The tale of Alex Hales – and we are only at the beginning of it still – is both modern and recognisable. When he first emerged on the international radar, back in 2011, it was easy to put him into that little box cricket reserves, derisively, for Twenty20 specialists.
In only his fifth Twenty20 international, he fell a run short of becoming the first Englishman to score an international hundred in the format. He would eventually do just that, but in the interim, his own ambition seemed to confuse him.
He wanted to be more than just a single-format specialist, but as he admitted in a recent interview with ESPNcricinfo, in those early forays the philosophy was simple: “I tried to play every shot in the book”.
England believed that as well, not picking him for the 50-over game until three years after his Twenty20 debut. He could hit but could he build an innings they wondered.
He went back and worked on expanding his game by tightening it up. For a while it did not work, but eventually it began to bear fruit and there could have been no better evidence of his development than his first ODI hundred on Friday.
For much of the opening skirmishes, Jason Roy was the man who went at Pakistan. Hales talks now of giving himself enough time to get in, confident in the knowledge that once he is in, his natural game can take over.
The first statement of intent came only in the fifth over, a resounding front foot pull off Mohammad Irfan in front of square. Another five overs later, he swept Yasir Shah for a boundary and if in the misfield it had an element of fortune, he bettered it in the same over with a delicious cover drive.
Against Shah, in particular, he was especially proactive, taking 36 runs off the 28 balls he faced from him. That included two sixes, one towering over midwicket and one looping straight over but both equally authoritative. That was part of a bigger pattern of comfort against spin: he scored 74 of his runs against Pakistan’s three spinners, from just 64 balls.
It is on this kind of realisation that transformations occur. Hales rightly calculated he did not need to take any risks against the pacemen; indeed Irfan troubled him throughout, including one over in which he beat him outside off five balls in a row.
But unfazed, he went about picking up runs against them where and when he could. In all, nearly half of his 109 came in singles, not an area of the field left uncovered.
If it did not stir the senses, it was smart and in the long run, maybe portentous. Inevitably now there will be talk of whether or not he can make the ultimate transformation: that to a Test opener. England are still looking, three years after the retirement of Andrew Strauss, for a partner for Alastair Cook.
Hales must have been pretty close to selection for the Test XI in the UAE and hindsight is a beautiful thing, but how might he have gone in place of Moeen Ali in the Tests? Different format, different sport almost but could England have done with some of that gusto against spin in the Tests?
In any case, the day when he becomes an England Test player cannot be too far away. He made over a thousand first-class runs this season, averaging over 50 for the first time in a full season.
It could come in South Africa next month and though Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel will be as tough a test as there is, how surprised should we all be if he passes it?
Friday, after all, was also the day when David Warner hit his first Test double hundred. Remember what the world thought he was when he first arrived?
osamiuddin@thenational.ae
Follow us on Twitter at NatSportUAE
Emergency
Director: Kangana Ranaut
Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Anupam Kher, Shreyas Talpade, Milind Soman, Mahima Chaudhry
Rating: 2/5
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.”
FIGHT CARD
Welterweight Mostafa Radi (PAL) v Tohir Zhuraev (TJK)
Catchweight 75kg Leandro Martins (BRA) v Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR)
Flyweight Corinne Laframboise (CAN) v Manon Fiorot (FRA)
Featherweight Ahmed Al Darmaki (UAE) v Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB)
Lightweight Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) v Atabek Abdimitalipov (KYG)
Featherweight Yousef Al Housani (UAE) v Mohamed Arsharq Ali (SLA)
Catchweight 69kg Jung Han-gook (KOR) v Elias Boudegzdame (ALG)
Catchweight 71kg Usman Nurmagomedov (RUS) v Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
Featherweight title Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
Lightweight title Bruno Machado (BRA) v Mike Santiago (USA)
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
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
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
Tuesday's fixtures
Kyrgyzstan v Qatar, 5.45pm
World Cricket League Division 2
In Windhoek, Namibia - Top two teams qualify for the World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe, which starts on March 4.
UAE fixtures
Thursday February 8, v Kenya; Friday February 9, v Canada; Sunday February 11, v Nepal; Monday February 12, v Oman; Wednesday February 14, v Namibia; Thursday February 15, final
THE DRAFT
The final phase of player recruitment for the T10 League has taken place, with UAE and Indian players being drafted to each of the eight teams.
Bengal Tigers
UAE players: Chirag Suri, Mohammed Usman
Indian: Zaheer Khan
Karachians
UAE players: Ahmed Raza, Ghulam Shabber
Indian: Pravin Tambe
Kerala Kings
UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Abdul Shakoor
Indian: RS Sodhi
Maratha Arabians
UAE players: Zahoor Khan, Amir Hayat
Indian: S Badrinath
Northern Warriors
UAE players: Imran Haider, Rahul Bhatia
Indian: Amitoze Singh
Pakhtoons
UAE players: Hafiz Kaleem, Sheer Walli
Indian: RP Singh
Punjabi Legends
UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Sandy Singh
Indian: Praveen Kumar
Rajputs
UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed
Indian: Munaf Patel
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
THE SPECS
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Power: 325bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 3.9 seconds
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Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
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Price: On request
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)
On sale: Now
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
