Sport

Prior keen to cement his place

The wicketkeeper wants to improve his ODI record today and make a success of his current slot at No 6.

Matt Prior has only two half-centuries to his name after 52 one-day internationals - and as a player of his Test pedigree, he expects more of himself. The mitigation for England's wicketkeeper-batsman is that, since his debut five years ago, he has inhabited almost every position in the top nine. There has been precious little opportunity for him to get used to one brief before he has been asked to fulfil another instead.

But the 27-year-old, hoping to help England's bid for another victory over South Africa at Kingsmead today to complete a series victory, believed he can make a success of his current slot at No 6. "I've had a lot of time looking at it and thinking about it," he said of an ODI average in the mid-20s - compared to Test statistics roughly around 20 runs per innings superior. "I've now played more than 50 games but I've always played them in chunks. Up until recently, I've had five games here or there and then dropped out - then maybe back for another three, batting in a different position.

"Then out again, and then another four games in another different position. There wasn't really that continuity." Prior is not comfortable hiding behind such explanations, though. "Ultimately, you can't make excuses," he contended. "It is down to me, putting performances in." He is confident too that his achievement graph as an ODI batsman is moving in the right direction as he learns from the mistakes of the early part of his career. "If you look at my record, I've got a huge amount of 20s, 30s and 40s," he accepted.

"Maybe through not knowing my game well enough, feeling a bit of pressure to get on with it - especially when I was opening the batting, or at three - I play one too many shots and get out. "Then there you are, you've got another 40. Then you get a good ball and a bad decision in a series, and you're averaging 15. "It can happen very quickly like that." Prior is hoping that sort of vicious circle is behind him.

"Quite simply, it is just the fact that I haven't yet got that big score, that hundred or 120 or whatever," he believed. "All I can do is say: 'OK, that was the first part. Bag that, keep improving'. "If you take the stats of my first 25 games and compare them to my last 25 I think you'll find there is quite a stark difference." * PA

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Nickname: Mama Nadia to children, staff and parents

Education: Bachelors degree in English Literature with Social work from UAE University

As a child: Kept sweets on the window sill for workers, set aside money to pay for education of needy families

Holidays: Spends most of her days off at Senses often with her family who describe the centre as part of their life too

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Sreesanth's India bowling career

Tests 27, Wickets 87, Average 37.59, Best 5-40

ODIs 53, Wickets 75, Average 33.44, Best 6-55

T20Is 10, Wickets 7, Average 41.14, Best 2-12

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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Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
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Number of staff: 210 
 
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TV: World Cup Qualifier 2018 matches will be aired on on OSN Sports HD Cricket channel

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On Women's Day
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Where to stay: Courtyard by Marriott Titusville Kennedy Space Centre has unparalleled views of the Indian River. Alligators can be spotted from hotel room balconies, as can several rocket launch sites. The hotel also boasts cool space-themed decor.

When to go: Florida is best experienced during the winter months, from November to May, before the humidity kicks in.

How to get there: Emirates currently flies from Dubai to Orlando five times a week.