ABU DHABI // The UAE Under 19 team play their first competitive match in more than six months today against their Pakistan counterparts in a tri-series that also includes England.
The UAE will play three matches each against Pakistan and England, which Aaqib Javed, the coach, said marks the third key stage of their preparation for the upcoming U19 Asia Cup from December 27 to January 4, and the U19 World Cup in February, which the UAE is hosting.
The UAE have been training for the last three months, with most of that time spent at the ICC Global Cricket Academy nets in Dubai and playing five games among themselves in Al Dhaid every weekend over the last month.
“We have done a lot of work,” Aaqib said. “The first stage was to prepare them in the nets, the second was to shortlist the squad and play among themselves so that they get to know each other well, and now we go into the third stage by playing other teams.”
Aaqib’s philosophy for the team is to first know his own players and then gauge the opposition, and has told them to be realistic in their ambitions in the coming matches.
“Now is the time to look at our players when they play against other teams,” he said. “We have already discussed our game plan when we play Pakistan and England.
“I have told my players not to get excited because we are playing against Test-playing nations.
“Our objectives in these games are very simple. The first is to bat the 50 overs and try to score around four runs per over. This would provide them the confidence.
“I think we should perform reasonably well. It is a good opportunity to play six games against strong opposition before we go to the Asia Cup.”
The series is hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board as a reciprocal event for an invitation they received from England in July/August.
The Pakistan board has timed the series so that they go straight into the Asia Cup, where they are drawn against India, Nepal, and the UAE in Group A. The other group consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.
Looking forward to today’s game, Pakistan manager Ali Zia said: “Every game has to be played very seriously and I understand there are quite a lot of youngsters in the UAE team. On paper, I believe we would be much, much stronger, but we will take each match like another game of cricket.
“We will try to win all our matches, and if we do, it will be the icing on the cake.”
Pakistan won the U19 World Cup in 2004 and 2006, and Zia said wants the current team to maintain the legacy.
“Pakistan have always produced some very good cricketers at a young age and this team is no exception,” he said.
“We have a few very good cricketers in this team, and obviously, the idea is some of them would go on and represent the country in the senior team.”
Zia named four players from the touring squad to have the potential to play for the senior national team: Sami Aslam, a left-handed opener, Kamran Ghuolam, a batting all-rounder, left-arm spinner Zafar Gohar and fast-bowling prospect Zia ul Haq.
“I feel these boys have the potential,” Zia said. “Some of the [U19 players] don’t make it big, but they do go on to play first-class cricket.
“To the international cricket, a few find it difficult, but if some of these boys keep working hard, they have the potential to make it to the first team.”
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India squad
Virat Kohli (captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, K.L. Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Rishabh Pant, Shivam Dube, Kedar Jadhav, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Deepak Chahar, Mohammed Shami, Shardul Thakur.
Gifts exchanged
- King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
- Queen Camilla - Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
- Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
- Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs: 2018 Ford Mustang GT
Price, base / as tested: Dh204,750 / Dh241,500
Engine: 5.0-litre V8
Gearbox: 10-speed automatic
Power: 460hp @ 7,000rpm
Torque: 569Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 10.3L / 100km
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
THREE
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
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.”
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
