After his man-of-the-match performance in Sri Lanka's series-levelling win in the second one-day international against Pakistan in Dubai on Monday, Lasith Malinga has been hailed by his captain for the example the paceman is setting the team's younger bowlers.
"His energy in the field, he runs around, he gives me advice, too," Tillakaratne Dilshan said ahead of the third ODI today at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
"As a leader he's giving advice to youngsters, sometimes to us also during the game.. He shows energy and character and he was constantly asking me to give him a bowl and that he'd get me a wicket. He's that kind of character."
It is difficult to reconcile notions of seniority and leadership with Malinga, baby-faced as he is. At 28, he still has years ahead of him even if it is easy to forget he has been around international cricket for over seven years now.
But with a fresh batch of accompanying pacemen, such as Suranga Lakmal, Thisara Perera and Chanaka Welegedara, Malinga's experience makes him a natural leader, as Dilshan acknowledges.
Malinga picked up two wickets in his first over of the win on Monday and ended with three for 36.
That performance reversed a poor record against Pakistan. Before the game, he had taken only nine wickets in 11 ODIs against them, at an average of nearly 52.
"He's one of the leading bowlers in the world," Dilshan said. "As captain I am very happy he's in my team because he's trying to get a wicket every time he bowls."
The third game of a five-match series is always the crucial one, the one that can decide the mood and destination of the series.
Sri Lanka have been flat through much of this tour, but were at their perkiest on Monday night, slick in the field and with altogether more intent. The performance will, said Dilshan, hold them in good stead.
"We take a lot of positive things," he said. "We've prepared really well and it's a very important match, because if you win, you take a lead going to Sharjah."
Pakistan fought hard throughout but failed where they do so often: in the face of a tricky but not daunting run chase. It has not helped that they look so light on batting. Monday's line-up contained, in effect, only four specialist batsmen.
There is only one backup batsman in the squad - Asad Shafiq -but in any case they seem likelier to tweak the bowling. Sohail Tanvir and Junaid Khan are both in contention, possibly to replace Abdul Razzaq and Aizaz Cheema. Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, was keener to point to the errors his side committed rather than the balance of the line-up.
"We have to learn from the mistakes we committed," he said. "We dropped an important catch early, gave away 17 extras and lost three very early wickets. We have to overcome these problems."
[ osamiuddin@thenational.ae ]
TWISTERS
Director:+Lee+Isaac+Chung
Starring:+Glen+Powell,+Daisy+Edgar-Jones,+Anthony+Ramos
Rating:+2.5/5
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.”
Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Revibe
Started: 2022
Founders: Hamza Iraqui and Abdessamad Ben Zakour
Based: UAE
Industry: Refurbished electronics
Funds raised so far: $10m
Investors: Flat6Labs, Resonance and various others
The Boy and the Heron
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Soma Santoki, Masaki Suda, Ko Shibasaki
Rating: 5/5
SCORES IN BRIEF
Lahore Qalandars 186 for 4 in 19.4 overs
(Sohail 100,Phil Salt 37 not out, Bilal Irshad 30, Josh Poysden 2-26)
bt Yorkshire Vikings 184 for 5 in 20 overs
(Jonathan Tattersall 36, Harry Brook 37, Gary Ballance 33, Adam Lyth 32, Shaheen Afridi 2-36).
THE STRANGERS' CASE
Director: Brandt Andersen
Starring: Omar Sy, Jason Beghe, Angeliki Papoulia
Rating: 4/5
