South Africa's cricket captain Faf du Plessis speaks a press conference ahead of the third Test match against Australia in Adelaide on November 23, 2016. Peter Parks / AFP
South Africa's cricket captain Faf du Plessis speaks a press conference ahead of the third Test match against Australia in Adelaide on November 23, 2016. Peter Parks / AFP

Third Test: South Africa’s Faf du Plessis protests innocence over ‘Mintgate’, and Australia’s Steven Smith agrees



Ahead of the third and final Test, scheduled to get under way in Adelaide on Thursday, Australia captain Steve Smith threw his weight behind Faf du Plessis over the “Mintgate” controversy.

Smith has conceded his team shine the ball “the same way” as did his South Africa counterpart Du Plessis, who was found guilty of ball-tampering.

Du Plessis, 32, was sanctioned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday after an incident in his side’s win over Australia in the second Test at Hobart last week, where television footage appeared to show him “applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition”.

But Smith, quoted on Cricket Australia’s website, said yesterday: “Every team around the world shines the cricket ball.”

• Faf du Plessis found guilty of ball-tampering but cleared to play in Adelaide cricket Test

Both captains also pointed out the allegation did not come from the Australia team.

Du Plessis escaped a ban, instead receiving a fine for 100 per cent of his match fee. However, he said he was irked by the ICC’s decision, which was delivered by match referee Andy Pycroft.

“I still completely disagree with that,” he said yesterday. “I feel like I’ve done nothing wrong. It’s not like I was trying to cheat or anything.

“The Aussies won’t talk about it at all because they know it’s part of their team as well.

“[The controversy] has not been driven by the [Australia] cricketers at all. There’s been no comment whatsoever from them. In fact, it’s all been positive comments. I even read a comment from [Australia coach] Darren Lehmann supporting me, which was really good to see.”

Smith, too, backed up Du Plessis’s stance. “I have seen Faf’s comments in his press conference. And I make it very clear that we haven’t come out and said anything about Faf or about how he was shining the ball or anything like that,” he said.

“We along with every other team around the world shine the ball the same way.”

• Ricky Ponting would 'consider; Australia chairman of selectors role or coaching job with team

Du Plessis called for the sport’s lawmakers to clarify a problematic “grey area” or face dealing with a “can of worms” in the future. He said for him ball-tampering “is picking the ball, scratching the ball”. Shining the ball, he added: “I think all cricketers would say, is not in the same place.

“I think it’s such a grey area in the laws of cricket and I think it’s something now will be looked at. I think it’s opened up a can of worms going forward.

“The term ‘cheat’ has been thrown around and that’s something I don’t take a liking to.

“I felt I’ve done nothing wrong. I was shining the cricket ball. I’ve done it my whole career.”

Cricket South Africa has stood by its captain, who is deputising for the injured AB de Villiers, and will await the written findings of Pycroft before deciding whether to appeal the verdict.

SCHEDULE:

• First Test South Africa won by 177 runs in Perth

• Second Test South Africa won by an innings and 80 runs in Hobart

Third Test Thursday to Monday in Adelaide

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UPI facts

More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

PREMIER LEAGUE STATS

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Season/club/appearances (substitute)/goals

2011/12 Chelsea: 8(7) - 0
2012/13 West Brom (loan): 35(15) - 17
2013/14 Chelsea: 2(2) - 0
2013/14 Everton (loan): 31(2) - 15
2014/15 Everton: 36(4) - 10
2015/16 Everton: 37(1) - 18
2016/17 Everton: 37(1) - 25  

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Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance

Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.

Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.

The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.

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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.”

The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet

Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

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Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
THE LIGHT

Director: Tom Tykwer

Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger

Rating: 3/5

The Facility’s Versatility

Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
 
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
 
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
 
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
 
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
 
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket

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Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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Started: July 2016

Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori

Based: Bangalore, India

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Investment: $250 million

Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)