The Punjab Cricket Association (PCA) has dismissed the rumours that Mohali was uncertain to host the second India-England Test match. While speaking to a newspaper, the PCA president has made it clear that the game would be played at Mohali as scheduled.

Speculation was rife on Monday that there would be a replacement of the after the PCA sent out a statement informing about Reg Dickason postponing his security inspection visit. The statement has said that the visit of

ECB security advisor Reg Dickason has been postponed and the exact schedule of his visit has not been received. It also spoke about the cancellation of the press conference which was fixed for December 9. 

The PCA did not mention the reason for the postponement of ECB officials’ visit. Besides Dickason, the ECB’s Managing Director Hugh Morris and Chief Executive of England Players’ Association Sean Morris were scheduled to visit Mohali on Tuesday and, based on that, were to give a green signal to Mohali.

The president of the PCA made it clear that the Mohali will certainly host the second Test match between India and England and there is no room for any doubts about that. The PCA is making adequate security arrangements by joining hands with the Punjab Police to ensure safety and decorum of the match. Dickason’s visit to Mohali is postponed as he is travelling with the England team to Chennai from Abu Dhabi and so will arrive in India only late in the day. He will be inspecting Mohali stadium on Wednesday.

Reports had earlier surfaced that the England players, and especially the Barmy Army, had raised serious concerns over the choice of Mohali as the venue for the second Test, owing to its proximity to the Pakistan border. Also another reason was that there are no direct flights to London from Chandigarh. There were also speculations in the air that Bangalore and Delhi were being seriously considered as possible alternatives as both would allow an easier passage home for the squad.

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Top-ranked Rafel Nadal is hurt, while Roger Federer, the defending champion is in ailing time. The first-timers have taken this as a chance to make up half the field for this year’s Masters Cup.
The ATP’s season-ending tournament is to open at Shanghai on Sunday.
The rumours and enthusiasm surrounding Roger Federer is still on. Last year, Tennis lovers were wondering at this time if the Swiss star’s game was starting to slip after the loss of two matches in a row for the first time in 4 1/2 years, including the opening round in Shanghai.

But Federer made a stupendous comeback by winning the next four matches in dominating fashion to grab his fourth Masters Cup crown.

This year too there are questions revolving in air as Federer battling with mononucleosis, failed to add to his Grand Slam total in the season’s first three majors and saw Nadal finally rise from No. 2 and end Federer’s record 237-week reign atop the rankings.

Federer has gone out and won his fifth consecutive U.S. Open to counter Pete Sampras’ record of 14 Grand Slam titles, which he will try to match at the Australian Open in January.

Nadal will miss the tournament this time. Thanks to tendinitis in his right knee. The injusry caused at Paris last week had kept him out of the Davis Cup final later this month.

With Federer and Nadal out of the race, many new comers are looking at this a big chance to show their talent. Second-seeded Nokvak Djokovic of Serbia will begin the game by facing Juan Martin Del Potro on Sunday. Djokovic had earlier grabbed his first Slam in Australia in the beginning of this year as is hoping to repeat that here. This is the last year that the competition will be held in Shanghai, as London will be hosting the tournament from 2009.

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