Rohan Mustafa is urging the UAE to remain on the attack as he eyes a dream return to Australia for a World Cup.
The national team are set for two crucial days of cricket at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Muscat.
They face Bahrain in their final pool match at the eight-team tournament on Monday, ahead of a possible semi-final a day later.
UAE have been impressive in winning each of their first two games, against Ireland and Germany, in the competition so far.
It is possible they could be deprived a place in the last four if Bahrain were to upset the odds and beat them, and if Ireland beat Germany by a significant margin in Monday’s other fixture.
However, UAE are in outstanding form. They have lost just once in their past 10 matches in all cricket, and want to control their own fate with victory against their Gulf neighbours.
“We have to go hard against Bahrain and not give them the opportunity to win,” Mustafa said.
“If you lose matches like this your morale goes down and the other team’s goes up. They are unpredictable teams, so we have to go hard at them.”
Mustafa is unique within the UAE squad, in that he has the experience of two previous World Cups. He was part of the side for the 2014 T20 version in Bangladesh, then played at the 2015 50-over World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
A place in Thursday’s final of the Qualifier in Oman brings with it a trip to Australia in October to play in the main event, and Mustafa is intent on being on that flight.
“Someone asked me a few days ago, ‘What is your last dream in cricket?’ and I said I want to be the first player to play in three World Cups for the UAE team,” Mustafa said.
“I hope I can do that. It would be a very great opportunity for everyone. I know what the feelings are like when you go to a World Cup.
“The guys are really excited, and I am as well. I have been to two World Cups, including in Australia as well, and it was so beautiful. We want to get there and we are trying to do it.”
Mustafa had a boost ahead of the Qualifier when the latest ICC player rankings had him listed in the top 10 all-rounders in the world.
He says it was good news to receive, but that he is more focused on the collective effort at present.
“In my life, I always used to be very excited to get man of the match awards in international matches,” Mustafa said.
“After time, that becomes less. Right now, I don’t check Cricinfo, I don’t check anything else. If someone shares something on Twitter with me, I’m happy to share it back.
“But other than that, I just need to perform for my country. I want to do it for my country because this country has given me everything. It has given me a name.
“To be honest, I wasn’t aware [of his position in the ICC rankings]. One of the guys shared it with me on WhatsApp, congratulating me.
“It is a great thing, because I hadn’t been performing that well before this [tour]. When you do something and get such a thing as this, it raised your morale.
“It is the world rankings, so of course it is a good thing. But qualifying for the World Cup is far more important than anything like this.”
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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.”
THE BIO
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Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
