Pakistan v West Indies, Sharjah Test, Day 2
Pakistan 281 v West Indies 244/6
PAK: Amir 2/44, Wahab 2/65
WI: K Brathwaite 95, Chase 50
SHARJAH // Three former schoolmates from Barbados combined to keep West Indies in the hunt for a first win against Pakistan, at the ninth attempt on their troubled tour of the UAE.
Kraigg Braithwaite was left five runs short of a fifth Test century when the umpires decided to curtail Day 2 two overs early because of bad light at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Two players from the year above him at Combermere, the Bridgetown high school which counts numerous West Indies players among its former pupils, also made contributions of note.
Brathwaite shared a stand worth 83 for the fifth wicket with Roston Chase, the spin-bowling allrounder. He then managed an identical number with Shane Dowrich, the wicketkeeper, for the sixth.
Paul Radley, Day 1
• West Indies finally get some wind in their sails, from Carlos Brathwaite of all people
The aggregate of the West Indies effort left them 37 runs behind Pakistan’s first innings total of 281 at stumps, and Brathwaite is eyeing a lead on Day 3.
“I’ll be good,” Brathwaite said, about his prospects of a nervy night’s sleep with a century so tantalisingly close. “The aim for me is to really build a big lead for the West Indies. That is what will be on my mind tonight.”
Despite being the youngest of the three ex-school colleagues, Brathwaite has the most experience of Test cricket. This is his 34th Test, while Chase and Dowrich have played 13 between them.
What they lack in Test caps, they make up for in their long-established understanding of each other’s games, according to Brathwaite.
“We have a good relationship,” Brathwaite, 23, said.
“I said to [Chase] to play as straight as possible. Obviously the pitch is low, so it is key we hit straight down the ground, then rotate the strike, and after that we had a good partnership.
“The pitch is cracking up a bit, and later tomorrow it will probably crack some more and get some spin. It isn’t spinning sharply at the moment.
“If we can go on and get the lead, then build on that, that will be very good for us, aiming towards winning this Test match.”
The new-found resourcefulness of West Indies belies the fact Pakistan probably feel they are still ahead in this game, given they will bowl last, when the pitch will be at its most worn.
That said, this has been a hard slog for the host team, worn down by injudicious stroke play in their innings, and Brathwaite’s doggedness in reply.
At least they had one notable highlight to celebrate. Mohammed Amir’s first catch in Test cricket – in his 20th match – was a stunning feat of athleticism and coordination.
Retreating back from extra cover to chase a top-edge from Darren Bravo, he dived full length, pushed the catch, and managed to keep hold when he hit the floor.
It was spectacular, but perhaps vital, too. Bravo is seen as the key West Indies batsman, after he posted their only century of the series so far, in the opening Test in Dubai.
“We actually train these kind of skills, and that is a quite regular thing by our fielding coach,” Amir said.
“The wicket of Bravo was very important as he is the batsman we wanted to get out as soon as possible we created the opportunity and I made the effort to get him out. So it worked well.”
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IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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UK residents who have their permanent home ("domicile") outside the UK may not have to pay UK tax on foreign income. For example, they do not pay tax on foreign income or gains if they are less than £2,000 in the tax year and do not transfer that gain to a UK bank account.
A UK-domiciled person, however, is liable for UK tax on their worldwide income and gains when they are resident in the UK.
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (Dirt) 1,200m
7.05pm: Handicap; Dh170,000; (D) 1,200m
7.40pm: Maiden; Dh165,000; (D) 1,900m
8.15pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 2,000m
8.50pm: Handicap; Dh185,000; (D) 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap; Dh165,000; (D) 2,000m
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Bundesliga fixtures
Saturday, May 16 (kick-offs UAE time)
Borussia Dortmund v Schalke (4.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Freiburg (4.30pm)
Hoffenheim v Hertha Berlin (4.30pm)
Fortuna Dusseldorf v Paderborn (4.30pm)
Augsburg v Wolfsburg (4.30pm)
Eintracht Frankfurt v Borussia Monchengladbach (7.30pm)
Sunday, May 17
Cologne v Mainz (4.30pm),
Union Berlin v Bayern Munich (7pm)
Monday, May 18
Werder Bremen v Bayer Leverkusen (9.30pm)
RESULTS
6.30pm UAE 1000 Guineas Trial Conditions (TB) US$100,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
Winner Final Song, Christophe Soumillon (jockey), Saeed bin Suroor (trainer).
7.05pm Handicap (TB) $135,000 (Turf) 1,000m
Winner Almanaara, Dane O’Neill, Doug Watson.
7.40pm Handicap (TB) $175,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner Grand Argentier, Brett Doyle, Doug Watson.
8.15pm Meydan Challenge Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner Major Partnership, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor.
8.50pm Dubai Stakes Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner Gladiator King, Mickael Barzalona, Satish Seemar.
9.25pm Dubai Racing Club Classic Listed Handicap (TB) $175,000 (T) 2,410m
Winner Universal Order, Richard Mullen, David Simcock.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
