Whatever politics are at play, whatever the motivation behind the omission of Babar Azam from Pakistan’s squad for the Asia Cup, he will cope.
So, Mohammad Rizwan has lost his place, too, and been demoted to the B category of Pakistan’s central contracts? Well, boo hoo.
It does seem remarkable that Shreyas Iyer has not made the India squad for the competition, which starts in Abu Dhabi on September 9.
But all those trophies he has accrued in his stellar career to date will cushion his fall, not to mention all his IPL millions.
And Yashasvi Jaiswal is certainly unlucky to miss out with the elevation of Shubman Gill to the India squad. But it is all relative.
Then consider the case of Usman Khan. It is both a curious one, and sad, too.
If life had worked out a little differently, the 30-year-old batter from Karachi would have been getting ready to line up for the UAE against Pakistan in this Asia Cup.
He was due to qualify via the ICC’s residency criteria in May of this year. That would have meant a debut series in Uganda for which he would definitely have been selected, given his talent, followed by the massive opportunity presented by the Asia Cup.
Usman first stated his intention to play for the UAE in 2021, after arriving to play domestic cricket here during Covid.
He had followed the path trodden by many nondescript players in the past. That of travelling from the subcontinent to the UAE to play cricket for one of the many corporate teams who prop up the domestic game.
Companies offer talented players a wage, a visa, and a job – Usman worked variously as a security guard and a storekeeper - in the hope they will help the staff team win some matches, maybe even some trophies.
Often the players remain anonymous, and return home soon after. Sometimes they stay for longer, and achieve no further honours in cricket, but earn a steady enough income to help their families back at home.
Others catch the eye of the UAE selectors and, in time, graduate to the national team of their by-now adopted country.
And, in very unique circumstances, they excel to the point their homeland wants them back to play in their own national team.
That was what happened to Usman. From the start, he had been genuine in his desire to play for UAE. In 2023, when he first shot to prominence while still a domestic player in the Pakistan Super League, he maintained his position.
“My dream is to play for UAE,” he told The National back then. “I am working hard to do that. One day I want to play against Pakistan to show them my talent.”
Two years on, and he might have been in a position to do precisely that. The UAE face Pakistan three times over the course of the next few weeks.
First, they are pitted against them and Afghanistan in a tri-series in Sharjah. That is preparation for the Asia Cup itself, in which they are in a group with India, Pakistan and Oman.
But Usman will be nowhere to be seen. He had his head turned by an offer to play for Pakistan. It stands to reason that would be attractive.
He left his shared accommodation near the end of the runway at Dubai International Airport, went to a Pakistan training camp, and an offer to play at the T20 World Cup soon followed.
He went to that tournament, played the giant fixture against India in New York, and even held the catch that dismissed the great Virat Kohli.
Life was great. He remains a player with so much to give. His PSL numbers are fantastic. He is closing in on 1,000 runs at an average of 46.63 and a strike-rate of 156.60.
He has three hundreds, and has stated his intention of becoming the first to score a PSL double hundred.
That might seem far-fetched, but don’t doubt him. When he said he wanted to score a double in the UAE’s leading domestic limited-overs competition, back in 2023, he did it straight away in a game in Ajman.
But there was always the nagging suspicion Pakistan cricket – that most capricious of institutions – could pick him up, then put him straight back down again.
That is exactly what has come to pass.
He has been conspicuous by his absence from the Pakistan setup since a hamstring injury ruled him out of an international match in New Zealand in April.
While Babar and Rizwan will have to make do with “just” the $10,600 per month they make after their demotions to Category B central contracts, Usman quietly dropped out of the group earning $1,700 per month.
Maybe there are some who will be dancing on the grave of his career. His decision to opt for Pakistan certainly did not go down well with many of those in the UAE.
Once he had signalled his change of heart, the Emirates Cricket Board banned him from all of their competitions for five years.
“[He] has used the opportunities and development provided by the ECB to him to seek out other prospects and it was evident he was no longer wanting to play for ECB nor complete the eligibility criteria which he was under an obligation to do,” they said in April 2024.
That means no place for him in the DP World International League T20. He had been one of the most sought after players vying for one of the lucrative deals open to local players to play in that event. In particular, Andy Flower – his coach in both ILT20 and PSL – was a big fan.
That door is closed to him, and now so, it seems, is Pakistan.
So don’t waste tears on the likes of Babar, Rizwan, or Iyer. They will all be back to fight another day. But Usman? There are no guarantees.
Fixtures:
Wed Aug 29 – Malaysia v Hong Kong, Nepal v Oman, UAE v Singapore
Thu Aug 30 - UAE v Nepal, Hong Kong v Singapore, Malaysia v Oman
Sat Sep 1 - UAE v Hong Kong, Oman v Singapore, Malaysia v Nepal
Sun Sep 2 – Hong Kong v Oman, Malaysia v UAE, Nepal v Singapore
Tue Sep 4 - Malaysia v Singapore, UAE v Oman, Nepal v Hong Kong
Thu Sep 6 – Final
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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.”
Superpower%20
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Coal Black Mornings
Brett Anderson
Little Brown Book Group
Company%20profile
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
Sanju
Produced: Vidhu Vinod Chopra, Rajkumar Hirani
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Vicky Kaushal, Paresh Rawal, Anushka Sharma, Manish’s Koirala, Dia Mirza, Sonam Kapoor, Jim Sarbh, Boman Irani
Rating: 3.5 stars
TEAMS
EUROPE:
Justin Rose, Francesco Molinari, Tyrrell Hatton, Tommy Fleetwood, Jon Rahm, Rory McIlroy, Alex Noren, Thorbjorn Olesen, Paul Casey, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson
USA:
Brooks Koepka, Justin Thomas, Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Bubba Watson, Jordan Spieth, Rickie Fowler, Webb Simpson, Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Bryson DeChambeau ( 1 TBC)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Her most famous song
Aghadan Alqak (Would I Ever Find You Again)?
Would I ever find you again
You, the heaven of my love, my yearning and madness;
You, the kiss to my soul, my cheer and
sadness?
Would your lights ever break the night of my eyes again?
Would I ever find you again?
This world is volume and you're the notion,
This world is night and you're the lifetime,
This world is eyes and you're the vision,
This world is sky and you're the moon time,
Have mercy on the heart that belongs to you.
Lyrics: Al Hadi Adam; Composer: Mohammed Abdel Wahab
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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7.
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Singapore
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8.
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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10.
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South Korea
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Fifa Club World Cup:
When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid
'Top Gun: Maverick'
Rating: 4/5
Directed by: Joseph Kosinski
Starring: Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, Jennifer Connelly, Jon Hamm, Miles Teller, Glen Powell, Ed Harris
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
U19 World Cup in South Africa
Group A: India, Japan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka
Group B: Australia, England, Nigeria, West Indies
Group C: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Scotland, Zimbabwe
Group D: Afghanistan, Canada, South Africa, UAE
UAE fixtures
Saturday, January 18, v Canada
Wednesday, January 22, v Afghanistan
Saturday, January 25, v South Africa
UAE squad
Aryan Lakra (captain), Vriitya Aravind, Deshan Chethyia, Mohammed Farazuddin, Jonathan Figy, Osama Hassan, Karthik Meiyappan, Rishabh Mukherjee, Ali Naseer, Wasi Shah, Alishan Sharafu, Sanchit Sharma, Kai Smith, Akasha Tahir, Ansh Tandon
DUNE%3A%20PART%20TWO
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
