Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan captain again. AFP
Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan captain again. AFP
Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan captain again. AFP
Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan captain again. AFP

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Cricket

Babar Azam: Turmoil continues in Pakistan cricket as star batsman steps down as captain

Batsman says he wants to 'focus more energy on my game and personal growth'

The National

October 02, 2024

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Pakistan cricket was plunged into further chaos as star batsman Babar Azam resigned from white-ball captaincy for a second time in 11 months, citing a need to reduce his workload and focus on improving his game.

Babar stepped down as captain of all three formats last year after Pakistan failed to make the knockout stage of the 50-over World Cup. He returned as white-ball skipper in March ahead of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean where Pakistan failed to make it to the Super Eight stage.

Pressure has been mounting on Pakistan players after a prolonged drought in international cricket that has seen them drop down to eighth in Test rankings and seventh in T20 standings. Babar has faced a significant portion of that pressure and has now decided to step away from a leadership position that has been heavily contested.

"It's been an honour to lead this team, but it's time for me to step down and focus on my playing role," Babar wrote in a post on X."Captaincy has been a rewarding experience, but it's added a significant workload. I want to prioritise my performance, enjoy my batting, and spend quality time with my family, which brings me joy. By stepping down, I will gain clarity moving forward and focus more energy on my game and personal growth."

After Babar stepped down as all-formats captain, fast bowler Shaheen Afridi briefly led Pakistan in the T20 format but was removed from the captaincy after Pakistan lost 4-1 to New Zealand.

The new Pakistan board chairman Mohsin Naqvi reappointed Babar as white-ball captain in March, but he could only win a bilateral series against Ireland 2-1.

Pakistan drew the home T20 series against New Zealand 2-2 before losing 2-0 to England just ahead of the T20 World Cup, where Pakistan failed to get past the opening round after losing to co-hosts United States in a Super Over and archrivals India while chasing just 119.

Babar has been feeling the pressure as a batsman as well. He has not hit a half-century in his last 16 Test innings, even though he scored heavily in the recent domestic Champions Cup One-Day Tournament. There as well, Babar did not lead the Stallions team and played under the captaincy of Mohammad Haris.

Overall, Babar has captained Pakistan in 43 ODIs, winning 26 and losing 15. He also led Pakistan in 85 T20s with a win-loss record of 48-29.

Pakistan won just six of the 13 T20 matches they played under Babar in his second stint and were in desperate need of a new direction in white-ball cricket.

Pakistan will host England in three Tests starting in Multan on Monday, before travelling to Australia for ODI and T20 matches in November. Shan Masood is the red-ball captain of Pakistan.

Fast bowler Afridi could return as captain of Pakistan's white-ball team as he has the experience of leading successfully at domestic level. Also, he is one of the few certainties in Pakistan's white-ball squad, making him a straightforward choice.

England squad

Joe Root (captain), Alastair Cook, Keaton Jennings, Gary Ballance, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper), Ben Stokes (vice-captain), Moeen Ali, Liam Dawson, Toby Roland-Jones, Stuart Broad, Mark Wood, James Anderson.

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The President's Cake

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Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

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.”

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No more lice

Defining head lice

Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.

Identifying lice

Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.

Treating lice at home

Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.

Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital

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Always use only regulated platforms

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Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

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Managing the separation process

  • Choose your nursery carefully in the first place
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  • Be patient. Your child might love it one day and hate it the next
  • Stick at it. Don’t give up after the first day or week. It takes time for children to settle into a new routine.And, finally, don’t feel guilty.  
The biog

Family: He is the youngest of five brothers, of whom two are dentists. 

Celebrities he worked on: Fabio Canavaro, Lojain Omran, RedOne, Saber Al Rabai.

Where he works: Liberty Dental Clinic 

The Details

Article 15
Produced by: Carnival Cinemas, Zee Studios
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Our rating: 4/5 

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Classification of skills

A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation. 

A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.

The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000. 

A cheaper choice

Vanuatu: $130,000

Why on earth pick Vanuatu? Easy. The South Pacific country has no income tax, wealth tax, capital gains or inheritance tax. And in 2015, when it was hit by Cyclone Pam, it signed an agreement with the EU that gave it some serious passport power.

Cost: A minimum investment of $130,000 for a family of up to four, plus $25,000 in fees.

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Rating: 4.5/5

Updated: October 02, 2024, 7:14 AM
Pakistan CricketBabar Azam