DUBAI // George Bailey said Australia have survived the crackdown on suspect bowling actions unscathed because of strong governance by the country's cricket board.
The touring Australians have readily pointed out that their chances of success against Pakistan in this month's series have improved markedly since Saeed Ajmal was banned from bowling.
The off-spinner was ruled to have an illegal bowling action last month, in the most high-profile case of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) bid to uphold laws against chucking.
Australia’s Twenty20 match-winner Glenn Maxwell said Ajmal’s absence could be crucial for the one-day international series, which starts in Sharjah on Tuesday afternoon.
“He is going to be a big loss for them, and [it] is something we are going to be jumping all over to try to put pressure on whoever comes in,” Maxwell said.
Ajmal is one of several bowlers who have been penalised for suspect bowling methods in recent months.
Bailey said yesterday the Cricket Australia, the governing body, made a stand to guard against suspect bowling actions years ago.
“It has had very little impact on us as a group,” said Bailey, who is standing in as the Australian ODI captain in the absence of the injured Michael Clarke.
“Cricket Australia took a pretty strong stance a number of years ago to not coach players into having actions which could be deemed illegal.
“I think, retrospectively, that has worked out quite well. It was a hard decision to make because, obviously, there were some bowlers who were having a big influence around the world. But it has worked out quite well.”
It is coincidental that Pakistan are playing Australia in the UAE in the first series since Ajmal was stood down.
It was when the two nations played here in April 2009 to inaugurate the Dubai International Stadium that Ajmal was reported for the first time in his career.
Ajmal suggested that Shane Watson, the Australia batsman, had implied to the umpires that the Pakistan off-spinner’s action was suspect – a claim Watson and his teammates strongly denied.
Ajmal was subsequently cleared and became arguably the international game’s most potent spinner in the ensuing five years.
This year, the ICC have conducted more vigilance and more rigorous testing for suspect bowling actions, and Ajmal has been found to be bowling with an illegal technique.
“Pakistan will obviously be trying to prove they don’t rely too much on Ajmal,” Bailey said. “As an opposition it will pose different challenges, but if you look at his record over a number of years, there is no doubt he has been very important to Pakistan.”
Ajmal turns 37 next week and his future participation in the Pakistan side, if his action is eventually cleared, is limited. As such, they need to find a successor quickly.
Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain, said Raza Hasan, 22, the left-arm spinner who was the one ray of light in the six-wicket T20 loss on Sunday night, provides a reason to be optimistic.
“It is very difficult to replace Saeed Ajmal,” Misbah said. “He has been the No 1 or No 2 bowler in the last three or four years, but I think Raza Hasan is also a very good bowler.
“If Saeed is not there, I think somebody just has to raise their hand and try to fill that gap. Raza has showed that before.
“You have to go forward and move forward and I think he can be a bowler who can really give something to Pakistan.”
pradley@thenational.ae
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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.”
