Glenn Maxwell ready for 'exciting' T20 World Cup as 2021 tournament releases promo video

Glenn Maxwell believes the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will be "one of the toughest and most exciting on record" as the promo video for the tournament, featuring the Australia all-rounder, was released on Thursday.

Maxwell is joined in the animation video, titled 'Live the Game', by India skipper Virat Kohli - officially the host nation captain following the decision to relocate the tournament from India to the UAE and Oman - Afghanistan's star bowler Rashid Khan and Kieron Pollard, the captain of defending champions West Indies.

Composed by Bollywood music director Amit Trivedi, the film features young fans from all over the world as well as animated avatars of the four players.

The 16-team T20 World Cup gets under way on October 17 when Oman take on debutants Papua New Guinea at Muscat's Oman Cricket Academy, while the Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi's Sheikh Zayed Cricket will also host matches.

The final, to take place at the Dubai International Stadium, is scheduled for November 14 and Maxwell insists any number of teams could contest the title match.

"The ICC Men's T20 World Cup is going to be one of the toughest and most exciting on record," he said. "There are so many teams that could take the trophy and every game will be like a final. We can’t wait to get started knowing the calibre of players we have."

The West Indies won the most recent edition, in 2016, in spectacular fashion as Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes in the final over to lead his side to victory over England with just two balls to spare.

Pollard, who was appointed West Indies captain in September 2019, expects the upcoming tournament will deliver more memorable moments.

“There is something magical and special about putting on the West Indies jersey and stepping onto the field," he said. "This upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will give us more special moments.

"We know our fans will be fully engaged, watching, and supporting and we want to give them plenty to cheer about. I’m excited about the magic moments ahead."

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The Details

Kabir Singh

Produced by: Cinestaan Studios, T-Series

Directed by: Sandeep Reddy Vanga

Starring: Shahid Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Suresh Oberoi, Soham Majumdar, Arjun Pahwa

Rating: 2.5/5

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.”

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2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups

Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.

Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.

Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.

Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.

Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.

Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.

Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.

Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.