eSports Log

Saleem Altaf, the PCB’s Chief Operating Officer, has said the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is only considering neutral venues to avoid cancellation of tours that dogged Pakistani international cricket in 2008. He said PCB lost the opportunity to host the ICC Champions Trophy in September 2008 mainly on account of a rigid stance adopted by the previous PCB top brass. However, Pakistan is now supposed to host Australia for a proposed one-day series in the month of April 2009, although Ijaz Butt, PCB chief, has already said the Aussies will not come to Pakistan. On the other hand, the News reported that the proposed series is likely to take place at some offshore venue.

Altaf said, “We want to be more flexible because a rigid attitude won’t help. It’s better to have cricket at some neutral venue than not having it at all.” He added the Pakistan is considering neutral venues such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Kuala Lumpur for the series. He said the PCB believes that India has only postponed its tour of Pakistan. India will honor the commitment as soon as possible to improve relations between the two neighbors. He more added that PCB and BCCI officials will sit down soon to manage a slot for the series that was supposed to take place in January-February 2009 when Indo-Pak relations commence to show any improvement.

PCB already suffered enormous losses after the International Cricket Council (ICC) postponed the Champions Trophy 2008 after five of the eight competing teams refused to go Pakistan due to security apprehensions. At that time, the proposal of shifting the tournament to Sri Lanka, the event’s reserve venue, was discussed but PCB managed to shoot down that proposal. And PCB entirely ruled out hosting the Champions Trophy at some neutral venue. However, this proposal mostly depends on BCCI’s decision.

The current number one ranked tennis player Andy Murray is on his way to the top at the Australian open. As well as his performance, Murray is also getting help from the god. Last Tuesday British player won for the first time in Rod Leaver Arena. But the British number one did not want in such way because he was 6-2 3-1 up and cruising against Andrei Pavel before the Romanian pulled up short with a clearly evident back injury. Murray had started the game steadily and his level of tennis progressed as the set wore on, but he was slightly disappointed with the lack of time on court. Both players faced difficulties with high winds and the high sun, but Murray produced some sparkling tennis to finally make the breakthrough.

Although, Murray did not want to see the victory in such way but he then proved it again of being number one by defeating Spain’s Marcel Granollers. The first set was an unexpectedly tight affair, with Murray under pressure to hit top form. The pair traded early breaks before the Scot broke late in the set with a backhand down the line and then served out to clinch opener. However, the second set was much more relaxing for the British number 1. The Spaniard struggled to get involved in Murray’s service games and seemed, like many of the Scot’s opponents, to rapidly run out of ideas. Although still cruising in second gear, Murray’s level was high enough to take the second set comfortably 6-2. At the beginning of the third round Murray came out all guns blazing, clearly having made a conscious decision to be more aggressive. There was more weight behind Murray’s shots and Granollers struggled to deal with the sudden injection of pace into the Murray’s ground strokes. Murray managed to break twice and served out the set and match to book his place in the 3rd round, where he will meet Austria’s Jurgen Melzer.

Andy Murray, born 15 May 1987 in Scotland and currently holds the number one rank as a British tennis player. Murray bust in to the official ATP top 10 for the first time on 16 April 2007, and then reached the career-highest number for four after the U.S. Open, where he reached the finial and was defeated by Roger Federer. To get the update and view the Australian Open, contact your cable operator for more details. Many of the satellite channels are broadcasting Australian Open live and you will find all the updates and details about the games.

“Splendor without Diminishment” this quote only true for British Columbia, the westernmost of Canada’s provinces. It was the sixth province to join the Canadian Confederation. Vancouver, major seaport, is the largest and coastal city in British Columbia. According to Olympics authorities’ decision the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics are going to begin here in on time. So, there is not enough time to start thinking about where to stay at that period. If you are one of the lucky persons who acquire tickets, then it is high time to start thinking about your accommodations.

It is very important to decide where you should stay in Vancouver. For Vancouver Olympics, you should stay as near as possible to the venues that will be hosting the events so that you can attend there easily. However, you may also stay elsewhere as there are many other attractions in Vancouver that you want to enjoy. So, you should select your accommodations as your demands and reasons. Whatever your reasons and demands for desiring to stay in a particular area in Vancouver, you must be aware of the accommodations that are available to you. At the very outset, you have to know that the exact place in which the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics is being held is the village of Whistler, a resort town.

Whistler is the commercial center, which means it is going to get your largest concentration of various restaurants and shops. Additionally, it is known for its skiing. Many people say that the lodging in this area is unpleasant if you stay in the village because you will still get yourself fairly a distance away from the ski lifts. You have to walk at a walk of approximately 10 minutes to the skiers’ plaza. On the whole, this is certainly not a village for those looking for peace and quiet, particularly with the Olympics going on. However, there are accommodations in the Upper Village which allows very easy access to the ski lifts and offers up spectacular views as well.

The people who love to enjoy night club, good news for them. Many legendary night clubs are located here. Those provide you all the attraction what you looking for or important to you. If you intent to join the night clubs every night, you should ensure yourself to stay near the clubs. In this case, you are simply going to be attending some Olympic events. It is better if you search net for Vancouver hotel packages before reaching in Vancouver so that you can get a suitable package. But whatever your accommodations, without Winter Olympics tickets you cannot enjoy those events. So, at first ensure you have tickets to enjoy the events.

From the recent performance of Bangladeshi cricketers it can be said that, Shakib is the only consistent performer from Bangladesh’s side at this moment. And he has confirmed his consistently extraordinary performances by heading the ICC’s ODI all-rounder rankings, the first time any Bangladesh has topped any ICC rankings. Sakib-AL-Hasan the Bangladeshi all-rounder is ranked No. 1 in the world after leaving all good players like J.D.P. Oram, A. Flintoff, Shoaib Malik, and also Jacque Kallis!

Shakib was the leading scorer in the tri-nation series and the 2nd-highest wicket taker for Bangladesh. He scored 153 runs in the three matches at 76.50, with a strike-rate of 101.32, and picked up five wickets at 13.80 avg. His shows in the home tri-nation series, took him to 380 rating points, which helping him to reach the top position. Moreover, very next bilateral three-match series with Zimbabwe, Sakib got the player of the series award, which shows his consistent performance too. After climbing on the first position Sakib-al-Hasan said,

It feels great to be ranked No. 1. My only goal is to keep performing and win matches for the Bangladesh team and I feel more inspired and motivated to give my all in the field. I also know that retaining the top spot will be even tougher and it will require lots of sacrifices, consistency, hard work and dedication. (Quote from cricinfo.com)

Manchester United winger Cristiano Ronaldo has been named as the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year on Monday at a star-studded gala in Zurich. He collected the award from Brazil legend Pele. The 23-year-old Portugal international is the Premier League’s first winner of the award ever to claim the FIFA Accolade since the soccer’s governing body introduced it in 1991. With 935 points he wins the award after finishing ahead of runner-up Lionel Messi(678 ) of Barcelona, with Liverpool striker Fernando Torres(203) third. With this three in the ceremony Xavi Hernandez and Kaka was also was also attended.

Except receiving the World Player of The Year Award, Ronaldo also received the Ballon d’Or for his outstanding performance in last year, whose 42 goals in all competitions last season helped Manchester United win the Premier League and Champions League titles. As usual he is extremely happy after winning the award he said,

“It is an overwhelming moment, it is a dream come true and I would like to dedicate this to my family. I’m extremely happy, it’s one of the most important moments in my life and I hope I can come back here again. After what I did in 2008, to receive this award is amazing and I feel very proud of this achievement. But it’s also true that the manager always has an important role to play. It was a great season for me and for my club and the coach was important for me because I learned a lot for him. His experience over so many years is of paramount importance and it’s a privilege to have such a great club manager. This is the climax of a fantastic era for me. I’m happy and proud about what has been done by my team and what we have won. I am lucky to be part of the history of a club like Manchester United.” (Quote from football.co.uk.)