Ahmed Raza, the UAE captain, warned his misfiring batters they face the cut from the national team after another collapse cost them World Cup qualifying points against Oman.
The hosts lost out by eight runs to their Gulf neighbours at the ICC Academy in Dubai having failed to chase 222 to win.
Four days earlier, they had caved in against the same opposition, when they fell 12 short of a target of 226.
The pair of defeats mean Oman have extended their lead at the top of the Cricket World Cup League 2 table, while UAE have lost ground.
This time around, the home team were cruising on 99 for one in the 21st over, with Vriitya Aravind and Chirag Suri – who top scored with 63 – at the wicket.
They capitulated thereafter, in the face of some spirited fast bowling by Fayyaz Butt, but due in large part to poor strokeplay.
“I don’t think I can ask anything more of the bowlers, [but] the batters really need to step up,” Raza said.
“You can give a batter only so many chances. It is about time to think about changing personnel if things aren’t going your way.
“It is the same batters who are getting 20s and 30s every time, but are not converting those scores and turning it into a match-winning total.“You can score 50s, but if the team doesn’t win it doesn’t really matter in the end. Personal milestones don’t really count. It is about the team winning.
“Oman are a good team. They really fight hard, even with a modest total like that. But we really need to look hard at ourselves.
"We can’t be lacking so much in the table, because there is not so much between us, Namibia and Scotland.”
Oman are a good team. They really fight hard ... But we really need to look hard at ourselves.
Ahmed Raza
The league carries with it four places at the final qualifying tournament for the 2023 50-over World Cup in India.
Oman lead the table, with the UAE in third, although the table appears misshapen at present with Oman having played many more fixtures than the rest due to scheduling issues.
The UAE’s next match is against Namibia in Sharjah on Saturday, and Raza suggested it might be the last chance for some players to prove themselves.
“The games are coming thick and fast, and as the saying goes, if you can’t change the person, change the person,” Raza said.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. They are the ones who won us games three or four weeks ago in Oman. It is time they stepped up. These are modest totals. We shouldn’t be getting all out on those wickets.”
Oman’s comeback was brought about by Fayyaz, a fast bowler who was returning to their one-day international side for the first time in three years.
Amid a vociferous verbal confrontation with a number of batters, he accounted for Suri, Basil Hameed, and took the final wicket of Junaid Siddique.
“It was a proud moment because I was playing for the first time in three years,” Fayyaz said.
“I was ready for this. I was laughing a lot with my coach [Duleep Mendis], who is like my godfather.
“My team was struggling, so I thought I needed to do some funny things to confuse the batsmen. After that, wickets, wickets, wickets, and we won, Alhamdulillah.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Indoor Cricket World Cup
Venue Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE squad Saqib Nazir (captain), Aaqib Malik, Fahad Al Hashmi, Isuru Umesh, Nadir Hussain, Sachin Talwar, Nashwan Nasir, Prashath Kumara, Ramveer Rai, Sameer Nayyak, Umar Shah, Vikrant Shetty
What are the GCSE grade equivalents?
- Grade 9 = above an A*
- Grade 8 = between grades A* and A
- Grade 7 = grade A
- Grade 6 = just above a grade B
- Grade 5 = between grades B and C
- Grade 4 = grade C
- Grade 3 = between grades D and E
- Grade 2 = between grades E and F
- Grade 1 = between grades F and G
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What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
Changing visa rules
For decades the UAE has granted two and three year visas to foreign workers, tied to their current employer. Now that's changing.
Last year, the UAE cabinet also approved providing 10-year visas to foreigners with investments in the UAE of at least Dh10 million, if non-real estate assets account for at least 60 per cent of the total. Investors can bring their spouses and children into the country.
It also approved five-year residency to owners of UAE real estate worth at least 5 million dirhams.
The government also said that leading academics, medical doctors, scientists, engineers and star students would be eligible for similar long-term visas, without the need for financial investments in the country.
The first batch - 20 finalists for the Mohammed bin Rashid Medal for Scientific Distinction.- were awarded in January and more are expected to follow.
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Prophets of Rage
(Fantasy Records)
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 5
Keita 1', Mane 23', 66', Salah 45' 1, 83'
Huddersfield 0
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