Rewind a few months, and teenage prodigy Mohammad Aamer had the cricketing world at his feet. Agents and sponsors were queuing up to sign him, there were commercial opportunities aplenty and in the words of one English county's media manager: "Every damn county in England is wanting to sign him". The 18-year-old was set for fame and stardom.
However, one delivery, one misstep, now has the potential to derail or even end his career before it has properly begun.
As the International Cricket Council's (ICC) spot-fixing tribunal continues its hearings and deliberations in Doha, with the accused trio of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Aamer presenting their defence, it is the teenager who seems to have gained the most sympathy from the international cricketing community and from fans alike.
The sympathy is tinged with regret and sense of despair at the wasted potential. Many Pakistan fans are confused as to why Aamer would allegedly get involved in something like spot-fixing, or indeed why he would risk his whole career.
Aamer has hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons after a fantastic start to his international career. Having 99 international wickets already under his belt after bursting on to the scene during the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup, he helped Pakistan surprise the cricketing world and lift the Trophy at Lord's.
Pace, aggression, icy-nerved under pressure, a cheeky smile and unmatched skill for one so young: he had it all. However, that great day at Lord's seems a distant memory now, with Aamer's recent televised appearances being restricted to chat shows and courtroom appearances, instead of the cricket field.
The spot-fixing hearing will particularly be difficult for Aamer as he looks across the room at his National Bank teammates Butt and Asif, two colleagues who he was particularly close to and friendly with throughout his career. The quandary that faces Aamer is whether to let his head rule his heart or his heart rule his head.
He faces a stark choice; on the one hand, he could possibly save his own career and reveal all; on the other, he would end up taking the punishment that the ICC would throw at the players if they are found guilty.
And that outcome does appear very likely. Not because the ICC's case is airtight, but because unlike the Hansie Cronje case, or the Marlon Samuels case, or others throughout the past few decades, this matter is now seen as a test of international cricket's integrity.
The prevailing mood is that fairly or unfairly, the players involved will be made an example of, regardless of how convincing the ICC's case is, or how independent the tribunal is.
Given the strong likelihood of a "guilty" verdict, the intriguing question is whether the three accused players, who have backed each other in public, would continue to do so during the case.
Aamer was reportedly "a mental mess" in the aftermath of the spot-fixing allegations this summer, and was inconsolable as the story broke, though he tried to put on a brave face in public.
It took several days and a lot of consoling and advice from teammates and friends for him to regain some sort of control.
Some of his public pronouncements since then indicate that the confusion and anguish still persists. A confused teenager now faces the toughest challenge of his short life in Doha - it is expected that his position at the hearing will be the most difficult and awkward.
If unexpectedly the hearing goes the trio's way, then the relationship and National Bank bond will not be tested, but should matters start to turn against the players, then the ace up Aamer's sleeve could indeed be the "reveal all card".
Will Aamer speak up, or will he sit tight? We shall have to see. Only time will tell when, or even if, he ever gets the chance to take his 100th international wicket.
sports@thenational.ae
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Race card
4pm Al Bastakiya Listed US$300,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
4.35pm Mahab Al Shimaal Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,200m
5.10pm Nad Al Sheba Turf Group 3 $350,000 (Turf) 1,200m
5.45pm Burj Nahaar Group 3 $350,000 (D) 1,600m
6.20pm Jebel Hatta Group 1 $400,000 (T) 1,800m
6.55pm Al Maktoum Challenge Round-3 Group 1 $600,000 (D) 2,000m
7.30pm Dubai City Of Gold Group 2 $350,000 (T) 2,410m
The National selections:
4pm Zabardast
4.35pm Ibn Malik
5.10pm Space Blues
5.45pm Kimbear
6.20pm Barney Roy
6.55pm Matterhorn
7.30pm Defoe
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Price: from Dh285,000
On sale: from January 2022
Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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.”
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Rain Management
Year started: 2017
Based: Bahrain
Employees: 100-120
Amount raised: $2.5m from BitMex Ventures and Blockwater. Another $6m raised from MEVP, Coinbase, Vision Ventures, CMT, Jimco and DIFC Fintech Fund
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.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5