England will play Test cricket in Sharjah for the first time in their history as the dates of their series with Pakistan in the UAE were announced on Friday.
Three Tests will be played in the series as matches are held in Abu Dhabi (Oct 13-17), Dubai (Oct 22-26) and Sharjah (Nov 1-5).
It is the second time that England will have faced Pakistan on UAE soil since the Pakistanis began using the country as their base after militants attacked the Sri Lankan team in Lahore in March 2009.
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Pakistan whitewashed England 3-0 in the series played in January and February 2012, with two matches played in Dubai and one in Abu Dhabi.
But this time Sharjah will get the chance to host the side currently captained by Alastair Cook in the longest form of the game.
As well as the Test matches there are four one-day internationals, spread between the three venues, while there will also be three Twenty20 games, with two in Dubai and one in Sharjah.
There will also be two two-day tour matches with Pakistan A and also a T20 match with an UAE XI in Abu Dhabi, scheduled to take place on November 23.
England’s tour of Pakistan in the UAE
Oct 5-6 2-day game v Pakistan A, Sharjah
Oct 8-9 2-day game v Pakistan A, Sharjah
Oct 13-17 First Test, Abu Dhabi
Oct 22-26 Second Test, Dubai
Nov 1-5 Third Test, Sharjah
Nov 8 One-day practice match, Abu Dhabi
Nov 11 First ODI,Abu Dhabi
Nov 13 Second ODI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 17 Third ODI, Sharjah
Nov 20 Fourth ODI, Dubai
Nov 23 T20 match with UAE XI, Abu Dhabi
Nov 26 1st T20, Dubai
Nov 27 2nd T20, Dubai
Nov 30 3rd T20, Sharjah
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In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
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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.
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Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
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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.
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Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
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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.
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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.”
match details
Wales v Hungary
Cardiff City Stadium, kick-off 11.45pm
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