Joe Root urged centurion Moeen Ali and the rest of the England batsmen to put India under pressure on Friday after the visitors made a solid start in the fifth and final Test in Chennai.
The tourists were 284 for four at stumps with Moeen (120) and Ben Stokes (five) at the crease after they elected to bat first at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
Moeen mounted crucial partnerships with Root (88) and Jonny Bairstow (49) to revive the England innings after the visitors lost their openers in the first hour of play.
Moeen’s 146-run third-wicket stand with Root remained the highlight of the innings as England, who have already lost the series 3-0, search for a consolation win.
“It would be really nice to go home with a win under our belt and we have set it up nicely today, it’s (now) about tomorrow going on and taking it forward,” Root told reporters on Friday.
“And hopefully Moeen can carry on how he has played today, Stokesy can get in and play one of his mouth-watering innings he is capable of doing,” said Root.
Moeen, who was promoted to No 4 following a rejig in England’s batting order in the Mohali Test, absorbed the pressure after Root’s dismissal to pilot the innings.
“That added responsibility of batting higher up in the batting order he has taken really well on this tour and proved it with two brilliant hundreds,” said Root.
Root was also responsible for the rebuilding act after the fall of Keaton Jennings (1) and skipper Alastair Cook (10) but he missed out on what would have been his second ton of the series.
The Englishman was given caught behind off Ravindra Jadeja by the on-field umpire but India successfully reviewed the decision after a disturbance in the snicko suggested the ball had grazed the bat before going into the keeper’s glove.
Root did not seem happy with the call as he dejectedly walked back to the pavilion but later termed his reaction as “childish”.
“I was convinced I didn’t hit it. Obviously the technology suggests otherwise ... you probably just have to take it on the chin – I must have got a fine one on it,” said Root, who was seen practising on a road inside the stadium on Thursday.
Moeen, who was dropped on nought at mid-wicket, showed grit during his controlled knock as he carried on the good work with Bairstow.
The left-right batting combine of Moeen-Root and then Moeen-Bairstow thwarted the Indian bowling attack which had looked dangerous in the morning session.
“Good innings from Root. Moeen Ali was the perfect foil for him. Took his time to settle down,” India’s fielding coach Ramakrishnan Sridhar said.
Ishant Sharma, back in action after an illness, struck first for the hosts on a moisture-laden pitch to get Jennings caught behind for one.
England’s all-time leading run-scorer Cook got past the 11,000-run mark on the first ball of the match, but he quickly fell to Jadeja, who ended up claiming three wickets.
*Agence France-Presse
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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.”
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
'Laal Kaptaan'
Director: Navdeep Singh
Stars: Saif Ali Khan, Manav Vij, Deepak Dobriyal, Zoya Hussain
Rating: 2/5
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The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Jurassic%20Park
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Korean Film Festival 2019 line-up
Innocent Witness, June 26 at 7pm
On Your Wedding Day, June 27 at 7pm
The Great Battle, June 27 at 9pm
The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, June 28 at 4pm
Romang, June 28 at 6pm
Mal Mo E: The Secret Mission, June 28 at 8pm
Underdog, June 29 at 2pm
Nearby Sky, June 29 at 4pm
A Resistance, June 29 at 6pm
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Birkin bag is made by Hermès.
It is named after actress and singer Jane Birkin
Noone from Hermès will go on record to say how much a new Birkin costs, how long one would have to wait to get one, and how many bags are actually made each year.
