Pakistan put in yet another poor effort with the bat as they surrendered the ODI series against New Zealand in Hamilton on Wednesday, falling to an 84-run defeat in the second of the three-match series.
After losing the preceding T20 series comprehensively by 4-1 margin, Pakistan were hoping for a better display in the ODI leg of their tour, especially since their experienced players were back in the side.
However, the presence of star batters Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan did not count for much as New Zealand's fast bowlers once again had Pakistan on the ropes, reducing the visitors to 72-7 chasing 293.
All-rounder Faheem Ashraf fought hard, scoring 73 to take the score to 208. But it only delayed the inevitable and made the margin of defeat less embarrassing, having lost the first ODI in Napier by 73 runs.
Pakistan were never in the hunt after New Zealand's pace attack of Will O'Rourke (1-19), Jacob Duffy (3-35) and Ben Sears (5-59) had them ducking and weaving on a spicy surface.
Babar and Rizwan failed to get into double digits as Pakistan's first five batters got dismissed cheaply. Apart from Ashraf and Tayyab Tahir (13), all visiting top order batters got out to single figures. To make matters worse, fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was smashed for 75 runs in his 10 overs, had to retire hurt after getting hit on the helmet by an O'Rourke bouncer.
Pakistan finished on 208 in 41.2 overs, with concussion substitute Naseem Shah scoring freely during his innings of 51 from 44 balls which took the score past 200.
“We didn't do well as a batting group because the start of the batting we didn't utilize the swing and New Zealand bowled very well,” Pakistan captain Mohammad Rizwan said. “Later on Faheem and Naseem batted very well on a disappointing day for us.”
What will hurt Pakistan even more is the fact New Zealand are missing half their squad currently in India playing in the IPL.
It was another lesser known player – wicketkeeper Mitch Hay – who rattled Pakistan. Batting first in seamer friendly conditions, New Zealand batters showed excellent application against new-ball bowlers Ashraf (1-46) and Aqif Javed (1-48).
Hay tried his best to complete his first ODI ton, hitting 22 runs, including two sixes and two fours, in the final over. He fell a run short of a dream ton but helped the home team to recover and then flourish on a tough pitch.
He downplayed his innings as "just swinging from the hip and hoping" but Hay's captain Michael Bracewell and rival skipper Rizwan saw it as a match-defining performance.
"We lost a few wickets then the way Mitch batted at the end was outstanding, and throughout his whole innings, to get us through to a competitive total," Bracewell said.
Rizwan lamented his side's inability to handle the swing and bounce of the New Zealand bowlers. "Mitch Hay, he played very well and that's why they put a good target on the board," he said.
All top-order batters got starts but failed to get going. It was Hay who provided the impetus, scoring an unbeaten 99 from just 78 balls to lift New Zealand to 292-8.
Hay received good support from newcomer Muhammad Abbas, sharing a half-century partnership from 65 balls before Pakistan-born Abbas fell for 41. Abbas had earlier made 50 from 24 balls in the first ODI – the fastest fifty on debut in ODI history.
For Pakistan, left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem was once again their best bowler. The slow left-armer was used just once during the T20 series, where he picked up 2-6 in a losing cause in the final T20.
On Wednesday, Muqeem picked up 2-33 from his 10 overs, taking the important wickets of Daryl Mitchell and Abbas.
While Ashraf and Javed returned economical figures of less than five an over, Rauf and Mohammad Wasim (2-78) were belted to all parts, resulting in a score that was well above par.
“It's challenging conditions here,” Rizwan said. “If you look at their bowlers, they get swing and bounce which is different from the Asian conditions. But we don't make excuses.”
The final match of the ODI series takes place at Mount Maunganui on Saturday.
Test series fixtures
(All matches start at 2pm UAE)
1st Test Lord's, London from Thursday to Monday
2nd Test Nottingham from July 14-18
3rd Test The Oval, London from July 27-31
4th Test Manchester from August 4-8
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.”
What She Ate: Six Remarkable Women & the Food That Tells Their Stories
Laura Shapiro
Fourth Estate
Schedule:
Friday, January 12: Six fourball matches
Saturday, January 13: Six foursome (alternate shot) matches
Sunday, January 14: 12 singles
The specs: 2018 Honda City
Price, base: From Dh57,000
Engine: 1.5L, in-line four-cylinder
Transmission: Continuously variable transmission
Power: 118hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 146Nm @ 4,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.8L / 100km
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
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Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
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Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
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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
