When Ahmed Raza was invited to train with Australia at Lord’s back in 2019, the UAE captain probably thought his summer holiday could not really get much better.
Looking back now, though, that stint mixing with some of the world’s leading players at the Home of Cricket was really just a footnote to the real story of the trip.
On October 23, a little over two years after they were first introduced to each other via mutual friends during his time in London, Raza married Mehreen Tahir.
Now, after scarcely a month of wedded bliss living together in Dubai, Mehreen is already set for an introduction to the life of a 'cricket widow'.
Raza is flying off to Windhoek to lead the national team in their Cricket World Cup League Two tri-series against Namibia and Oman.
Happily, she was well briefed on what it might be like being married to an international sportsman.
“I know he’s doing what he loves, and to see that cricket is finally back is amazing because it means the world is returning to normal,” Mehreen said.
“I know what I signed up for, and I am a cricket fanatic myself. I absolutely love cricket. Even before I met Ahmed, my first ever visit to UAE was to go to the stadium in Abu Dhabi to watch Pakistan and Australia.
“It is amazing that I’m married to a cricketer now. My dad played, and it is a sport that has been around my family for a long time. All my sisters are into it.
“When the big games happen all the family gets together. We have all been watching Ahmed’s matches at home. It was such a proud moment.”
While Raza is in Namibia, his wife will be back in England attempting to tie up the loose ends on her transfer to Dubai, with her job as a business analyst for a corporation which produces perfumes.
It seems apt that their life as newlyweds is a little complex, given what they went through to actually get married. As is the way of the world at present, little ran smoothly.
A case of Covid within Mehreen’s family meant none of them were able to travel to Pakistan for the planned festivities – including the bride herself.
The service was eventually conducted over Zoom, before they subsequently travelled to Istanbul, which is where they first met as husband and wife.
“Everything was ready for us, but God had different plans,” Raza said. “We were just happy and thankful that eventually it happened, and everything is good.
“Since we got back from Turkey I haven’t had a day off as we have been training for Namibia.
“That has been another thing she has been dealing with. She has already had to deal with quite a lot.”
Mehreen is equally sanguine about what has happened. “There was a lot of drama involved but the end goal was just for us to be married,” she said.
“We will take that. We are thinking of doing something next year once I’ve finally moved here.”
Raza says he remains focused on the day job, despite his change in personal status.
“We haven’t played the Cricket World Cup League for a year and a half now,” Raza said.
“The focus remains the same for us. It is going to be challenging for us because Oman and Namibia are both coming off decent outings at the T20 World Cup.
“This is a different format [50 overs], and we have done well against Namibia in the past. We have only played one game against Oman so far, so we are really looking to get some points there.
“We have been waiting for this. An extra game [a fixture against Oman is outstanding after it was postponed because of the death of Sultan Qaboos bin Said in 2020] means an extra chance for two points. We are happy that game wasn’t called off and the points were shared.”
The World Cup League is part of the qualifying process for the 2023 World Cup. If the UAE do make it to that competition, it could pit them against Pakistan – meaning a test of the loyalties of Mehreen, who has always supported Pakistan.
Only it would not be a test at all, really. “Obviously my husband and UAE,” she said, when asked who she would support if that scenario ever did come to pass.
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MATCH INFO
Southampton 0
Manchester City 1 (Sterling 16')
Man of the match: Kevin de Bruyne (Manchester City)
Analysis
Members of Syria's Alawite minority community face threat in their heartland after one of the deadliest days in country’s recent history. Read more
Zayed Sustainability Prize
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
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.”
Five films to watch
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Only Yesterday (1991)
Pom Poki (1994)
The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
The biog
Marital status: Separated with two young daughters
Education: Master's degree from American Univeristy of Cairo
Favourite book: That Is How They Defeat Despair by Salwa Aladian
Favourite Motto: Their happiness is your happiness
Goal: For Nefsy to become his legacy long after he is gon
Secret Nation: The Hidden Armenians of Turkey
Avedis Hadjian, (IB Tauris)
Tonight's Chat on The National
Tonight's Chat is a series of online conversations on The National. The series features a diverse range of celebrities, politicians and business leaders from around the Arab world.
Tonight’s Chat host Ricardo Karam is a renowned author and broadcaster who has previously interviewed Bill Gates, Carlos Ghosn, Andre Agassi and the late Zaha Hadid, among others.
Intellectually curious and thought-provoking, Tonight’s Chat moves the conversation forward.
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The biog
Name: Salvador Toriano Jr
Age: 59
From: Laguna, The Philippines
Favourite dish: Seabass or Fish and Chips
Hobbies: When he’s not in the restaurant, he still likes to cook, along with walking and meeting up with friends.
