AUCKLAND // Brendon McCullum has said New Zealand will go on all-out attack against South Africa at Eden Park, as they seek a first appearance in a Cricket World Cup final.
The host nation’s captain thinks it would be unwise to try to temper the aggressive gameplan that has served them so well in winning seven consecutive matches so far.
Now at the semi-final stage, he said the Black Caps have to commit to their “most authentic style” of play, despite the high stakes.
“The way we’ve been playing is obviously a pretty exciting brand of cricket,” McCullum said at his eve of match press conference.
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“Just because it’s a pressure game you shouldn’t change that. It’s the greatest chance for success, we know that.
“For us to compete against big teams on a regular basis and for us to win crunch games, we need to remain true to that.
“I believe that’s our most authentic style of cricket, it’s one that serves us well, and I wouldn’t expect that that would change.”
Even if their mindset does not change, their playing XI certainly will.
Adam Milne, the fast bowler, has been ruled out of the tournament by a heel injury, with Matt Henry, another seam bowler, called into the squad as cover.
Judged on the bare statistics, Milne’s impact on his maiden World Cup has been negligible.
He has taken just five wickets at an average of nearly 40, and an economy rate of over five runs per over.
However, the 22-year-old pace-bowler’s contributions have often come at valuable times.
Against West Indies in the quarter-final, for example, he ended Chris Gayle’s counter-attack, and thus extinguished the Caribbean side’s faint chances.
“He’s made a significant impact to get us to this point,” Mike Hesson, the New Zealand coach, said of Milne.
“He gives us variety, gives us extra pace, and he gives us the ability to attack at different times of the innings. Even though he might not have got wickets at his end, he certainly helped create them at others.”
The decision on whether Kyle Mills, Mitchell McClenaghan or Henry replaces Milne in the XI will be taken on the morning of the match, with the weather conditions likely to determine who plays.
“Hopefully it’s not a once in a lifetime opportunity for Adam, but he’s gutted and all the players are gutted for him,” Hesson said.
“He’s a popular member of the group, and hopefully he’ll be around.”
Despite the loss of Milne, and the short time-frame between Saturday’s quarter-final win in Wellington and this game, McCullum says his side remain in fine spirits.
They have been inspired by Martin Guptill’s record-breaking feats, after he posted 237 not out in the landslide win over the West Indies.
“We all just sat back and enjoyed it,” McCullum said of the highest individual innings in World Cups, which Guptill posted at the Wellington Regional Stadium.
“We always try and hope that one of us will be able to go out there and peel off a score of such significance that we saw from ‘Gup’ the other day.
“To actually see it unfold and to see it in such a crunch game, and for him to still display the same gameplan which he trains so hard for, was just confirmation it can be done.
“I think that will flow on in terms of confidence to the rest of the squad.
“I still can’t quite believe how big a score he actually got the other day.
“That was a sublime innings and one that he’ll never forget and one that everyone that was at the ground will never forget, either.”
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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
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Rating: 3.5/5
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.”
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Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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Tottenham Hotspur 1
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Newcastle United 0
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Chelsea 3 (Abraham 11', 17', 74')
Luton Town 1 (Clark 30')
Man of the match Abraham (Chelsea)
About Krews
Founder: Ahmed Al Qubaisi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Founded: January 2019
Number of employees: 10
Sector: Technology/Social media
Funding to date: Estimated $300,000 from Hub71 in-kind support
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Photographer: Mateusz Stefanowski at Art Factory
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Make-up: Gulum Erzincan at Art Factory
Model: Randa at Art Factory Videographer’s assistant: Zanong Magat
Photographer’s assistant: Sophia Shlykova
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Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
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