American franchises Morrisville Samp Army and New York Strikers booked their places in the Abu Dhabi T10 play-off following their respective victories over Deccan Gladiators and Chennai Braves on Wednesday.
Mohammad Amir took four wickets and claimed a run out to help set-up a five-wicket win for the Strikers at Zayed Cricket Stadium.
The Pakistan fast-bowler produced a remarkable opening over that saw him claim three wickets and run out Kobe Herft, all without conceding a run.
The left-arm quick struck with his second delivery when George Munsey sent a pull-shot high into the air via a thick edge which wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz took comfortably.
Amir took the wickets of Sri Lankan pair Bhanuka Rajapaksa and captain Charith Asalanka while also running out Herft with a direct hit at the non-striker’s end.
He finished with figures of 4-7 from his two overs after uprooting Jason Roy’s middle stump. The England opener had top-scored for this team with 18.
Having restricted the Braves for 75-9, the Strikers recovered from a shaky start to reach the target with nine deliveries to spare.
Sam Cook produced a double blow by removing openers Niroshan Dickwella, with his very first delivery, and Gurbaz two balls later, also for a duck, to leave the Kieron Pollard's side two down for one run.
But Muhammad Waseem (18) and Mark Deyal (19) led the recovery before Asif Ali – with an unbeaten 23 off 13 balls – guided the Strikers over the line to become the first team to book a play-off spot.
Moeen Ali played a captain’s knock to marshal Samp Army to a six-wicket triumph over the defending champions in what was their fifth win on the spin.
The England international hoisted four sixes and a couple of boundaries in a 15-ball 39 not out, sharing an unbeaten 46-run stand in 17 balls with Karim Janat (27 off nine) to reach the target of 116 with four balls to spare.
Pakistan pace bowler Salman Irshad impressed with the ball taking 3-12.
The Gladiators had been reliant on West Indian batter Andre Fletcher's unbeaten 52 off 27 balls – including two fours and five sixes – to reach their total of 115-7.
“It has been really good to keep winning and it was an important one against one of the strongest teams in the tournament,” Moeen said.
“The Deccan are a brilliant side and how we did at the end after we had a poor start was amazing. Everyone is contributing. Individuals win games but the team wins the tournament.
“We are playing as a team which is really good but we still have to keep on going.”
Meanwhile, Delhi Bulls were made to wait for another day to know their fate of qualifying for the last four stage after Northern Warriors pulled off a 13-run win in a low-scoring late game.
The Warriors, already out of the race, could muster only 79-5. Azmatullah Omarzai provided the early breakthrough by taking two wickets in his two overs and the rest of the bowlers stuck to their task, restricting the Bulls to 66-8.
The Bulls and Bangla Tigers are on six points each with a game in hand going into Thursday's games. The Tigers meet Braves in the opener followed by Bulls against Team Abu Dhabi.
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The%20specs
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The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
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THE BIO
Born: Mukalla, Yemen, 1979
Education: UAE University, Al Ain
Family: Married with two daughters: Asayel, 7, and Sara, 6
Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
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- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
SPECS
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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
Engine: 3.8-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 650hp at 6,750rpm
Torque: 800Nm from 2,500-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 11.12L/100km
Price: From Dh796,600
On sale: now
