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    IPL 2021: Ish Sodhi Gets in as Team Liaison Officer for RR

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    Ish Sodhi
    Ish Sodhi

    Ish Sodhi, the New Zealand legspinner, will feature in IPL 2021 for Rajasthan Royals(RR) in a managerial role. After going unsold at the IPL 2021 auction, he has now been signed as the team liaison officer by the Rajasthan Royals, a franchise he played for in 2018 and 2019.

    Ish Sodhi gets in RR 

    In this new role, Sodhi will work closely with Kumar Sangakkara, the team’s new Director of Cricket, and Jake Lush McCrum, the chief operating officer, thereby contributing “both towards cricket and operations vertical”.

    “The Royals are an innovative, dynamic franchise that plays an entertaining brand of cricket, and I am delighted to rejoin my IPL family to work across the board,” he said in a statement.

    The role is slightly different from the one he was supposed to play in IPL 2020 – that of a spin consultant and operations executive. However, he couldn’t take up the role because the IPL’s change of schedule from the regular April-May window to mid-September clashed with New Zealand’s domestic season and the birth of his first child.

    “Last year I expressed my interest in exploring the management side of the franchise, and the Royals management team was very supportive, offering me a role to enable me to begin my off-field journey,” he said. “I’m looking forward to supporting the coaches and the business operations of the team through which I’ll really develop my cricketing and management skills.”

    In eight games across two seasons for the Royals, Sodhi picked up nine at an economy of 6.69. While he isn’t part of New Zealand’s Test plans now, he’s still on their radar for limited-overs cricket and is currently part of the squad for the five-match T20I series at home against Australia.

    He’s also active in a few other T20 leagues, particularly in the CPL, where he currently represents St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Overall, Sodhi has 180 wickets in 166 T20 matches, with a best of 6 for 11 for the Adelaide Strikers against the Sydney Thunder in BBL 2017-18.

    Pakistan Fans Blame India & Australia As PSL Umpire Refused To Cap

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    Shahid Afridi
    Shahid Afridi

    Pakistan fans blame BCCI and the Australia cricket committee for umpires’ refusal of holding Shahid Afridi’s cap in the PSL.

    Pakistan Fans blames BCCI & Australia

    “Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold bowlers cap even though they are in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game?” the all-rounder wrote while expressing dissent and surprise over the protocol.

    In the pre-Covid-19 era, the umpires were completely fine with the players asking them to hold on to their caps while they would deliver an over. However, with the pandemic outbreak still very much a global threat, the ICC guidelines have prohibited them from doing so.

    And while Afridi’s tweet to the governing body of international cricket is understandable, the comments made by his fans, blaming the BCCI and the Indian cricket team for something like this seems completely outrageous.

    Ever since the Covid-19 guidelines were set in place, international players have been seen wearing more than one cap at a time while fielding, simply because the others belong to their teammates or the bowlers who were in the middle of their spell.

    The most recent and arguably the most famous incident of this sort took place during the first T20I match between New Zealand and Australia at the Hagley Oval when Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson was spotted wearing three caps, one on top of another.

    Ever since the 2021 season of the Pakistan Super League kicked off on February 20, all six franchises have played two matches each.

    Afridi’s Multan Sultans played their first match against Shadab Khan’s Islamabad United and second against Wahab Riaz’s Peshawar Zalmi.

    However, the Sultans have lost both the matches, albeit both were tough fights, and are currently sitting at the number five spot of the PSL points table ahead of Sarfaraz Ahmed’s Quetta Gladiators, thanks to the difference in their Net Run Rate.

    Also read: Shahid Afridi Reveals that He Used Sachin Tendulkar’s Bat to Score His Fastest Century

    Prithvi Shaw Slams a Double Century in Vijay Hazare Trophy 2021

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    Prithvi Shaw
    Prithvi Shaw

    Prithvi Shaw might not be part of the Indian cricket team but he is knocking on the doors of the selectors with his double century in the domestic circuit. On Thursday he took his performance a notch higher in his first outing as Mumbai captain.

    Prithvi Shaw slams Double Century in Vijay Hazare Trophy

    This was the first maiden List-A double hundred for Shaw, which he got in 142 balls. Shaw hammered 32 fours and five sixes during his onslaught. He also became the eighth Indian to score a List A double hundred. This was the fourth double hundred in the history of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.

    The youngster remained unbeaten on 227 off just 152 deliveries to slam the seventh highest List A score ever. He and Suryakumar Yadav (133 off 58 deliveries) took Mumbai to an imposing total of 457/4 in 50 overs against the hapless Puducherry bowlers.

    This is the highest List A total scored by any team in India’s domestic circuit, eclipsing the record set by Jharkhand earlier in this season, when they slammed 422/9 against Madhya Pradesh. It is the fourth highest List A total overall.

    Shaw has joined an elite list of Indian batsmen to have scored a List A double century or more, which include Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Rohit Sharma, KV Kaushal, Sanju Samson, and Yashasvi Jaiswal.

    Mumbai vs Puducherry 

    In the round 3 of elite group D Mumabi faces Pondicherry. Where Mumbai were asked to bat first by Puducherry after winning the toss. Mumabi makes a massive target of 457 runs for 4 wickets loss at the end of the 50 overs.

    With a mamoth target to chase Puducherry gets into the crease and failed to chase down the target. Puducherry were bagged while scoring 224 runs.

    India vs England: Sanjay Manjrekar Opens on Controversial Umpiring Decisions

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    Sanjay manjrekar
    Sanjay manjrekar

    Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar throws view on controversial umpiring decisions on the 3rd Test of India vs England. The visiting England side has complained to the match referee about a couple of decisions that did not go their way.

    First, it was when Stuart Broad found the outside edge of Shubman Gill’s bat, and Ben Stokes took the catch at slips. The umpire gave the soft signal as out, but the third umpire overturned the decision.

    While the other one was when, England players appealed against Rohit Sharma, for a stumping chance, but third umpire, managed to give another controversial decision, without using different angles available.

    Sanjay Manjrekar on Umpiring Decisions in India vs England Test

    Former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar commented on the issue and said in his tweet, “TV umpire was a bit too quick for my liking with that not out call considering that soft signal was out. But it was the right call. Enough evidence to overrule the on-field soft signal.”

    “TV umpire may note that like the players for DRS, he does not have a timer on his decision, he could take his time.”

    Meanwhile, R Ashwin is on the threshold of 400 wickets, and achieved another milestone, on day one of the third Test between India and England. The 34-year-old went past Zaheer Khan’s tally of 597 international wickets, to climb to the fourth spot in the list of most wickets for India.

    Ashwin bagged three wickets in the first innings, and took his tally to 599 wickets, across formats. He is only behind former skipper Anil Kumble (953), spinner Harbhajan Singh (707), and Kapil Dev (687). The off-spinner is also on the brink of becoming the fourth Indian bowler to take 400 Test wickets.

    Shahid Afridi Expressed Displeasure Over ICC for Umpires not Holding Bowlers’ cap

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    Shahid Afridi
    Shahid Afridi

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi tweeted tagging the International Cricket Council (ICC) to express his displeasures about its new rule which tells the on-field umpires not to hold the bowler’s cap, sweater or sunglasses while bowling due to Covid-19 restrictions.

    Shahid Afridi slams ICC

    “Dear @ICC wondering why the umpires are not allowed to hold the bowler’s cap even though they are  in the same bubble as the players/management and even shake hands at the end of the game?” Afridi posted on his Twitter account.

    Afridi is currently playing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2021 for the Multan Sultans. As the T20 tournament is under ICC’s rules and regulations, he might have faced the same issue in any of the matches.

    As for his team, the Multan Sultans’ have had a poor start to the PSL season as they lost both their first two matches. Afridi bowled a superb spell in the first match, picking up two wickets for just 24 runs in his four overs.

    Some other players in the PSL have also expressed surprise over the ICC rule which is being enforced because of the pandemic.

    The bowler handing over his cap, sweater, or sunglasses to the on-field umpire was a norm cricket but ICC came up with the new guidelines after cricket resumed after a long gap due to the global pandemic, leaving bowlers with no choice but to hand over their caps to the fielders.

    “Players and umpires should maintain social distancing on the cricket field and that includes no handing over of player items (cap, towels, sunglasses, jumpers) to the umpire or teammates,” reads the ICC playing guidelines.

    Also read: Shahid Afridi Reveals that He Used Sachin Tendulkar’s Bat to Score His Fastest Century

    India vs England: Virat Kohli and Ben Stokes Exchange Words

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    Virat Kohli clases with Ben Stokes
    Virat Kohli clases with Ben Stokes

    Indian skipper Virat Kohli has a little talk with Ben Stokes where the England all-rounder stops the play for some unknown reasons.

    During the 3rd Test match, England won the toss and elected to bat first. In an unexpected way, England starts to lose back-to-back wickets where Axar Patel bags a five-wicket haul in his second test match.

    Virat Kohli Clashes with Ben Stokes

    However, in the middle of England’s innings, an incident took place between Indian skipper Virat Kohli and all-rounder Ben Stokes.

    Facing veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin in the first session of the day’s play, Stokes was called out by Kohli when the ace batsman questioned the movement of the drones at the new stadium. Kohli tried unnerving Stokes after the England batsman stopped Ashwin owing to some apparent off-field distraction at the world’s biggest cricket stadium in Motera. Both Kohli and Stokes exchanged smiles following the cheeky banter in the pink-ball Test.

    Though Stokes remained under the pump during Ashwin’s spell, the Englishman successfully negated the deliveries in the 24th over of England’s innings. Stokes has been dismissed by Ashwin for a record 10 times in the longest format of the game. Stokes played a patient knock but the premier batsman failed to rescue the visitors in the pink-ball Test match. Spin wizard Axar Patel removed Stokes for 6 off 24 balls in the 29th over.

    Talking about the match, Axar was a star turnout for the Team India side on Day 1 of the 3rd Test match at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The local hero bagged a sublime six-wicket haul to dismantle England for a paltry 112 in the first two sessions of the day’s play at Motera.

    India will now look to play the twilight phase with cautiousness and get a good total on board. With the series locked at 1-1, India would be itching to take a series lead heading into the final Test, which will be played at the same venue – Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

    Virat Kohli Breaks Silence on Adelaide Test Against Australia

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    Virat Kohli With Cricket Sunglasses
    Virat Kohli

    Virat Kohli views the loss in the last pink ball test match against Australia in Adelaide as an experience that’ll remain with the team for a long time to come. Team India is set to play their pink ball test match against England in the iconic Narendra Modi Stadium at Ahmedabad.

    Virat Kohli opens up on the Adelaide loss

    “If you ask England the same question, that ‘do you think you could be bowled out for 50 (58) again’, their answer will be no. Because you understand that on a particular day, things are meant to happen a certain way, and whatever you try and do, nothing may go right. That’s exactly what happened to us in Adelaide,” he said.

    Barring those 45 minutes of absolute madness, the Indian team is convinced they dominated the Adelaide Test and it’s that confidence they’re waiting to carry over at Motera this week.

    “These are experiences. Not a mental scar. Not a hindrance. Something you learn from and move ahead,” he stressed.

    India cannot afford to lose this Test if they want to make it to the World Test Championship final later this year. But that’s not how Kohli sees it. He says India doesn’t just have to win this Test for the sake of making it to the final. They’ve got to win because that’s the thing to do.

    “You don’t really play for those kinds of reasons, like qualification criteria, etc. That’s a conversation for later. In the present moment, we’re preparing for this game, waiting for the grind over the next five days, looking to win a Test match for India and then move on to the next one,” says the skipper.

    Virat Kohli speaks on Pink ball swings 

    On the eve of the Test, Kohli spoke about the pink ball’s tendency to swing a lot more than the red one. It’s an experience that’s stayed with Team India since the match against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019.

    “It is much more challenging to play the new pink ball regardless of the pitch you are playing on. Especially in the evening, say, as a batting team you are starting your innings in the evening under lights, then that one-and-a-half-hour period is very challenging.

    Yes, the spin will come in for sure, but I don’t think the new ball and the fast bowlers can be ignored. The pink ball does bring them into the game till the ball is nice and shiny. That is something we are very well aware of, and we are preparing accordingly,” Kohli said, giving an indication that India might pack in an extra seamer for the game.

    The first session, in the skipper’s opinion, is the easiest to bat on. “When the sun is out and the ball doesn’t do much. But when it starts to get dark, especially during twilight, it gets very tricky. The light changes. It is difficult to sight the ball. Then again, under lights, it is like playing the first session in the morning of a normal Test match. The ball tends to swing a lot,” he analysed.

    IPL 2021: Steve Smith Opens up on Playing For Delhi Capitals(DC)

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    Steve Smith
    Steve Smith

    Australian cricketer, Steve Smith says that he was “very excited” to play for Delhi Capitals(DC) in the upcoming IPL 2021 tournament. Delhi Capitals roped Steve Smith for 2.20 Crores in the IPL 2021 auction.

    Moreover, Steve Smith is the first person to purchase in the IPL 2021 auction. Delhi Capitals roped him just 20 lakh more of his base price(2 Crores).

    Steve Smith on Playing for Delhi Capitals(DC)

    The 31-year-old had a poor run in IPL 2020 in the UAE as he scored just 311 runs in 14 games at an average of 25.91 and strike rate of 131.22. This resulted in RR releasing Smith ahead of IPL 2021 and naming Sanju Samson as their skipper.

    So after being purchased by DC, on February 23, the franchise posted a video on their official Instagram handle where Smith expressed his excitement. In the short clip, the right-hander also hoped of taking the franchise to greater heights in the upcoming edition.

    “I am really excited about joining the team this year. I think it is a great squad of players, a great coach, and I am looking forward to getting there and creating some amazing memories. Hopefully will help the team go one better than last year,” Steve Smith said in the video uploaded by DC.

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Delhi Capitals (@delhicapitals)

    While the chances of Smith getting a chance to play in all the games for DC are slim as the team led by Shreyas Iyer have their three overseas slots full in the form of all-rounder Marcus Stoinis and pacers Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje.

    In addition, there is a tough fight for the fourth overseas place in the Playing XI while having contenders like Shimron Hetmyer, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, and Sam Billings. He can surely get a place if openers Prithvi Shaw or Shikhar Dhawan fail to perform.

    Check the complete list of players along with their rate who were brought by Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2021 Auction by clicking ->here.

    Delhi Capitals full squad for IPL 2021

    Shreyas Iyer (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prithvi Shaw, Ajinkya Rahane, Rishabh Pant (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Marcus Stoinis, Chris Woakes, R Ashwin, Axar Patel, Amit Mishra, Lalit Yadav, Pravin Dubey, Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Ishant Sharma, Avesh Khan, Steve Smith, Umesh Yadav, Ripal Patel, Vishnu Vinod, Lukman Meriwala, M Siddarth, Tom Curran, Sam Billings.

    Deep Dasgupta Points out Disadvantage for Fielding Team at Motera

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    Deep Dasgupta playing with Rahul Dravid

    Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Deep Dasgupta shared a substantial insight ahead 3rd Test which takes place at at Motera stadium.

    Deep Dasgupta on playing at Motera stadium

    The excitement level has already gone a few notches higher as it’s going to be a day-night affair in front of 50,000 fans.

    In a conversation with Sports Today, he said that newly-placed orange chairs in the Motera Stadium can make the fielders’ job quite troublesome as the pink ball seems a little orangish.

    “There will be 50 odd thousand people sitting in the stands. The first thing that I noticed that the chairs were orange. This Pink ball is a little orangish so that would make the fielder’s life that much more troublesome because I found it pretty difficult because the England team was practicing. They were taking catches and I found it very difficult to sight the ball at times. We actually saw few catches being dropped in Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy,” Deep Dasgupta told Sports Today.

    new Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium known as Motera Stadium
    Motera Stadium Ahmedabad

    “It’s imperative for India to win. Well, the draw is a possibility. India can afford a draw. Looking at things how Test match cricket is off late, very rarely you see draws. I mean the win is imperative as simple as that,” Deep Dasgupta said when he was asked about the prediction on the match.

    The 4-match series is already levelled 1-1. It’s going to be a cracker of a contest from here on as none of the sides can afford a loss as they eye the final berth at the ICC World Test Championship.

    Spinners puts pressure over England batsmen

    In the third test match England won the toss and elected to bat first in the iconic Motera stadium. Engalnd cricketers struggles to face the Virat Kohli led Indian bowlers and starts to losing wickets in a frequent interval of time.

    England’s Zak Crawley scored the highest of 53 run which manages England to score 81 runs for 6 wickets loss as of 2nd session of the 1st day. Axar Patel bags 3 wickets while Ashwin bags a couple of wickets where Ishant sharma stands with one.

    Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith Skips Sheffield Shield Tournament

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    Sheffield Shield
    Sheffield Shield

    Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith have withdrawn from the New South Wales squad to face Victoria in the Sheffield Shield at Bankstown Oval starting on Thursday.

    Mitchell Starc, Steven Smith skips Sheffield Shield

    Starc will miss the game following the passing of his father Paul on Tuesday after a battle with cancer. Starc’s wife Alyssa Healy also withdrew from New South Wales’ next two WNCL fixtures.

    “All our thoughts and prayers are going out to Mitch and his family,” said team-mate Nathn Lyon said. “It’s a tough time for Mitch but he knows he has all our love and support from, just not me, but from everyone here at New South Wales Cricket and the cricket community as well.”

    Smith will miss the clash, which was relocated from Melbourne to Sydney, due to an elbow issue that has flared up.

    “I have had some pain in my elbow that’s gradually worsened since the Test against India at the SCG and it requires some rest and rehab,” Smith said. “I am hoping I will be right to travel with the Blues to Adelaide for our games down there next week but we will have to see how it responds to treatment.”

    Lyon said Smith had been struggling to hold the bat at training. “He tried to have a hit yesterday. He was just in discomfort, pain. All I know is it mustn’t be great if he’s missing a game of cricket, especially for New South Wales.”

    David Warner is still unavailable due to his groin injury but he stated on Tuesday that he was aiming to return for the Blues Marsh Cup clash with South Australia on March 4 in Adelaide.

    David Warner
    David Warner

    Pat Cummins will make his first Shield appearance of the season after missing the game against Victoria last week. Josh Hazlewood is being rested. Liam Hatcher and Jason Sangha have been included in the 13-man squad as replacements for Smith and Starc.

    New South Wales Shield squad

    Peter Nevill (capt), Sean Abbott, Harry Conway, Trent Copeland, Pat Cummins, Moises Henriques, Daniel Hughes, Nick Larkin, Nathan Lyon, Kurtis Patterson, Jason Sangha, Daniel Solway, Liam Hatcher

    India vs England: Ashwin is on Verge of Reaching 400 Test wickets

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    Ashwin
    Ashwin

    Ravichandran Ashwin, currently on 394 Test wickets, is on the verge of becoming the second-fastest bowler to pick 400 wickets.

    Ashwin is on Verge of Picking 400 Test Wickets

    If Ashwin can take six or more wickets in the 3rd Test between India and England starting later this week, he will beat Sir Richard Hadlee of New Zealand and Dale Steyn of South Africa, who are tied at the second position.

    Steyn and Hadlee had taken 80 Tests to reach the mark. If Ashwin joins club 400 in the Day/Night Test in Motera, he would reach the mark in his 77th Test. Sri Lanka legend Muttiah Muralitharan is at the top of the list as he had taken 72 Tests to claim 400 wickets.

    Additionally, Ashwin will become the sixth spinner to take 400 wickets, and will only be the third Indian spinner to get to the mark after Anil Kumble (619) and Harbhajan Singh (417).

    In the course of his match-winning performance in the 2nd Test, Ashwin overtook Harbhajan to become the second most prolific spinner for India at home. He now has 266 victims at home in the longest format of the game in just 45 Tests at an outstanding average of 22.64. Former India captain Anil Kumble leads the list with 350 wickets from 62 matches in India.

    Gambhir Praises Ashwin

    Speaking on Star Sports’ Cricket Connected chat show, former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir said that it is unfortunate that the India off-spinner is not a part of the white-ball scheme of things.

    “Someone who is coming close to taking 400 wickets and the same time getting five Test hundreds and still not being part of the white-ball scheme of things is very unfortunate. He is just a class act,” Gambhir said.

    “He is just a quality bowler and his subtle variations. The amount of cricket he has played and the longevity he has played with and still the kind of impact he has had, it is just unbelievable,” Gambhir added.

    Ashish Nehra praises Ashwin

    Former India pacer Ashish further praised Ashwin and said that the 33-year-old is a good student of the game.

    “This is not the first time that Ravichandran Ashwin has made such a big impact when you are playing at home. When you talk about how he is so different, first thing of course he has so much experience and so much confidence when you are playing at home, when he knows these wickets are going to be helpful to him,” Nehra said.

    Ashwin is currently in the 11 man squad of the Virat Kohli led Indian team which faces  England in a 4 match test series. India equals the series by 1-1 where the third match is scheduled to play on February 24 at Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.

    BCB Enter Into A New Contract With The Players, Says BCB Chief

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    Bangladesh Cricket Board
    Bangladesh Cricket Board

    After Shakib Al Hasan prefered to get part in the IPL league over national duty, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decides to enter into a new contract with the players.

    BCB Enters new Contract 

    Kolkata Knight Riders snapped Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan for INR 3.2 crores in the IPL 2021 auction. For which Shakib Al Hasan decided to skip the home Test series against Sri Lanka.

    As per schedule, Sri Lanka will tour Bangladesh to play a couple of Test matches in April – a series that will likely clash with IPL 2021.

    “We will enter into a new contract with the players. It will be mentioned clearly who wants to play which format. They have to inform us. If they have any other engagements, they have to be clear about their availability. It is very open.

    “Previously, it depended on individuals but now we are confirming it in writing so that nobody can say that they haven’t been allowed or we kept them forcefully.”

    Nazmul was speaking after a meeting with his board members at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium here.

    The BCB chief had said it didn’t make sense to stop Shakib from playing in the IPL after he had made his intention clear in a latter to the board recently.

    “Couldn’t we have stopped Shakib from going (to the IPL)? He may have played but we don’t want that. We want only those to play, who really love the game. We have tried to keep him interested. When Shakib had declined to play tests three years ago, we made him the captain.

    “I didn’t like the timing of it. He was among the players I expected would take charge of the difficult situation. It was disappointing,” he added.

    Shakib will return to the IPL after his one-year ban from all forms of cricket after Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for Rs 3.2 crore during the recent players’ auction.

    The 33-year-old has previously played for the Knight Riders between 2011 and 2017 and was a key member of their title-winning sides in 2012 and 2014.

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