Jones, Murdoch and Fitzpatrick join Australia's hall of fame

The trio will be inducted on Monday night at the Australia Cricket Awards in Melbourne

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2019Dean Jones, Billy Murdoch and Cathryn Fitzpatrick will be inducted into the Australia Cricket Hall of Fame at the Australian Cricket Awards in Melbourne on Monday night.Jones is perhaps best remembered for his heroic double century in the 1986 tied Test in Madras which he made despite suffering severe illness, but he also helped revolutionise one-day cricket in the late 80s and early 90s, playing a key role in Australia’s 1987 World Cup victory and he was ranked the No. 1 ODI batsman for four years between 1989 and 1992.”A game changer, he was renowned as one of the best runners between the wickets and being one of the best outfielders of his generation,” Hall of Fame chairman Peter King said. “He was one of the key reasons that Australia claimed the World Cup in 1987 while his heroics with the bat to score a double century in oppressive conditions in the famous Tied Test between Australia and India in 1986 remains legendary in the history of Australian cricket.”Fitzpatrick, renowned as one of the fastest bowlers to have played, is currently the second-highest wicket-taker in women’s ODIs having represented Australia for over 15 years and starred in the 1997 and 2005 World Cup victories, then went on to coach them to T20 World Cup wins in 2012 and 2014 alongside the 2013 World Cup.”Cathryn Fitzpatrick was regarded by team-mates and opponents as the world’s premier female fast bowler over her decorated career,” King said. “Her dedication to the game ensured she regularly bowled at a sharp pace which batters around the world often struggled to handle. She was dangerous right to the end of her career, claiming a six-wicket haul – that included a hat-trick – in her second last match.”Murdoch was the second captain of the Australia Test team and played 19 matches between 1880 and 1890, one of which – his last – came for England against South Africa in 1892 after he had qualified to represent them. He was the first player to score a Test double hundred, at The Oval in 1884, and made nearly 17,000 first-class runs with a career-best 321 not out against Victoria in 1881-82.In 1884-85, Murdoch led the Australians in a pay dispute having been denied his demand of 50 percent of gate takings. It was six years until he played another Test for Australia.

Bangladesh to host first tri-series since 2010

The tri-series, involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, will be followed by two Tests and two T20Is between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Dec-2017Bangladesh will host a tri-nation ODI series involving Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, beginning on January 15. It will be the first tri-nation series hosted by Bangladesh since January 2010.

SL tour of Bangladesh fixtures

Tests:
1st Test: January 31-February 4, Chittagong
2nd Test: February 8-12, Dhaka
T20Is:
1st T20I: February 15, Dhaka
2nd T20I: February 18, Sylhet

A Zimbabwe XI will take on BCB XI in a one-day warm-up match on January 13 at the BKSP 4 Ground. Bangladesh will then take on Zimbabwe in the tri-series opener in Dhaka where all seven day-night matches, including the final on January 27, will be held. Each side will face each other twice during the league stage before the final.Sri Lanka had won the previous tri-series involving the same teams in Bangladesh in January 2009.After the tri-series, Bangladesh will host Sri Lanka for two Tests in Chittagong and Dhaka respectively. The first Test will be played from January 31 to February 4 and the second match from February 8 to 12.Sri Lanka’s tour will end with two T20Is – the first on February 15 in Dhaka and the second on February 18 in Sylhet.

Chari, Ervine fifties lift hosts after SL's 504

An unbroken third-wicket stand of 109 between Brian Chari and Craig Ervine led Zimbabwe’s recovery after tons from Dhananjaya de Silva and Asela Gunaratne hauled Sri Lanka to 504

The Report by Shashank Kishore07-Nov-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBrian Chari’s maiden Test fifty led Zimbabwe’s revival late on the second day•Associated Press

An amateurish approach to spin upfront was somewhat covered up by Craig Ervine and Brian Chari, who hit unbeaten half-centuries, to lead Zimbabwe’s recovery from an early wobble. They closed the second day of the second Test in Harare at 126 for 2, still 378 runs adrift of Sri Lanka’s 504.Ervine and Chari’s unbroken 109-run stand for the third wicket stood out on a day in which most of the wickets were brought about by faulty shot selection, rather than demons in the pitch. Even so, Sri Lanka remained in control, having been powered by centuries from Dhananjaya de Silva and Asela Gunaratne.Rangana Herath, Sri Lanka’s stand-in captain, triggered what could have been a procession when he reduced Zimbabwe to 17 for 2. Opening the bowling, he beat Tino Mawoyo with drift to have him lbw. Then he dismissed Hamilton Masakadza, Zimbabwe’s most experienced batsman, with a delivery that drew him forward into a feeble push that resulted in an edge to slip. It could have been 26 for 3, had Chari not made successful use of the Decision Review System, trialled for the first time in Zimbabwe.Having been given out lbw playing forward to an arm-ball that struck him in front of off stump, Chari survived as replays pointed to a faint inside edge, and Ian Gould’s on-field decision was overturned. Zimbabwe had also benefitted from the prudent use of DRS when Chari survived a review in the third over after being given out by umpire Simon Fry. This time, replays showed the ball would have missed the stumps.All this came after flirting with a hit-out approach against Herath. He slog-swept his first ball for six, becoming the first Zimbabwe player to do so in Tests. Then got a thick edge past slip for four. The third shot, easily the best of the lot, was lofted inside-out with the spin, over mid-off. But, as the innings progressed and he had the calmness of Ervine at the other end, Chari mellowed down to play copybook cricket for the better part of the next 90 minutes. With a half-century in sight, he slog swept Herath boldly for his second six to bring up the landmark, his first in Tests.Ervine, meanwhile, adopted a more conventional approach, getting outside the line of the stumps and sweeping Herath with the spin, one such fierce hit behind square bringing up his half-century. By stumps, the two had steered Zimbabwe to 179 runs short of avoiding the follow-on.Things could have been much better for Zimbabwe had they not allowed Sri Lanka’s middle order to stage a robust recovery from an overnight score of 290 for 5. Contributions from the lower order, none more significant than Gunaratne’s 116, steered Sri Lanka to a formidable 500-plus first-innings score. Playing in only his second Test, Gunaratne was left with the unenviable task of marshalling No. 11 Lahiru Kumara, who had made a golden duck on debut last week, in his quest to get to a maiden Test ton.Kumara played his part, dead-batting the fast bowlers for over a dozen deliveries to give Gunaratne his chance. Gunaratne brought up the century with a loft that just about eluded mid-off, and then threw his arms up to acknowledge the applause of his team-mates in the change room. In the context of the match, it was a significant knock considering that he came in to bat with Sri Lanka not entirely safe at 255 for 5. By following up his debut half-century with a century, he may have given the team management a healthy selection dilemma for the Test series in South Africa next month.Dhananjaya, on 100 overnight, added 27 before chipping a low return catch to Graeme Cremer. Dilruwan Perera then made a cameo 34, in which he took a liking to the Zimbabwe captain, before being foxed by a flipper. Herath played his typically unorthodox sweeps and pulls. All this added to Zimbabwe’s frustration by keeping them in the field for much longer than they would have hoped for. It also exposed the wide gulf in experience between the two sides, which could yet decide which way this Test is headed.

Jayawardene to play for Central Districts

Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka batsman, will play for Central Districts in the upcoming Georgie Pie Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2015Mahela Jayawardene, the former Sri Lanka batsman, will play for Central Districts in the upcoming Georgie Pie Super Smash, New Zealand’s domestic Twenty20 competition.Jayawardene, who retired from international cricket after the World Cup in March, has recently played domestic T20s for Sussex in England and Jamaica Tallawahs in the West Indies.While the tournament starts from November 5, Jayawardene will play his first match for Central Districts on November 19, against Wellington in Nelson.”Mahela’s incredible talent and vast experience will add enormous value to our already talented but still youthful team of players in the back half of the Super Smash,” Heinrich Malan, the Central Districts coach, said.The league stage of the tournament runs till December 6 with the final on December 13.

Zimbabwe tour a test of our progress, says Mushfiqur

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said that his side’s progress can be measured by their performance in the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe

Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2013Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said that his side’s progress can be measured by their performance in the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe. This is the first time that Mushfiqur will lead the side against the lesser-ranked opposition and he stressed on the importance of the tour for the team.”How far we have improved as a team can be determined in Zimbabwe,” Mushfiqur said after Bangladesh arrived after their tour of Sri Lanka. “We are ready to take up the challenge. We don’t have a good record in Harare where we lost the Test match in 2011. It is our duty to change the record, by taking forward the consistency that we have found in Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh play two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20s in a month-long tour which starts on April 17. There will be a short camp ahead of the tour, although no practice matches have been scheduled so far. Bangladesh have never won a Test in Zimbabwe, losing four of the five matches played there. The defeat in Harare in 2011 cost Shakib Al Hasan his captaincy. Their ODI record is better with 12 wins in 27 matches played in Zimbabwe.The team was given a warm welcome on their return to Dhaka – a reaction to the drawn Test in Galle and the 1-1 draw in the ODI series – and the results look significant given the number of players who have suffered injuries since February. Mushfiqur said the absence of key players spurred on those who were fit to play.”We lost players at the start of the series and were told that we hardly have a chance of doing well, with a second-string side,” he said. “We were keen to do well as a result. So we were doubly motivated.”

Steyn hunts with the pack

Dale Steyn is prepared to share the bowling plaudits around as South Africa aim for a clean sweep in the ODI series against New Zealand

Firdose Moonda01-Mar-2012There was a time in South African cricket where the bowling spotlight was occupied entirely by Dale Steyn. It probably started when New Zealand toured South Africa in the summer of 2007 and Steyn made his big splash, first by remodelling Craig Cumming’s face – thanks to a fractured cheekbone – and then by taking 20 wickets in two Tests.From that season, Steyn was among the most talked-about bowlers in world cricket. He went on to take 10-wicket hauls in Melbourne in 2008 and Nagpur in 2010, and engaged in an enthralling battle with Sachin Tendulkar at Newlands the next January. Morne Morkel contributed to some of the glory and the two formed what became known as the most-fearsome new-ball pair in the world but it was obvious Steyn was the ringmaster and Morkel his trusty aide.Now Steyn has to share the sunshine with a clutch of his countrymen. Vernon Philander is his latest opening partner and has already hogged headlines in the home series; Morkel is coming into his own; Lonwabo Tsotsobe’s reliability is being recognised; and Marchant de Lange is the man batsmen may be hiding their faces from. Steyn is still the No. 1 Test bowler but he is 16th in the ODI rankings, behind Tsotsobe and Morkel, and is happy to share the success with them.”If Morne is picking up five wickets and Lopsy is picking up wickets, I’m not going to moan,” Steyn said. “I’m happy. I know if I just keep doing this somewhere along the line I will get a performance that comes my way.”Steyn joined up with the squad for the ODI leg of the tour and has played the first two matches of the series. His return in both was identical – 1 for 37 – and he has looked every bit as dangerous as always, although he said he is still finding his rhythm. He called his first ball of the tour, a late away-swinger at top speed a “jetlag delivery” but said he has been putting in some of his most focused preparation as he continues to spearhead the attack.”AB wants to me to strike all the time and that’s what’s I am doing. I am trying,” Steyn said. “I haven’t found the edge. I’ve gone past the bat countless number of times in the last two games. I’ve gone back and watched my performances and said where can I make it better? But when you are getting 1 for 37 in a one-day game, there’s not much to complain about. That doesn’t happen often for strike bowlers, they should be going at six [runs per over], attacking more and so on but I am quite happy with what’s happening.”Steyn is known to take a bit of time to find his best form but the scheduling of international cricket has meant that he cannot play every match. He was rested for the last two of the five ODIs against Sri Lanka, once the series had been won, and the three T20Is against New Zealand.South Africa’s management seem to be planning it so he will peak in the Tests but Steyn said is being careful not to think that far ahead. “My mind is firmly on the last one-day game,” he said. “It’s fair to say that as South Africans, in the past we’ve been known to wrap up series and then take our foot off the pedal for the last two games and that’s speaking quite critically of our team. We want to win three-nil.”The series has already been sealed in South Africa’s favour so the dead rubber match could hardly be described as crucial but Steyn said it will play a vital part in the context of the tour as a whole. “We’re looking at the future and it comes down to crunch games. This could be the type of game that could be a crunch game for us. Rather than letting the momentum slip away into the Test series, we want to make a proper dent.”With New Zealand already disappointed, even demoralised, South Africa have already made significant inroads into their hosts’ mindsets. The rest of the work remains to be done on the pitch. New Zealand have begun preparing more seamer friendly wickets for their four-pronged pace attack and Steyn said if that trend continues, the South Africans will be equally well accommodated. “The way the wickets have played here so far, there’s been a bit of pace and bounce in them and if the Test wickets are the same we could cause quite a stir,” Steyn said, before concluding with a little cheek. “Like we’ve done so far.”Edited by Alan Gardner

Clash of the lesser equals

ESPNcricinfo previews the World Cup game between Canada and Kenya

The Preview by Abhishek Purohit06-Mar-2011

Match Facts

March 7, Delhi

Start time 14:30 local time (09:00 GMT)
Ashish Bagai feels that Balaji Rao, the legspinner, will be crucial for Canada on the Kotla pitch•AFP

Big Picture

Canada and Kenya usually don’t go in to a World Cup game expecting to win, and certainly aren’t expected to do so by others. Tomorrow’s encounter provides an exception. Despite having misfired in several areas in their previous three games, both sides know they are expected to win this time. Having given Pakistan a scare in Colombo, Canada would feel they are slightly ahead going in to this one, but their bowlers were helped by the cloud cover that hung over the Premadasa. Chances of getting that kind of assistance in Delhi are slim.There is not much that separates the sides. In fact, they have a lot in common. Both have conceded 300-plus totals, and while that may be in keeping with the trend this tournament, they haven’t managed to bat themselves past 150 in a single game. Kenya looked to be on their way to do that against Sri Lanka, but were blown away by Lasith Malinga’s yorkers.Kenya would like to think they have the better pedigree, but Canada have displayed more spirit and gumption so far. Jimmy Kamande, Kenya’s captain, has instead had to deny reports of a rift between the coach Eldine Baptiste and some players. He has admitted it is difficult to keep motivating a side that has consistently under-performed.Given how little there is to choose between the two, the odds are that there might not be a familiar batting collapse at the least.

Form guide

(Most recent completed games first)
Canada LLLLW
Kenya LLLWL

Pitch and conditions

If it’s the Kotla, turn and low bounce cannot be that far. The spinners will like the surface. Imran Tahir and Pieter Seelaar certainly did, when South Africa and Netherlands played here. The weather is expected to be moderately warm by Delhi’s hot standards.

Watch out for…

Collins Obuya laboured to a half-century against Sri Lanka. That was what his team needed after a couple of early wickets had fallen. He should find it easier against Canada. He has been Kenya’s most prolific batsman of late, and possesses a game that can be altered depending on the situation.Balaji Rao enjoyed his battle against Pakistan’s heavyweight middle order, and snapped up Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal. The legspinner was unafraid to flight the ball, and though he went for some runs, he tested a line-up that plays spin very well. Kenya don’t, and Balaji will be itching to have a go.

Team news

Ashish Bagai has said that Parth Desai, the 20-year old left-arm spinner, could play tomorrow. That means one of the seamers could sit out. John Davison, the veteran opener, could also be back after a niggle made him miss the Pakistan game.Canada: (probable) 1 John Davison, 2 Nitish Kumar/Ruvindu Gunasekera, 3 Ashish Bagai (wk/capt), 4 Zubin Surkari, 5 Rizwan Cheema, 6 Jimmy Hansra, 7 Tyson Gordon, 8 Khurram Chohan, 9 Harvir Baidwan, 10 Balaji Rao, 11 Parth Desai.Kenya have no major injury concerns, and Thomas Odoyo should come back after missing the match against Sri Lanka.Kenya: (probable) 1 Maurice Ouma (wk), 2 Seren Waters, 3 Collins Obuya, 4 Steve Tikolo, 5 David Obuya, 6 Tanmay Mishra/Rakep Patel, 7 Thomas Odoyo, 8 Jimmy Kamande (capt), 9 Nehemiah Odhiambo, 10 Shem Ngoche, 11 Elijah Otieno..

Stats and trivia

  • The Canada squad has scored a total of 4359 ODI runs. Steve Tikolo alone has made 3399.
  • The sides have played against each other in 12 ODIs, Kenya winning seven of them, including their two encounters at the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.

Quotes

“This is our best chance of a win in the World Cup. If we get our batting right we should be competitive.”
.”I guarantee you tomorrow we are going to express much more than we did in the past matches.”
.

New South Wales in control at the SCG

New South Wales’ bowlers delivered four wickets to maintain the upper hand after their batsmen posted a massive 9 for 550 declared

Cricinfo staff11-Mar-2010South Australia 4 for 168 (Harris 54) trail New South Wales 9 for 550 dec (Nevill 105, Khawaja 102, Smith 100, O’Keefe 91, Forrest 78, Cleary 4-82) by 382 runs

ScorecardDaniel Harris scored 54 in South Australia’s innings but they face an uphill task•Getty Images

New South Wales’ bowlers delivered four wickets to maintain the upper hand after their batsmen posted a massive 9 for 550 declared at the SCG. Daniel Harris started with 54 in the reply but South Australia were 4 for 104 before an unbeaten stand between Cameron Borgas (30) and Aaron O’Brien (36) took them to 168.Steven Smith completed an even century at the start of the day in an excellent warm-up for the Test tour of New Zealand. Smith brought up his fourth hundred with a pull for four but was caught behind trying to hit Peter George (3 for 132).The wicketkeeper Peter Nevill and Steve O’Keefe kept building in a stand of 132 that took the game further away from South Australia. Nevill’s maiden century ended on 105 when he gave Tim Ludeman his sixth catch of the innings.O’Keefe, who went on to collect 2 for 42, almost made it to three figures but fell to a leading edge on 91. The wicket was Mark Cleary’s fourth and forced the declaration.

Mohammad Mithun elected new CWAB president

The election commissioner announced that Mithun got 154 votes, beating Salim Shahed

Mohammad Isam04-Sep-2025Mohammad Mithun has become the new president of Cricketers’ Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) after winning the players body’s election, held in Dhaka on Thursday. Election commissioner Iftekhar Rahman announced that Mithun got 154 votes, beating Salim Shahed who was the interim CWAB convenor since May this year. Shahed got 34 votes.”We will try to solve everything through negotiation,” Mithun said shortly after the election results were announced. “If that’s not possible, as I have come here to protect the rights of the cricketers, I have to speak for them. The BCB is our guardian. We can go to our guardian with whatever demands that we have. I hope the BCB sees those demands positively.”CWAB was established in 2004 but it hasn’t had any elections in the 21 years of existence. Naimur Rahman, the former Bangladesh captain and Awami League MP, was the CWAB president for 11 years, alongside general secretary Debabrata Paul. The pair quit their posts earlier this year, before Shahed was made the interim head of an ad-hoc committee.After many years, CWAB saw involvement from the country’s top cricketers. Before Thursday’s elections, the other positions in the executive body were filled uncontested.Former batter Shahriar Hossain is the senior vice-president while Nurul Hasan is the vice president. Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shamsur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rumana Ahmed, Khaled Mashud Pilot, Imrul Kayes, Irfan Sukkur, and Akbar Ali are new executive committee members.CWAB is an affiliate of the World Cricketers’ Association (formerly known as FICA). It came under the spotlight when Bangladesh’s top cricketers went on an indefinite strike in 2019, and one of their demands was CWAB’s overhaul at the time. CWAB bosses Naimur and Paul promised elections, but it was never held in the following five years.

Rohit and Gill centuries lay the base for India's show of dominance

Shoaib Bashir is England’s best bowler on the day, which ends with India comfortably ahead by 255 runs with two first-innings wickets in hand

Alan Gardner08-Mar-20241:35

Manjrekar: Rohit had an answer to all of Stokes’ plans

Stumps India took the scenic route to a match-dominating position in the Dharamsala Test, batting throughout the second day to amass a lead of 255 over England with two wickets still standing. There were hundreds for Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, fifties for Sarfaraz Khan and the debutant Devdutt Padikkal, as the India top order all contributed to post an imposing total in the shadow of the Dhauladhars.Even some Ben Stokes magic with the ball could not turn the tide of England’s fortunes. Stokes claimed the wicket of Rohit with his first delivery of the series, having not bowled competitively since the second Test of last year’s Ashes. A sharply seaming ball that hit Rohit’s off stump as he resumed his innings after the lunch break not only ended a 171-run stand for the second wicket, but added to the list of what-might-have-beens for England on this tour.With Stokes back to fulfill his allrounder status after a gap of 251 days, England’s attack plugged away manfully in placid conditions. But they were let down by a few scruffy moments in the field, which included Stokes dropping Sarfaraz in his follow through from a delivery that was subsequently called a no-ball.Shoaib Bashir impressed once again, providing both durability and cutting edge despite still suffering the after-effects of a stomach bug that limited his involvement in the build-up. His 44-over stint matched the first innings in Ranchi for his longest in first-class cricket, and had Zak Crawley not missed a sharp chance at leg slip when Rohit was on 68, Bashir might have been able celebrate a second five-for in only his third Test. Then, in Bashir’s final over of the day, Stokes put down Kuldeep Yadav in the slips as India’s ninth-wicket pair successfully navigated a way to the close.2:52

Would England have benefited with Stokes bowling through the series?

After a serene morning session for India in which they had added 129 without loss, Rohit’s dismissal was followed by Gill having his off stump flattened, James Anderson bagging wicket No. 699 in Tests and giving England something to rally around. The lead at that stage was 61, but any sense of an opportunity for England was scotched by another bright partnership between two batters for the future.Padikkal, at No. 4, initially found the boundary with regularity while Sarfaraz bedded in. Having moved watchfully to 9 off 30 balls, Sarfaraz kicked up through the gears with a flurry of attacking shots to raises his third Test half-century. Mark Wood was dispatched into the crowd before Sarfaraz took on Tom Hartley with the second new ball as India extended their lead beyond 150 at tea.England again struck straight after the interval, Bashir having Sarfaraz caught at slip attempting to cut the first ball back. Padikkal nonchalantly lofted the England offspinner for six over long-on to bring up his maiden fifty but he, too, could not go on as Bashir caught him on the crease with one that turned to hit the top of off stump. Dhruv Jurel holed out to give Bashir his fourth and Hartley then struck twice in the following over, Ravindra Jadeja pinned lbw before R Ashwin played around one that went on with the arm.By that stage, the outline of the day was as clear as the hills in the background, India having cruised into the ascendency without breaking much of a sweat. The overnight pair both went on to record their second hundreds of the series – Rohit’s 12th overall, Gill with his fourth in Tests – as the home side tightened their grip on the match.1:10

Manjrekar on Padikkal’s knock: ‘Great start to his career’

Rohit twice lofted Bashir back over his head in the third over of the morning, before Gill charged Anderson to hit him disdainfully for six, as they added 50 to the score within the first ten overs of play. Gill’s fifty came up from 64 balls as he closed the gap on his captain, who batted on unruffled after seeing an inside edge off Bashir evade Crawley. India’s second consecutive hundred partnership was raised when Rohit flat-batted Wood through extra cover and they moved past England’s total of 218 shortly thereafter, Gill swinging Bashir down the ground for another of his five sixes.Rohit was the first to reach his century, flicking Hartley through the leg side with lunch approaching. Two balls later, Gill slog-swept Bashir for four to bring up three figures, too. Stokes had shot down talk in the build-up about whether he might help balance the attack in more seam-friendly conditions but he immediately produced a “who writes your scripts?” moment after bringing himself on in tandem with Anderson at the start of the afternoon session.Anderson had his revenge on Gill with one that came back through the gate and Padikkal twice edged wide of the slips as England briefly rallied. The false shots were replaced by growing sense of authority, however, as a 97-run stand between Padikkal and Sarfaraz once again shut the door on Stokes and Co. Both batters must have contemplated the opportunity for a first Test hundred, only for Bashir to inspire another belated fightback. But England, having tumbled down a ravine with the bat, were already left facing a mountain to climb.

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