West Indies batter Kavem Hodge admitted his century in the second Test against England at Trent Bridge was made “much more satisfying” by withstanding a “brutal” spell of fast-bowling from Mark Wood.
Hodge cracked 120 on Day 2 in Nottingham as the tourists finished on 351-5 at stumps, just 65 runs behind England's first innings total of 416 and very much in the game.
What made Hodge's knock even more impressive was the fact he came up against the fastest spell of bowling by an England player on home soil since detailed records began in 2006, overtaking Wood's own mark at Lord's in 2021 and Headingley during last summer's Ashes.
During a four-over spell, he clocked 97.1mph while the 34-year-old paceman remained around the 93mph mark for most of the day's play. Wood also hit Alick Athanaze flush on the helmet on 48, although the left-hander went on to 82 during a crucial fourth-wicket stand of 175 with Hodge.
“There was one point I was joking with him [Wood], I said 'hey, I have a wife and kids at home!',” said Hodge after stumps. “He started to laugh and I think it made the century much more satisfying.
“Test cricket is brutal, it is challenging, it is mentally draining. To experience that, facing guys like Mark Wood, it was tough but it was satisfying.
“Some guys got hit but it's part of Test cricket. Kudos to Alick. He bounced back and was able to stand his ground and push on even further. I flinched, I thought I was going to get hit before that.
“Batting with Alick is always good because he is so aggressive. The attention goes away from me and I can bat under the radar.”
It was a vastly-improved batting performance from the West Indies who were bowled out for just 121 and 136 in the 114-run first test thrashing at Lord's which also saw record wicket-taker James Anderson's final appearance for England. Jason Holder (23) and Joshua Da Silva (32) finished the day unbeaten with the host's total very much in sight.
“It's been an amazing day,” added Hodge. “You always want to contribute, it was really good for the guys coming off Lord's, coming back as a batting unit it's always sweeter from behind.
“We're in a good position, I think we want to keep grinding on, take it as deep as possible.”
Wood was called into the team as a replacement for Anderson but left the field before Friday's close with suspected cramp following a wicketless return of 0-51 in 14.1 overs that was no reward for a determined and skilful display.
“Surprisingly, he said he's never had cramp before. I'm hoping it's just a bit of fatigue,” said England assistant coach Paul Collingwood.
“He certainly was stretching his hamstring so I presume it's in there somewhere. It's been a hot day, he's put all his effort into every ball. But he had a smile on his face at the end.
“Woody is always a little bit wary of injuries and niggles, so I think he’ll be fine. If he was worried it’s something serious he’d be pretty distraught but he seems pretty chipper.
“Everyone watching Woody throw himself 100 per cent at every single spell was exceptional and getting up to speeds of 97mph is everything you want to see in Test cricket.”
This is England's first home Test since 2012 without either Anderson or his longtime new-ball partner Stuart Broad, who retired after last year's Ashes. Between them, the pair took 1,308 Test wickets.
Instead, Chris Woakes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson, fresh from a 12-wicket haul on Test debut at Lord's shared the new ball on Friday with the opening pair finishing the day with figures of 1-59 and 1-77, respectively.
Captain ben Stokes also chipped in with a wicket while Shoaib Bashir took 2-100 with both Mikyle Louis (21) and Kirk McKenzie (11) out to rash shots as the 20-year-old off-spinner took his first Test wickets on home soil.
French business
France has organised a delegation of leading businesses to travel to Syria. The group was led by French shipping giant CMA CGM, which struck a 30-year contract in May with the Syrian government to develop and run Latakia port. Also present were water and waste management company Suez, defence multinational Thales, and Ellipse Group, which is currently looking into rehabilitating Syrian hospitals.
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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.”
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
