MOHALI // The gloves are off and the waiting is over as the most eagerly-anticipated game this World Cup has seen gets underway today.
It is sure to be a no holds barred battle between India's explosive batting line-up and Pakistan's fearsome bowling attack.
And the prize could not be any bigger — a place in Saturday's final against Sri Lanka.
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More on cricket
• Dravid: India are favourites against Pakistan in today's World Cup semi
• India and Pakistan have been two nations with one soul
• Time for some hyperbole as Afridi blames media
• A two-point agenda for everyone at Mohali
• When India v Pakistan matches reached boiling point
• Sri Lanka recover to beat New Zealand in Muralitharan's send-off game
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It is game on and MS Dhoni, the India captain, has not lost sight of that. "We are playing the semi-finals," he said in his usual measured way. "The most important thing is how you prepare irrespective of what is happening around you. And that is what we have been doing the past few days."
India have won each of their previous four World Cup matches against Pakistan, including a highly-charged game at Bangalore in 1996. With their most successful crop of players edging closer to the end of the road, though, you sense that a fifth success would be most cherished.
Pakistan have not reached the final stages of the competition since 1999 and their cricket was in disarray a few months ago after the spot-fixing scandal which saw three players given lengthy bans.
Shahid Afridi, their captain, has won many admirers for the manner in which he has led his side into the last four and considering that Australia and South Africa have missed out, many would say that they have overachieved.
"We are enjoying our cricket and are not the most favoured team in this competition," he said.
"India are favourites. We have played above our expectations. So we're very confident."
While some commentators, such as Ian Chappell, the Australian great, have been critical of Afridi's arms-outstretched wicket celebrations, there is little doubt that his bowling and personality have had a galvanising effect on the team.
"Sometimes I do get very jazbaati [emotional] in team meetings, to get the boys fired up," Afridi said. "We are an emotional people. So I say something to motivate the guys, to get them to play good cricket."
Afridi backs his balanced attack to deliver against India's formidable batting line-up and Dhoni too pointed to that as the contest that could decide the game.
"They have got bowlers who can bowl quick and at the same time their spinners have been doing quite well," he said, assessing the challenge.
"Since they have a couple of bowling all-rounders in [Abdul] Razzaq and Afridi, it gives them the liberty to play with more than five bowlers."
In Dhoni's eyes, Afridi is the danger man. "If you see his performance, you will find it interesting the way he took his first 150 wickets and the next 150 in ODIs [much quicker]. He has been the pick of their bowlers."
They will also have to contend with the outstanding Umar Gul, a threat with new ball and old, while talk of Shoaib Akhtar being involved is likely to be no more than a smokescreen.
If Wahab Riaz or Saeed Ajmal is replaced, it should be the younger Junaid Khan who comes in and not the 35-year-old Shoaib.
An end-of-season pitch that might lack the life of traditional Mohali ones has confused Indian selection, too.
Sreesanth has not played since going for 53 in five overs against Bangladesh in the tournament opener in Mirpur, but if there is extra bounce on offer, the additional pace that he has presents an interesting option. With Munaf Patel having been picked off so easily in the quarter-final against Australia, it is between Sreesanth and Ashish Nehra for the final spot.
Nehra bowled the final over in the group stage loss to South Africa and has not played since.
But the fact that he batted in the nets and Sreesanth did not means that he will probably get the nod this morning.
Though they could spray the outfield with chemicals to reduce dew, it will certainly be a factor in what the captains choose to do on winning the toss.
India have batted first in three of those four World Cup wins and with the confidence of the Australia game behind them, they should edge it.
But when it comes to this rivalry, you know better than to take anything for granted.
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Emergency
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If you go…
Emirates launched a new daily service to Mexico City this week, flying via Barcelona from Dh3,995.
Emirati citizens are among 67 nationalities who do not require a visa to Mexico. Entry is granted on arrival for stays of up to 180 days.
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2019 ASIA CUP POTS
Pot 1
UAE, Iran, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia
Pot 2
China, Syria, Uzbekistan, Iraq, Qatar, Thailand
Pot 3
Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Palestine, Oman, India, Vietnam
Pot 4
North Korea, Philippines, Bahrain, Jordan, Yemen, Turkmenistan
MATCH INFO
Karnatake Tuskers 114-1 (10 ovs)
Charles 57, Amla 47
Bangla Tigers 117-5 (8.5 ovs)
Fletcher 40, Moores 28 no, Lamichhane 2-9
Bangla Tiger win by five wickets
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This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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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.”