Ethan D’Souza has become an expert at juggling his passion for cricket and burgeoning national team career with his academic pursuits.
So far, his hard work at maintaining this balancing act has paid off handsomely, having achieved 80 per cent in the CBSE (Indian curriculum) exams.
D’Souza was a member of the UAE team that reached the U19 Asia Cup final last December following stunning victories over Asian giants Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He also played for Team Abu Dhabi in the Abu Dhabi T10.
That done, D’Souza, 18, is now ready to continue his cricketing journey while also studying for a degree in business and finance.
“I actually exceeded my expectations. I’m very satisfied with the (exam) results given the time spent on cricket. I missed about four months of school last year,” D’Souza, who has already played three senior ODIs, told The National.
“My parents and teachers [at Abu Dhabi Indian School-Al Wathba] have been very supportive. They have helped me to balance my studies and cricket for which I’m really thankful.
“The season has been long and I've missed quite a lot of cricket due to my exams. Now I’m looking for a university, probably in Dubai, and then finalise it in the next month or two.
“From a cricket point of view, it hasn't been my best season, but I've learnt a lot from it. With the exams behind me, the plan is to work over the summer and be ready for the 2024/2025 season.”
A left-handed top order batter and a useful right arm off-spin bowler, he has played key roles in the UAE age group team successes, and emerged as one of the best fielders in the country at any position.
“Obviously those were two very good tournaments for me as an individual last November and December. To reach the Asia Cup final after wins over Pakistan and Sri Lanka was a massive achievement for the team and me,” he said.
“I'm excited to go off-season and work on my cricket skills again. The season in the UAE never ends but the academy which I play for will be closed for two months over the summer.
“My training doesn’t stop, though. I will be looking to work on my skills and on my fitness and all the other sides of the game, including the mental side. Then coming back in September and work towards the U19 Asia Cup in December.
“I want to be prepared for any tournament that may come on the way. The ILT20 Development and the ILT20 are obvious objectives because your career can change from that one tournament.”
D’Souza will have another year to represent the Zayed Cricket Academy in the Emirates Cricket Board’s U19 National Academy League.
He is one of the longest serving pupils of the academy, having joined when aged seven in September 2013. He led the academy to the U19 National Academy title and Team Abu Dhabi to success in the Inter-Emirate competition in the previous season.
“It’s my last season in the U19s. I'll just try to enjoy it as much as I can and pass all my experience that I gained from my seniors to the younger players in the academy,” he added.
A self-confessed introvert, D'Souza never wanted to take the mantle of leadership. However, considering he is the most senior player in the squad, he was asked to lead the team in the 2022/2023 season.
He did an exceptional job as captain of Team Abu Dhabi and led them to the U19 Inter-Emirate title.
“I was a very shy person and didn’t want to be in the spotlight. I was asked if I would like to captain the team and I agreed,” D’Souza, who was then retained as captain for a second term, said.
“We ended up winning the Inter-Emirate and the National Academy League titles in the two years of my captaincy. It really helped me get out of my comfort zone and I feel like I've evolved as a leader now.”
F1 drivers' standings
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes 281
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari 247
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes 222
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull 177
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari 138
6. Max Verstappen, Red Bull 93
7. Sergio Perez, Force India 86
8. Esteban Ocon, Force India 56
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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.”
