The flight from Sydney to Perth takes more than four hours, and most members of the Indian cricket team had their earphones plugged in almost as soon as they took their seats.
One of them, though, was reading a copy of Inside Sport, and his own one-page profile. He smiled through the initial paragraphs and then sat up with a start when he came to one that spoke of how senior members of the team had subjected him to "Sir Gary"(Sobers) jibes when on a flight to the Caribbean.
A few minutes later, a colleague who was sitting next to him told Irfan Pathan that I had written the profile.
He looked across the aisle at me for a few seconds and then asked: "How did you know this story?" I wouldn't reveal my source but I did ask him if it was factually correct. After a shy smile, and a nervous glance across at some of his seniors, he said yes.
In January 2008, at the WACA ground in Perth, a venue where no team other than the West Indies had won for 23 years, Pathan had match figures of five for 117 and made 74 runs as India scripted a remarkable victory that ended Australia's winning streak at 16.
He has played only two more Tests since, the last of them in April that same year.
Pathan was just 19 when he shared the new ball on his debut in Adelaide on the 2003/04 tour, and just 21 when he took a first-over hat-trick against Pakistan at the National Stadium in Karachi.
The subsequent decline was so swift that all sorts of experts advanced all manner of technical reasons - everything from the way he loaded up to how his wrist position had changed.
The real reason, which Greg Chappell - then India's coach - was privy to, cannot be revealed here, but it involved personal issues that badly affected the focus that had been such a key element in his ascent.
Now, nearly four years on from the last highlight of his international career, Pathan is being mentioned as a possible wild-card replacement for the injured Praveen Kumar in the Test squad.
In four Ranji Trophy games, he has taken 21 wickets at 14, swinging the ball both ways and impressing the likes of TA Sekhar, who once worked with him at the MRF Pace Foundation.
If Zaheer Khan is match-fit, India's first-choice attack in Australia would have Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav and either R Ashwin or Pragyan Ojha supporting him. Varun Aaron would play the part of the pacey reserve, but there would still be room in the squad for a clever bowler.
Even during his best years, Pathan was never someone to send the speed-gun devotees into a tizzy.
Accuracy and late swing were his calling cards. "Bowling in Australia isn't just about being fast," said Sourav Ganguly recently.
"You have to remember that they play pace pretty well. They're used to it. So you have to be clever."
For all the success he has enjoyed in the Indian Premier League, Yusuf, his older half-brother, has eclipsed Pathan in recent years.
Having played no part in two successive World Cup campaigns, he is now synonymous with the what might have been story.
But Irfan is still only 27. On the eve of India's last Australia tour, Virender Sehwag, whose form and confidence plumbed the depths towards the end of the Chappell era, was a late inclusion. He, like Pathan, played a crucial part in the Perth success. Unlike Pathan, he has not looked back since.
In some ways, Pathan paid the price for being a talisman of Chappell's side. But with Zaheer now 33 and increasingly injury-prone, this is the time to bring him in from the cold. There is no greater spur than redemption.
sports@thenational.ae
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
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.”
How to come clean about financial infidelity
- Be honest and transparent: It is always better to own up than be found out. Tell your partner everything they want to know. Show remorse. Inform them of the extent of the situation so they know what they are dealing with.
- Work on yourself: Be honest with yourself and your partner and figure out why you did it. Don’t be ashamed to ask for professional help.
- Give it time: Like any breach of trust, it requires time to rebuild. So be consistent, communicate often and be patient with your partner and yourself.
- Discuss your financial situation regularly: Ensure your spouse is involved in financial matters and decisions. Your ability to consistently follow through with what you say you are going to do when it comes to money can make all the difference in your partner’s willingness to trust you again.
- Work on a plan to resolve the problem together: If there is a lot of debt, for example, create a budget and financial plan together and ensure your partner is fully informed, involved and supported.
Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching