Karachi (Nut Desk)  Upon winning the third edition of the Free Fire Pakistan League (FFPL), team House of Blood became the first-ever representatives of Pakistan to go on to the global stage, the Free Fire World Series (FFWS). Having previously secured PKR 3,500,000 from the prize pool of FFPL III this year, they have now gone to add $40,000 (PKR 8,000,000) more to their total winnings tally this year, as they ended up in 16th position overall at FFWS.

Two months after winning FFPL III, HoB faced other reigning teams from the region at the Play-ins stage which ultimately decided whether they would go on to the finals to compete for the grand prize pool worth $2,000,000. Their journey was cut short, in particular by Thailand’s representative – Attack All Around who were dominant during the play-ins. The finals were held at Sentosa island in Singapore on 21.05 where spectators witnessed Attack All Around claiming the Champion title and taking home the lion’s share of the prize pool valued at $500,000 Last year, Free Fire World Series 2021 was the most watched esports tournament worldwide with over 5 millions peak concurrent viewers according to Statista.

Free Fire continues to be the most downloaded mobile games in the world, with over 1 billion downloads on Google Play Store and is revolutionising the esports landscape in Pakistan. Free Fire Pakistan has introduced a myriad of engaging initiatives to uplift Pakistan’s gaming industry such as the first-ever esports scholarship, the first professional esports league in Pakistan and the first nation-wide esports tournament. FFPL IV is expected to return later this year in August, where thousands of players will look to dethrone reigning champions House of Blood and win the chance to represent Pakistan in FFWS Winter 2022.

 

Lahore (Nut Desk)

The global marketing and technology partner, TECNO Mobile, congratulated Manchester City on winning the English Premier League. The Manchester City won Premier League title for a fourth time in five years, making it a successful partnership for TECNO and the football club.

The Club launched its global partnership with TECNO Mobile back in 2016, marking the start of a multi-year agreement with the smartphone brand. TECNO became the Official Tablet and Handset Partner with Manchester City Football Club as it fit the global vision of TECNO’s brand identity.

On this triumphant win, TECNO Mobile Pakistan praised the club and gave out its heartiest congratulations to the Champions Manchester City for their fabulous performance.

For more such news and updates, follow TECNO Mobile’s official social media platforms.

Islamabad (Nut Desk) GameBird’s FFPL III Champion team House of Blood (HOB) took part in Free Fire World Series in Santosa, Singapore representing Pakistan amongst 18 other teams from all over the world. On the road to participating the world series, House of Blood won FFCS (Free Fire Champion Series 2020) powered by Telenor, Free Fire Eternal Battle Season 1, and the FFPLIII (Free Fire Pakistan League) season III partnered with GameBird.  

“We are proud to establish a platform like GameBird which is enabling the youth of Pakistan not only in the country, but also giving them an opportunity to represent Pakistan and compete against the best. We are committed to further our ambitions and extend the scope of the Esports in Pakistan. This will not only assist in the promotion of the gaming sector but will also motivate our gaming community to further polish their skills and rise in the gaming arena of Pakistan and beyond,” says Areej Khan, Vice President Digital, Telenor Pakistan.

Pakistan’s premier Esports platform GameBird is on a mission to generate a complete E-sports ecosystem in Pakistan by providing players to unleash their potential in the Esports world, from tournaments to viewing parties to broadcasting. GameBird is also providing access to the international gaming arena to Pakistan’s gaming community and is providing a platform and opportunities to youth to enrich their gaming experience. The platform has distributed considerable prize money to participants through Esports tournaments.

(NUT DESK)

Joe Root resigns as England Test captain

LONDON: Joe Root is stepping down as England’s Test captain, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Friday.

Root’s decision comes after the 1-0 Test series defeat to West Indies last month, and a 4-0 Ashes loss to Australia.

“After returning from the Caribbean tour and having time to reflect, I have decided to step down as England men’s Test captain,” Root said.

“It has been the most challenging decision I have had to make in my career but having discussed this with my family and those closest to me, I know the timing is right.

“I am immensely proud to have captained my country and will look back on the past five years with enormous pride. It has been an honour to have done the job and to have been a custodian of what is the pinnacle of English cricket.”

Root, 31, holds the record for the highest number of wins as England’s Test captain, his 27 putting him one ahead of Michael Vaughan and three ahead of Alastair Cook and Andrew Strauss.

But the past 12 months have been dismal. After winning their opening three Tests of 2021, England have won just one since, losing 11 and drawing five of their past 17.

ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said: “Joe has been an exceptional role model during his tenure, balancing the demands of Test captaincy whilst continuing to shine brilliantly through his own personal performances.

“He has led by example, and that has resulted in more Test wins than any other England captain, alongside a number of famous series home and away victories.”

The high tech cricket app company CircksLab signed an agreement with Kuwait Cricket Association to Digitalize their Cricket

CricksLab will help Kuwait Cricket Association to digitalize their matches with Powerful Digital Technology

Lahore (Nut Desk) CircksLab signed an agreement with Kuwait Cricket Association to Digitalize their Cricket matches. The platform will provide all the digital support such as advanced live-scoring, insight, international quality live streaming, match stats and engagement across the globe.

CricksLab is available in the shape of application on both platforms, iOS and Android system. The app has been used by Kuwait Cricket over the last six months to manage every aspect of their association while providing players with deep insights of their stats, match stats and tournaments and fans with TV quality broadcasting using the app’s live stream broadcasting tools which has led to record viewership and cricket adoption.

On the occasion Mr Nadeem Akhtar, CEO CricksLab said, “The Kuwait Cricket Association plays a massive role in the cricket eco-system within the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Our mission is to empower the Kuwait Cricket Association with technology that will help them to foster player development, recognition and increased viewership at the domestic level and makes a better cricket experience more accessible at every level of the game across Kuwait.”

Wasim Akram former Pakistan test Captain & Director Crickslab stated on the occasion, “I would like to congratulate the Kuwait Cricket Association for bringing this revolutionary technology to the cricket eco-system in Kuwait. It was the need of the hour – with this technology the Association can keep track of young and upcoming players’ performances, understand a player’s struggles and strong points and improve cricket from the ground up.”

CTO Mr. Muhammad Usman Arshaad said, “Moving forward, we are looking forward to working with Kuwait Cricket on a range of new technologies to improve player, viewer and sponsor experiences. Tools such as Video Analytics, integration with health & fitness monitoring devices for player health and stats tracking, player development tools, ball by ball video tagging to players to help talent hunters and more.”

On the occasion President of Kuwait Cricket Association, H.E. Haider Farman stated, “It is a great honor for us to join Crickslab on their journey towards cricket digitalization. Our hope is that the new platform will help increase the number of players, the number of teams and will be a showcase, especially for our government as we are a governing body – the only governing body of cricket in Kuwait.

We [Kuwait Cricket Association] have always had a vision of digitalizing cricket in order to engage our audiences,” States Director General of Kuwait Cricket Sajid Ashraf, “we found CricksLab to comply with all are digital needs. And that is where the birth of a KCC mobile application on iOS and Android came to life.

International Cricket Council Asia Development Officer Iqbal Sikander said, “After Kuwait Cricket won the award for digitalization and fan engagement by the ICC, it has grown and has gone to the next level and we are very happy to see that. With CricksLab technology we are entering a golden age of cricket and the future looks very bright for smaller or developing cricket nations like Kuwait”

Over the last six months, CricksLab has launched in 97 countries around the globe and amassed a user-base of over 200,000. The number of users is expected to top 1 million before the end of 2022. CricksLab has recently introduced an in-app broadcaster tool that empowers YouTube and social media broadcasters with professional broadcasting technology that normally requires teams of people.

CircksLab will be revealing more excited projects and collaborations soon with various cricket bodies around the globe.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  Bilquis & Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation will sponsor another talented Pakistani sportsperson, Huzaifa Abdul Rehman. The 19 year old tennis star’s sponsorship includes training at the Next Gen Academy in Florida and funding for his professional career in the Men’s Circuit.

The memorandum of understanding was signed at a ceremony where the honorable Board-Member of the BARD foundation Faisal Dawood was present along with Huzaifa and his family, and members of the foundation.

“Huzaifa is a promising young tennis players with an array of early accomplishments to his name already. At BARD, we realize that to reach the very top, young athletes need constant support and nurturing, which unfortunately, at this moment is not available to many in Pakistan. We are very happy to step in and provide the resources Huzaifa requires in progressing further on the international stage and making Pakistan proud. The Foundation will continue to support deserving youngsters in achieving their true potential, both in education and sports” said Faisal Dawood.

Huzaifa has so far had a remarkable career in Tennis: In 2016, he was Ranked #2 in Asia Under-14, while winning the Under-14 tournament in Thailand. In 2018, he won the Under-14 Title in Saudi Arabia and a Gold in the Junior Davis Cup. In January 2020, he was the Top-Ranked Pakistani player globally. Huzaifa is trained by David Pierce, the brother and trainer of Mary Pierce (3x Grand Slam winner).

In 2020-2021 the young tennis star spent 18 months at Next Gen Academy, while competing in 25 international tournaments in Asia & USA. Huzaifa’s coach at the Next Gen Academy, Travis Brady, believes that he has an exciting future ahead, “He is feisty on court, and his game is aggressive. He plays good, defensively, with an unbelievable forehand and a good serve.”

BARD Foundation is a human-development initiative, founded by the renowned industrialist & technocrat – Abdul Razak Dawood and his philanthropist wife – Ms. Bilquis Dawood. This resourceful foundation has the vision to support talented individuals for achieving their true potential, as champions in their professional or technical field, while also helping unique sportsmen in learning more skills to compete internationally.

• The Supreme Galactic League will see eight professional esports teams and renowned names go head-to-head.
• Qualifiers will be kicking off in August with the finals in October 2022.
• The esports league will further bring together Pakistan’s esports ecosystem with a best-in-class league structure.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Today, Galaxy Racer is proud to formally announce the official launch of Pakistan’s first-ever professional esports league, the Supreme Galactic League. The Supreme Galactic League is set to be one of the most entertaining esports events in Pakistan and it will be the first time in the history of Pakistan that eight professional esports teams from across the country as well as other renowned names will compete against each other on the national stage.

Qualifiers for the event will be kicking-off this August with the final LAN tournament hosted in October. With a significant amount of prize pool, the Supreme Galactic League will see the best of the best battle it out to determine the ultimate champions of their respective games. The rounds will also be hosted in a closed arena to ensure a safe environment for all players and it will be livestreamed online for fans. More information about the teams and owners involved, distribution of the prize pool, livestreaming platforms and the schedule will be revealed soon.

The Supreme Galactic League will further bring together the esports ecosystem of Pakistan with a best-in-class esports league structure. The recent expansion of Galaxy Racer into Pakistan began back in January 2022, with the launch of Gamers Galaxy, the biggest esports tournament in the history of Pakistan, which was attended virtually by  Pakistan’s President Dr. Arif Alvi. The event was hosted at the Pakistan-China Friendship Centre in Islamabad with over US$100,000 in prize pool, which boosted the country’s gaming ecosystem and nurtured esports talents, giving them a platform and opportunity for competitive esports. This also aligns with Galaxy Racer Pakistan’s vision of creating new jobs and helping to make the country one of the world’s top esports destinations.

Galaxy Racer are the market leaders in the esports industry, having signed an MoU with Pakistan’s Special Technology Zone Authority (STZA) during the Dubai Expo 2020. Esports is the sport of the digital generation and with Pakistan’s majority of its population consisting of 65% of young people, esports and gaming is a promising upcoming industry for the country.

Fakhr-e-Alam, CEO of Galaxy Racer Pakistan, said: “We are thrilled to announce the Supreme Galactic League. With more talent emerging and the esports ecosystem growing exponentially in Pakistan, Galaxy Racer aims to set a benchmark in the industry and show its commitment to provide a global platform for our players with the launch of this historic league.”

Walid Singer, Chief of Staff of Galaxy Racer, said: “We have seen tremendous support from the local esports community that has helped us evolve into a firmly established esports organization in a short span of time. The Supreme Galactic League is a testimony of our long-term vision of contributing towards the growth of esports in the country by attracting Pakistan’s top esports teams to battle it out with a best-in-class league structure.”

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) GameBird, in collaboration with Garena Free Fire Pakistan League (FFPL), hosted a successful finale of the third season of the competition. The collaboration resulted in the biggest FFPL competition with a total prize pool of more than PKR 10 million. The event was attended by actors, influencers, and other notable personalities.

After qualifying tournaments in Karachi, Islamabad, Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Multan,and group stages, the tournament’s finale was held in Lahore with a participation of 12 finalist teams.After intense competition, the team House of Bloodemerged victoriousand has now qualified to represent Pakistan at Free Fire World Series in 2022, which is expected to surpass the Free Fire League finale as the biggest Free Fire E-sports tournament. The event was accentuated with the GameBird experience area that offered audiences a sneak peek into everything the portal has to offer.

GameBird, being the E-sports pioneer in Pakistan, collaborated with Garena FFPL Season 3 to combine their efforts towards creating a culture of competitive gaming, by going into different cities. This lead to finding some of the best talent competing in later stages, by providing them with the opportunity to not only compete for the winning amount but also develop on their game plays for all the future engagements.

Areej Khan, Vice President Digital, Telenor Pakistan commented on the occasion, “The online gaming industry is booming in Pakistan and thanks to the increasing internet penetration rate, there is potential for further growth and uptake. We recognise the entertainment needs of the young Pakistani population who are eager for reliable gaming platforms with accessible premium features. The GameBird online platform does just that by offering Pakistan’s rapidly growing E-sports community a360-gaming experience. I congratulate all participants of the league and look forward to many exciting competitions to come in the future.”

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Binh, Free Fire producer, while talking about the event said, “A special thanks to GameBird for working with us and making FFPL III a successful event. Platforms like GameBird will be a great addition to Pakistan’s E-sports ecosystem as it enables gamers to stay connected by participating in E-sports tournaments across the country in a convenient way.”

GameBird also made a surprise announcement of a FreeFire Ramadan tournament which has already received an overwhelming response. Given how Pakistan didn’t have any E-sports platform, Telenor Pakistan bridged this gap by providing a one-stop gaming platform to cater to the needs of Pakistani gamers. The GameBird platform provides gamers with the unique opportunity of participating in E-sports tournaments, reading gaming news, watching live streams, and winning prizes/gratification upon winning the tournaments and completing in-app purchases through Direct Carrier Billing, and so much more.

TECNO’s AR Campaign with Man City #AnnounceYourself Shortlisted for Best Brand Activation Involving Football at the FBA 2022

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The globally successful smartphone brand, TECNO got shortlisted at the Football Business Awards (FBA) for its #AnnounceYourself Augmented Reality (AR) Campaign for the 2022 Best Brand Activation Involving Football. The #AnnounceYourself campaign was a runaway success catching the eyes of many football executives and professionals all around the world.

Football Business Awards (FBA) is considered the industry’s foremost prestigious accolade. TECNO’s campaign blended the most advanced AR immersive technology, a storied club, and the aspirations of football fans all over the world making #AnnounceYourself attain attention from people around the globe.

FBA celebrates the vital roles businesses and clubs play in shaping the football industry both on and off the field. Through FBA it recognizes outstanding successes such as excellence in football media, marketing efficiency, as well as business and technology innovation.

TECNO, the Global Official Handset Partner of Manchester City, created a Metaverse-like experience for fans to interact with the club set in Man City. From visiting the Etihad Stadium and Man City Football Academy training campus to signing a new contract, selecting their squad number, and mingling with first-team players, this AR experience gave fans a chance to live out their dreams supporting their favorite football club.

Users could also take part in the 3D penalty shootout games before showing off their skills and scores on social media. The AR experience campaign culminated in a grand lucky draw where lucky contestants won rare VIP matchday tickets and travel to a Manchester City home fixture during the season.

This campaign by TECNO received recognition from the judging panel of FBA as it reflects how technology can be integrated into our passions, and utilize platforms such as AR to unite fans and allow them to share common experiences. Moreover, with this AR campaign, TECNO demonstrated the extensive effects of sports marketing and worked to cement the brand’s presence on the global stage.

This campaign also reflects TECNO’s mission as a technology company to bring consumers an innovative brand experience through pioneering technology and some amazing marketing strategies. With the “Stop At Nothing” slogan, TECNO is committed to bringing the best and latest technologies to progressive individuals across global emerging markets, providing elegantly designed intelligent products that inspire consumers to uncover a world of possibilities.

 

 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  The most anticipated hip hop and breaking show of the year finally made its arrival in Pakistan this weekend. Red Bull BC one started on Thursday with the Workshop at District 19 and a jam on Friday to select the top 20 breakers – b-boys and b-girls – of the country. The finalists then competed in an intense, nail-biting, hair-rising competition to finally crown one b-boy and b-girl as the champions of Red Bull BC One Cypher Pakistan 2022.

In the Workshop, legendary Red Bull breaker b-boy Lil G and DJ Khanfu entertained the participants with a performance before giving them tips and teaching them new moves. The Thursday show narrowed the count from 46 to 18. Then 8 b-boys were given the chance to fill the 2 open spots on Saturday, giving us the 20 finalists who broke the stage with their popping and locking in the Cypher.

The final list looks to be of 16 b-boys Brandon Ivor D’Souza, Hadi Shah,Farhad Ali, Aqib Nasir, Mikhail NavinPinho, Rami Ayam, Aliyan Babar, Aris Rahim, Irfan Ali Khan, Ahmed Bilal, Syed Shariq, Abdul Karim Fazly, Burhan Ali, Barkat Ali, Zain Ali, Ali Muhammad Ismail and 4 b-girls Daniya Kanwal, Rehan Rafiq, Sarah Shah Gul and Maliha Nasir.

The grand finale, Red Bull BC One Cypher exceeded all expectations on Saturday night, giving Karachi a night to remember. With Lil G, DJ Khanfu and Pakistan’s Taishi serving as the jury, the final battle came down to b-boy Masoom and b-boy Burhan. What followed was a battle that elevated both performers to new heights and earned them respect from audience and jury alike. In the end, b-boy Masoom won and was crowned the champion.

The four b-girls brought forth the fight of their lives too, wowing the audience and making them cheer louder with every move and step. The final battle saw Daniyal Kanwal compete against Reham Rafiq where Daniya Kanwal was crowned the winner.

In all, Red Bull BC One’s arrival in Pakistan gave the underground breaking community a much-needed platform to showcase their talents. The hidden gems are hidden no more as b-boy Masoom and b-girl Destiny are set to represent Pakistan in the last chance cypher in New York, USA later this year, where they will compete against some of the best breakers the world has to offer.