Australia's Josh Hazlewood picked up three wickets against India in the Melbourne T20. AP
Australia's Josh Hazlewood picked up three wickets against India in the Melbourne T20. AP
Australia's Josh Hazlewood picked up three wickets against India in the Melbourne T20. AP
Australia's Josh Hazlewood picked up three wickets against India in the Melbourne T20. AP

Sport

Cricket

Shivam Dube's unique record broken as Josh Hazlewood rattles India in Melbourne T20

Australia clinch four-wicket win on Friday after fast bowler picks up three wickets

The National

October 31, 2025

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A stunning opening spell from Josh Hazlewood gave Australia a comfortable win over world champions India in the second T20 in Melbourne, even though they made heavy weather of the run chase in the end.

Hazlewood took 3-13 and proved almost unplayable with the new ball as he helped restrict India to 125 all out in 18.4 overs.

In reply, captain Mitchell Marsh smashed 46 runs to guide Australia to a four-wicket win.

Australia reached 126-6 in 13.2 overs with Jasprit Bumrah reducing the margin by taking two wickets with consecutive deliveries in the penultimate over when the home team were just two runs from victory.

Sent in at a packed Melbourne Cricket Ground, India slumped to 32-4. Only opener Abhishek Sharma (68) and all-rounder Harshit Rana (35) made it into double figures on a pitch that offered help to all bowlers.

Marsh then led the reply with 46 off 26 deliveries, putting on 51 with Travis Head (28 off 15) for the opening wicket.

With the first match of the T20 series washed out, Australia took a 1-0 lead in the five-match series.

The result also ended one of the most incredible runs in the format. Prior to Friday, India had never lost with all-rounder Shivam Dube in the team. The run of 37 matches without defeat, with Dube in the team, came to end in Melbourne.

"The ball feels like it's coming out really nicely at the moment in whatever format I'm turning up and playing," said man-of-the-match Hazlewood.

"It was just put the ball in the right areas, don't try too much and see what happens."

India captain Suryakumar Yadav, who edged Hazlewood behind for just one, said the team could not recover from the early blows.

"The way he (Hazlewood) bowled in the powerplay, if you're four down in the powerplay it's difficult to recover from that," said Suryakumar.

Only opener Abhishek kept up the attack, going after all bowlers even as his partners struggled at the other end.

"Abhishek has been doing this for quite some time now," the captain said of the opener.

"He knows his game and his identity and he is not changing it anymore and hopefully he sticks to it and plays many more knocks like this for us.

"I think we need to do what we did in the first game," Suryakumar said of the next clash in Hobart. "Bat well when batting first and then come out and defend."

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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.”

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Explained
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
While you're here
Milestones on the road to union

1970

October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar. 

December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.

1971

March 1:  Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.

July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.

July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.

August 6:  The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.

August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.

September 3: Qatar becomes independent.

November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.

November 29:  At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.

November 30: Despite  a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa. 

November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties

December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.

December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.

December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.

Updated: October 31, 2025, 3:23 PM