell them to do anything extra. We stick to our processes. We stick to our preparation. We didn’t do anything (different) for this game.”
“Irrespective of whether we’ve played South Africa in this tournament or Pakistan or Zimbabwe or Bangladesh or Netherlands, our processes and the way we’ve gone about our practice sessions has been exactly the same. We haven’t changed anything at all irrespective of the opponent, and I don’t expect that to change going into the semifinals, as well.”
There was controversy that lingered long after Petro Gazz dismissed PLDT, 19-25, 25-21, 25-20, 27-25, in the Premier Volleyball League Reinforced Conference on Saturday at Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna.
As confusion reigned over a challenge by PLDT coach George Pascua, a 40-minute delay ensued—with its repercussions lasting even longer.
For one, PLDT didn’t sign the match scoresheet, leaving the result vulnerable to a protest.
And then Creamline labored to a 25-23, 20-25, 25-12, 32-30 victory later in the night against stubborn Chery Tiggo and booked a semifinal spot without the benefit of the challenge system that could have shortened the fourth set and settled disputes that resulted in yellow cards.
PLDT was on the verge of forcing a fifth set when, at match point for the High Speed Hitters, Petro Gazz’s Lindsey Vander Weide committed an attack error.
But the point was waved off because during the ongoing rally, Pascua raised a net touch challenge on a previous play.
What followed was the 40-minute lull, where officials sifted through replays to track down the violation Pascua raised. But technical officials could not dig up any violation and the challenge was deemed unsuccessful resulting in a point for Petro Gazz, which tied the count at 24.
The Angels pounced on the opportunity and closed out the 72-minute fourth set to beef up their semifinal hopes.
“They knew the importance of this match,” said Petro Gazz coach Rald Ricafort in Filipino, lauding his players for staying focused despite the confusion. “In those situations, they have to stick to our game plan. They really wanted to win.”
Sources later told the Inquirer that the challenge system was suspended for the key match between erstwhile undefeated squads Creamline and Chery Tiggo, which led to more drama in another extended fourth set.
In several instances in the crucial stretch of the fourth set, the Cools Smashers could have benefitted from reviews. Instead, the team was flashed yellow cards over discussions with the lead referee.
But Creamline kept its cool and Alyssa Valdez delivered key hits before Celine Domingo came up huge to finish off the Crossovers.
“The fourth set was anyone’s game. We’re lucky we got the break,” said Creamline coach Sherwin Meneses.
Creamline rose to 5-0 while handing Chery Tiggo its first loss in six outings.
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