Lahore 164-3 (Delport 78, U Akmal 52 not out; Junaid 2-32)
Peshawar 160-7 (Malan 42, Tamim 30; Delport 3-18, Cooper 3-25)
SHARJAH // The figures would be passable if they were of a part-time offspinner: 6 0 37 0. Six overs, just over a run a ball – not bad right?
Except, of course, they are not.
Those are Chris Gayle’s scores so far for Lahore Qalandars in the Pakistan Super League.
When Lahore picked Gayle, alongside Dwayne Bravo and Umar Akmal for their franchise at the players draft, it always felt as if the batting order would be either big hit, or big miss, with no middle ground. So it has proven, though it did not prevent them from securing a tense four-run win against Peshawar Zalmi.
Gayle was out in the first over of the innings for the third time, and the second time to Junaid Khan.
It will be of almost no consolation that he should not have been out: replays suggested the ball was missing leg-stump.
It should serve as an eye-opener to Lahore that their leading run-scorer, who actually won them the game was the lesser-known Cameron Delport.
Delport’s sterling all-round performance was enough to drag Lahore over the line for just a second win in six matches. He followed up his 78 – a third fifty of the tournament – with three wickets as Lahore successfully defend 165.
As in their only other win, Delport was also given considerable help here by Akmal. The pair put on 101 for the third wicket, with Akmal getting to a second fifty.
Peshawar looked to be in the running to pull off the league’s highest run-chase so far at various points: when Tamim Iqbal was continuing his hot streak, or when Dawid Malan’s 42 seemed to be finishing matters off.
But Delport’s gentle medium-pacers accounted for three big wickets, including Tamim and Shahid Afridi. Lahore have only won two games, but both have been against the table-toppers and it keeps them in the running for a play-off sport.
Turning point
Until Malan was at the crease, Peshawar were in it. The moment he fell, leg-before to Devon Cooper, was the first time Lahore could be confident of securing victory. Still their bowling threatened to let the match slip away, not least when Wahab Riaz tonked a massive, straight six in the final over off Ehsan Adil.
Man of the match
Cameron Delport, Lahore You can be forgiven if you had not heard of Delport before the PSL. It has nothing to do with your knowledge or his skills: it is just the nature of Twenty20 cricket that there are an increasing number of players, bouncing from league to league, franchise to franchise. You hear of them but they never truly register.
Delport is not exactly a format specialist. He has broken a Sachin Tendulkar record. In partnership with Morne van Wyk he put on an unbroken stand of 367 in a 50-over game, breaking a 331-run stand between Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.
Three fifties means he is also the league’s second-highest scorer. His three wickets on the night also makes him their second-highest wicket-taker.
The National’s verdict
Lahore have thrown a cat among the pigeons in the bottom half of the PSL with this win. Had they lost, they would almost certainly have been out.
But their narrow four-run win means they retain hopes of the play-offs. This win has opened up the tournament beneath the top two sides.
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
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Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
Syria squad
Goalkeepers: Ibrahim Alma, Mahmoud Al Youssef, Ahmad Madania.
Defenders: Ahmad Al Salih, Moayad Ajan, Jehad Al Baour, Omar Midani, Amro Jenyat, Hussein Jwayed, Nadim Sabagh, Abdul Malek Anezan.
Midfielders: Mahmoud Al Mawas, Mohammed Osman, Osama Omari, Tamer Haj Mohamad, Ahmad Ashkar, Youssef Kalfa, Zaher Midani, Khaled Al Mobayed, Fahd Youssef.
Forwards: Omar Khribin, Omar Al Somah, Mardik Mardikian.
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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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
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Uefa Champions League semi-finals, second leg:
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