Batsman Asif Ali was included in Pakistan's final 15-man World Cup squad, selectors said Monday, a day after the death of his 18-month-old daughter was announced.
Asif played in Sunday's fifth and final one-day international against England at Headingley on Sunday.
Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq said Asif would return to Pakistan for his child's funeral, to be held in the eastern city of Lahore, before returning ahead of the World Cup, which begins on May 30.
Noor Fatima had been receiving cancer treatment in the United States.
"We are with Asif in this tough time. He will return to Pakistan and then go back before the warm-up matches," Inzamam told reporters at a press conference announcing the final squad in Lahore.
Islamabad United, the team Asif plays for in the Pakistan Super League, confirmed the child's death in a statement issued late Sunday.
"Our thoughts and prayers go out to Asif & his family," the statement said. "Asif is a great example of strength & courage. He is an inspiration to us."
Before his departure for the limited-overs series in England, Asif had tweeted on April 24 that he was sending his daughter to the US for treatment.
He had also asked fans to pray for his daughter.
Condolences poured in from Pakistan, including from foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Dean Jones, Asif's coach at Islamabad United and fast bowler Mohammed Amir.
"I know too well the pain & anguish of losing a loved one to cancer. My heart goes out to @AasifAli2018 & his family who lost their beautiful child to this most merciless disease," Qureshi tweeted.
Jones posted a message on Twitter saying: "On behalf of my family and the @IsbUnited players and families... we send our condolences and love to @AasifAli2018 and his family on the passing of his beautiful daughter."
"Extremely heart broken with the news of @AasifAli2018 daughter passing away," wrote Amir.
Even cricket fans in Pakistan's arch-rival India expressed their condolences.
"We are very sorry to hear about @AasifAli2018... May God bless her soul," wrote one Indian Twitter user.
Asif had learnt about his daughter's illness during the fourth season of the PSL, with Islamabad coach Jones, the former Australia batsman, breaking down in tears when talking about the child's condition.
Asif scored 22 runs during Pakistan's 54-run defeat to England on Sunday as the hosts secured a 4-0 series sweep after the opening match was washed out.
He featured in every game of the series, scoring two fifties with a career best of 52 in the third ODI in Bristol.
The hard-hitting Ali has scored 342 runs in 16 ODIs at an average of 31.09.
He was not originally included in Pakistan's preliminary squad for the World Cup, but was one of three players called up Monday, along with the fit-again Amir and Wahab Riaz.
The trio will replace Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan and Abid Ali after selectors spoke with captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and coach Mickey Arthur following Sunday's defeat at Headingley.
Wahab, who has 102 wickets in 79 ODIs, last played a 50-overs match for his country in June 2017, but selectors chose the 33-year-old veteran over Junaid and Faheem, who both struggled against England.
"Junaid and Faheem had been originally preferred over a few other bowlers based on their recent performances and the investment we had made on them since 2017," Inzamam said.
"They had the opportunity to cement their World Cup spots, but were well below par in the series against England even though they were up against the challenge of bowling on placid and batsmen-friendly wickets.
"Furthermore, Amir and Wahab give the fast bowling attack more experience and support the relatively inexperienced but immensely talented Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain."
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Contracted list
Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Aaron Finch, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine, Matt Renshaw, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Andrew Tye.
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Poland Statement
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The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.
Indoor cricket World Cup:
Insportz, Dubai, September 16-23
UAE fixtures:
Men
Saturday, September 16 – 1.45pm, v New Zealand
Sunday, September 17 – 10.30am, v Australia; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Monday, September 18 – 2pm, v England; 7.15pm, v India
Tuesday, September 19 – 12.15pm, v Singapore; 5.30pm, v Sri Lanka
Thursday, September 21 – 2pm v Malaysia
Friday, September 22 – 3.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 3pm, grand final
Women
Saturday, September 16 – 5.15pm, v Australia
Sunday, September 17 – 2pm, v South Africa; 7.15pm, v New Zealand
Monday, September 18 – 5.30pm, v England
Tuesday, September 19 – 10.30am, v New Zealand; 3.45pm, v South Africa
Thursday, September 21 – 12.15pm, v Australia
Friday, September 22 – 1.30pm, semi-final
Saturday, September 23 – 1pm, grand final
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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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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
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How to volunteer
The UAE volunteers campaign can be reached at www.volunteers.ae , or by calling 800-VOLAE (80086523), or emailing info@volunteers.ae.
RESULTS
Men
1 Marius Kipserem (KEN) 2:04:04
2 Abraham Kiptum (KEN) 2:04:16
3 Dejene Debela Gonfra (ETH) 2:07:06
4 Thomas Rono (KEN) 2:07:12
5 Stanley Biwott (KEN) 2:09:18
Women
1 Ababel Yeshaneh (ETH) 2:20:16
2 Eunice Chumba (BRN) 2:20:54
3 Gelete Burka (ETH) 2:24:07
4 Chaltu Tafa (ETH) 2:25:09
5 Caroline Kilel (KEN) 2:29:14
