Chris Gayle scored 80 of the 95 runs West Indies needed for a winning total on Day 5 of the second Test against New Zealand on Friday. Brooks LaTouche / AP
Chris Gayle scored 80 of the 95 runs West Indies needed for a winning total on Day 5 of the second Test against New Zealand on Friday. Brooks LaTouche / AP

Chris Gayle revival helps West Indies score Test win over New Zealand



West Indies finally broke the back of New Zealand’s resistance and romped to a 10-wicket victory after lunch on the final day of the second Test at Queen’s Park Oval on Friday.

Set 93 runs to win after the Black Caps were dismissed for 331 in their second innings, attacking opening batsman Chris Gayle stole the show with an unbeaten 80 off just 46 balls as the home side romped to 95 without loss off 13.2 overs.

The result leaves the series tied at 1-1 heading into the third and final Test starting on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.

Gayle, who belted seven fours and six sixes, left Kraigg Brathwaite trailing in his wake. But it was the junior opening partner who took the Man-of-the-Match award for his first innings of 129.

It was all very different at the start of the day, though, as New Zealand’s late-order defiance and unsettled weather caused the home side no end of anxiety, especially as sub-standard cricket contributed to their own frustrations.

Starting the day at 257 for eight, just 18 runs ahead with only two wickets in hand, the Black Caps’ ninth-wicket pair of BJ Watling and Mark Craig extended their partnership to 99, a new record in Tests for New Zealand against the West Indies.

The Caribbean side broke through after 80 minutes’ play when Craig was caught by wicketkeeper Denesh Ramdin for a topscore of 67 off Kemar Roach, giving the pacer his fourth wicket of the innings.

Craig had continued to live a charmed life. In a bizarre sequence of events at the start of the final day, the left-hander edged through the slip cordon, was dropped by Sulieman Benn at third slip and then had another edge missed by Chris Gayle low to his right at first slip when Ramdin chose not to attempt the catch. Jerome Taylor was the suffering bowler on each occasion.

His eventual dismissal was the prompt for rain to then drive the players off the field, holding up play for 20 minutes as West Indian impatience grew.

Last man Trent Boult hung around for more than half-an-hour with Watling as another 20 runs were eked out before touching a delivery from fast bowler Shannon Gabriel for Ramdin to take his fifth catch of the innings on the stroke of lunch.

“There are some things we still need to work on because we were a bit lazy in the field yesterday and today,” said Ramdin, reflecting on his team’s first Test win at the venue since 2008. “I’m still learning as captain as well. There were a few tactical things I need to look at again.”

Watling was unbeaten on 66, his 387 minutes of unyielding defiance occupying 216 deliveries and including four boundaries.

“It was always going to be tough for us to get back in the game after we lost seven for 60 on the first day,” said New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. “It really sets it up now for Barbados, though.”

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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.”

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