NEW DELHI // This was the matchup that cricket aficionados would have loved to have seen in the 1970s.
South Africa thumped Australia 4-0 in a Test series in 1970 before the country’s apartheid policies resulted in 21 years of isolation.
By the middle of the decade, when South Africa's finest were restricted to showcasing their talent on English county grounds, the West Indies had become the game's dominant force, winning the first two World Cups and overpowering Test opposition for more than 15 years.
This match at the Feroz Shah Kotla in New Delhi will be the fifth that they have contested in World Cups. When they first met in Christchurch 19 years ago, South Africa were an unknown quantity, while West Indies were showing signs that standards had slipped.
It was a low-scoring match, memorable for Adrian Kuiper slog-sweeping Curtly Ambrose for six – needless to say, his stumps were detonated soon after – and Meyrick Pringle taking four for 11 to destroy the West Indian chase.
Four years later, South Africa were near-perfect in winning all five group games. For the quarter-final at the National Stadium in Karachi, they decided to “rest” Allan Donald, the most fearsome bowler in the competition.
Brian Lara made a magnificent 94-ball 111, and Roger Harper and Jimmy Adams then exploited South African tentativeness against spin as the favourites were sent packing.
Seven years later, in the shadow of Table Mountain, Lara was at it again, scoring 116 in the World Cup’s first game. When Donald, the last man, took guard, South Africa needed eight from seven balls. They managed just four.
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South Africa have won 37 of their 50 games against West Indies, including the last 11, but Graeme Smith, in his final tournament as captain of the one-day side, was wary of taking anything for granted. “They have guys who on their day can really punish you and take the game away from you,” he said. “That’s why in cup competitions, they are a very dangerous opponent to come up against.”
Much of the pre-match talk has been about the pitch. After an India-Sri Lanka game was abandoned in December 2009, the International Cricket Council banned the venue, and the authorities are hoping remedial work over the past year will mean no such embarrassment today.
There is a tinge of green on the surface, which probably means that Pakistan-born Imran Tahir will have to wait a little longer for his first South African cap.
Johan Botha and Robin Peterson should play, with Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Lonwabo Tsotsobe making up the pace attack.
The speedy Kemar Roach will share the new ball with Ravi Rampaul, and West Indies will also look to Sulieman Benn’s left-arm spinto cause problems. Their strength, though, is the batting, with Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan and Kieron Pollard all capable of game-changing contributions. There is also Darren Bravo, regarded by many Caribbean observers as the true inheritor of the Lara legacy.
History and legacy were on Darren Sammy’s mind when he spoke on the eve of the game.
“I have received messages from Sir Viv [Richards] and I’ve spoken to Clive Lloyd,” he said. “Quite a few past players have been in contact with me or players in the team.
"We just want to see that fight and that passion that we had back in the 1970s and 1980s. I think the fans at home just want to see the West Indies go out there and play with pride and passion."
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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.”
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THE BIO
Age: 33
Favourite quote: “If you’re going through hell, keep going” Winston Churchill
Favourite breed of dog: All of them. I can’t possibly pick a favourite.
Favourite place in the UAE: The Stray Dogs Centre in Umm Al Quwain. It sounds predictable, but it honestly is my favourite place to spend time. Surrounded by hundreds of dogs that love you - what could possibly be better than that?
Favourite colour: All the colours that dogs come in
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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England squads for Test and T20 series against New Zealand
Test squad: Joe Root (capt), Jofra Archer, Stuart Broad, Rory Burns, Jos Buttler, Zak Crawley, Sam Curran, Joe Denly, Jack Leach, Saqib Mahmood, Matthew Parkinson, Ollie Pope, Dominic Sibley, Ben Stokes, Chris Woakes
T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow, Tom Banton, Sam Billings, Pat Brown, Sam Curran, Tom Curran, Joe Denly, Lewis Gregory, Chris Jordan, Saqib Mahmood, Dawid Malan, Matt Parkinson, Adil Rashid, James Vince
