Quinton de Kock swung for 84 runs to lead South Africa past Zimbabwe yesterday at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Jekesai Njikizana / AFP
Quinton de Kock swung for 84 runs to lead South Africa past Zimbabwe yesterday at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo. Jekesai Njikizana / AFP

Quinton de Kock ‘enjoying’ his cricket as South Africa sweep Zimbabwe



BULAWAYO, Zimbabwe // A scintillating 84 from 75 balls by opener Quinton de Kock led South Africa to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe on Thursday and a 3-0 whitewash in the one-day international series.

Spurred on by De Kock, South Africa needed just 27.2 overs to reach 171 for three and easily chase down Zimbabwe’s 165 all out at Queens Sports Club.

De Kock plundered seven fours and two sixes and appeared to be racing to a sixth century of his young career when he smashed a catch straight to Sean Williams near the midwicket boundary with South Africa only 22 short of the target.

JP Duminy finished the game with a six to end 28 not out as the Proteas cruised to a fourth success in Zimbabwe after also winning the one-off Test. Stand-in captain Faf du Plessis made 40.

“I’m enjoying every moment of it,” De Kock said of his rich vein of form. He was named man of the series.

South Africa rested a string of top players through the series in Bulawayo and was still a class above the Zimbabweans.

Front-line fast bowlers Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel sat out the entire ODI series ahead of a triangular tournament also involving Australia.

Regular ODI skipper AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla were rested for the final game. Without them, South Africa retained its record of winning every ODI series it has contested against Zimbabwe.

The second-string pace attack of Marchant de Lange, Kyle Abbott and Wayne Parnell was easily good enough on Thursday.

Abbott removed Zimbabwe opener Hamilton Masakadza in the first over, De Lange (3-31) took a wicket off the first ball of the second over, and the Zimbabweans never recovered from being two wickets down fir just four runs.

At 119 for nine the home team was destined for a much lower total until some late hitting by captain Elton Chigumbura in a last-wicket partnership of 46 with Tinashe Panyangara.

Chigumbura made 90 with 10 fours and two sixes before he had his off stump knocked back by De Lange when trying another leg-side heave.

Facing the modest total, De Kock looked likely to take South Africa charging to victory. He advanced down the track to stroke fast bowler Panyangara over mid-off for six in his best shot. But he hit the next delivery low and hard to Williams to get out.

It made no difference, with Duminy and David Miller (13 not out) seeing South Africa to a comfortable win.

“Very happy,” stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis said. “We started this series wanting to beat Zimbabwe convincingly. To do it 3-0 and in the fashion we finished the game off today, I’m very happy.”

South Africa, Zimbabwe and Australia will contest a triangular series in Harare starting next week.

“I think our batting has to improve,” Zimbabwe captain Chigumbura said.

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PROTEAS SAY PHILANDER WILL MISS TRIANGULAR SERIES

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South Africa bowler Vernon Philander was ruled out for the triangular one-day tournament with Australia and Zimbabwe through injury.

South Africa confirmed the 29-year-old paceman will be missing because of a hamstring problem, along with back-injury victim Beuran Hendricks.

Philander had been rested for the ODI series against Zimbabwe and was set to return for the subsequent competition, which starts in Harare on Monday.

Instead, Kyle Abbott and Mthokozisi Shezi will remain in the line-up.

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Squid Game season two

Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk 

Stars:  Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun

Rating: 4.5/5

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Dubai Bling season three

Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed 

Rating: 1/5

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.”

Tenet

Director: Christopher Nolan

Stars: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki, Dimple Kapadia, Michael Caine, Kenneth Branagh 

Rating: 5/5

Game Changer

Director: Shankar 

Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram

Rating: 2/5

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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
 
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Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Paatal Lok season two

Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy 

Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong

Rating: 4.5/5

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Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.

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