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The tournament will take place from August 24 to 28 in St Kitts, immediately before the CPL season

Matt Roller22-Jun-2022The 10th season of the Caribbean Premier League will launch with a T10 tournament named ‘The 6ixty’ which organisers hope will become a quarterly event that can be staged around the region and beyond.The inaugural season will take place from August 24 to 28 in St Kitts, immediately before the CPL season, and will feature matches between all six men’s franchises and the three women’s teams, with squads expected to be at 85% strength.The format is predominantly a T10 competition but features several notable differences:

• Each batting team has six wickets, rather than ten
• Batting teams can ‘unlock’ a floating third powerplay over by hitting two sixes in the initial two-over powerplay
• Teams will bowl five consecutive overs from each end, rather than switching ends after each over
• If teams fail to bowl their 10 overs within 45 minutes, a fielder will be removed for the final six balls
• Fans will be able to vote for a ‘mystery free hit’ via an app or website

The new playing conditions will “add a layer of strategic intrigue and make sure that the bowlers won’t just be cannon fodder,” CPL CEO Pete Russell told ESPNcricinfo. “You’re going to get some people saying ‘this isn’t cricket’ but my view is that cricket is absolutely the most important element of it.”It’s just about trying to generate excitement and interest. It’s like what’s going on with golf right now – you have to look at things through a different lens sometimes. This is about a totally new audience. We’re very much going after the younger generation.”The tournament will launch in partnership with Cricket West Indies, who have become the first full-member board to create a T10 competition. “CPL is owned privately: we have a sanctioning agreement with them [CWI] and they have a very small share,” Russell explained. “This league is different in as much as they have the majority share and CPL is there to run the event and manage it for them.”Several island boards have staged T10 competitions around the region in recent years and Russell suggested that the Caribbean was “the perfect place” for the format. “It suits the Caribbean way of playing cricket,” he said. “Those T10 tournaments have done well and are run by local cricket boards on a shoestring, really, but have been well supported by the players.”Chris Gayle will act as an ambassador for the 6ixty and West Indies players will be available after their ODI series against New Zealand, which finishes on August 21. Some overseas players are also expected to arrive early to play in the tournament, though a clash with the end of the Hundred’s group stages will rule some out.Russell expects franchises to use the 6ixty as a scouting opportunity. “There will be at least 12 players who aren’t in CPL playing in this event and we’ve been very clear that we don’t just want that to be the old guard,” he said. “It’s very much going to be new players coming in so teams can have a look at them and if people get injured in CPL, they can hopefully pick from that pool.”He also hopes that the tournament’s short window will make it easy to transport around the world, recognising that overseas players are increasingly unwilling to commit to spending several weeks in a row away from home in hotel rooms.”We want to make it portable: we want to run it over five days, similar to how Rugby Sevens is played,” Russell said. “You have the ability to take it around the region, rather than us saying we need a player available for five weeks, which increasingly is going to become problematic.”Our plan is to do four a year, that’s the starting point. Potentially, you’d like to have three in the Caribbean and one elsewhere. We’d like to play one internationally somewhere: if I could take the 6ixty to Vegas, that would be a dream ticket.”

Manasinghe likely to make his debut in the second Test in spin-friendly Galle

Madushka Balasuriya21-Jul-2022Pathum Nissanka has recovered completely from a bout of Covid-19 and will return to the Sri Lanka Test squad, the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has announced. Joining him will be right-arm offspinner Lakshitha Manasinghe, who will take Maheesh Theekshana’s place.Theekshana, the SLC revealed, had suffered an injury to one of his fingers on his right hand – his bowling hand – during the first Test against Pakistan, which Sri Lanka lost by four wickets. He had only made his Test debut in the second Test against Australia earlier this month, having been drafted into the Test side following a spate of Covid-related withdrawals. He kept his place in the side for the first match against Pakistan, but proved largely ineffective, picking up just two wickets – though he did impress with the bat, with his role in a stubborn ninth and tenth wicket stand in the first innings helping rescue Sri Lanka from a dire position on the first day.Related

• Expect the unexpected, again, as Sri Lanka and Pakistan set out to grab chances

• Pathum Nissanka out of second test with Covid

• Second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan moved to Galle

• Shafique's marathon knock, Pak's record chase, and Jayasuriya's dream start

His replacement Manasinghe offers little by way of extra experience – though his 17 first-class appearances outweigh Theekshana’s five. And in those 17 games, the 22-year-old Manasinghe has largely impressed, picking up 73 wickets at an average of 26.38, including six five-wicket hauls. Most recently, he picked up 13 wickets for Sri Lanka A across two unofficial Tests against Australia A. He also offers a certain level of proficiency with the bat lower down the order, having racked up five FC fifties.With the second Test also taking place in spin-friendly Galle, Manasinghe is well set to make his debut as Sri Lanka will likely go in yet again with a spin-heavy attack.Nissanka’s return to the playing XI however is less certain, with his replacement at the top of the order, Oshada Fernando, having impressed in his absence with scores of 35 and 64. Of Sri Lanka’s frontline batters, only Niroshan Dickwella has failed to impress in recent times, though as wicketkeeper his omission would require one of Dinesh Chandimal or Kusal Mendis to take up the gloves – with both seemingly hitting form purely as batters, this might be something the Lankan think-tank is averse to. Nissanka, for his part, has had a rapid start to his Test career, notching a century and five fifties in his first 15 innings.The second Test between Sri Lanka and Pakistan will begin on July 24.

Kent’s hopes also in the balance as play is called off in early afternoon

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2022Derbyshire vs Kent – match abandonedDerbyshire’s hopes of reaching the knock-out stages of the Royal London One-Day Cup were ended by rain and a points penalty.The abandonment of the Group B match against Kent at the Incora County Ground, Derby, left both teams’ chances in the balance with only two games remaining.But Derbyshire have also been deducted two points for all-rounder Mattie McKiernan using a bat which failed a gauge test in the group game against Hampshire at Derby last Friday.McKiernan was charged and accepted a breach of ECB Directives 3.2 and 3.3 after he used a bat which failed the test during and after the match due to excessive tape being applied.In a statement the club said: “An Adjudicator of the Cricket Discipline Commission considered McKiernan’s clean record and apology and accepted that it was an unintentional breach of the ECB Directives.”Adjudicating, Ricky Needham decided that the offence, while committed unintentionally, must be dealt with on a strict liability basis, in that it is entirely the responsibility of a cricketer to ensure that the equipment being used conforms to the laws of the game.”It leaves Derbyshire on three points with a home game against Yorkshire at Chesterfield on Sunday and a trip to Northampton on Tuesday to come.Even before the penalty was announced, Derbyshire and Kent needed a win but heavy rain throughout Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning left the outfield saturated and the game was called off after a third inspection at 2.15pm.Kent coach Simon Cook said: “You want to try and carry on momentum so it’s very frustrating.”But when you walk out there you can see the water coming up underneath your feet. It’s an unusual situation where we’ve had that extremely dry weather for the last month, so the water is just sitting in that top inch of turf.”We’re in a position where we need results to go our way and we’ve got to win the next two home games at Canterbury. We’ll be looking forward to Yorkshire and Lancashire.”Derbyshire fast bowler Nick Potts admitted: “We thought it was a game we could attack and be aggressive in so it’s disappointing as a squad that we can’t do that.”We have been going with the mentality that every game is a final and we need to take two points from each one but there’s still a chance to put in two strong performances.”

Former captain confirms she will focus on domestic coaching roles in England and Australia

Valkerie Baynes15-Sep-2022Charlotte Edwards has ruled herself out of contention for the soon-to-be-vacant England Women’s head coach role.Lisa Keightley will leave the post she has held for three years after announcing last month that she would not seek a contract extension beyond India’s tour of England, which ends with the last of three ODIs at Lord’s on September 24.Edwards was widely seen as a strong candidate for the position, given her success with Southern Vipers and Southern Brave, should she want to apply.Related

• Edwards named new Sydney Sixers' WBBL coach

• Edwards needs 'thinking time' as she considers England coach vacancy

• Charlotte Edwards: 'Girls now trust that they can hit sixes down the ground'

She told ESPNcricinfo two weeks ago that she was interested in the job but, when asked again during her Sky Sports commentary stint in Bristol, where England and India were contesting their third and final T20I, Edwards said she had decided not to put herself forward for it.”I won’t be applying for the England coach’s role,” Edwards said. “I’m thoroughly enjoying my role with the Southern Vipers and I’m heading off to Australia in two weeks’ time to coach the Sydney Sixers. So there, it’s done.”Edwards will make her WBBL coaching debut with Sixers in the upcoming edition of the competition, having seen Vipers to back-to-back domestic 50-over titles in 2020 and ’21 and lift the 20-over Cup named after her in June. She has also twice taken Southern Brave to the final of the women’s Hundred in the first two years of the competition.Edwards is England’s leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs and T20Is, and captained her country to three Ashes victories in 2008, 2013 and 2014 as well as 50-over and T20 World Cups in 2009.Despite admitting she has “massive ambitions to coach internationally”, Edwards had previously indicated that it would be tough to trade in her many coaching hats, albeit for one she described as “one of the most prestigious jobs going around”.”I feel like I have the best job in the world doing what I’m doing,” she said at the time. “That’s going to be the hardest thing: I’ve loved doing the Southern Vipers, I’ve loved doing the Southern Brave and I’ve got the Sydney Sixers role in Australia, so there’s a lot going on.”That’s why I’ve not really thought about it, and why I need to think long and hard about what the next step is for me.”I feel like I’m ready to do something like that, since I’ve had six years since I’ve stopped playing. The Sixers was a big role to take on because I wanted to test myself in a different country. There’s lot to think through.”Now, with Edwards’ mind made up, England’s search goes on.

They replace Sabbir Rahman and Mohammad Saifuddin

Mohammad Isam14-Oct-2022Bangladesh have brought in Soumya Sarkar and Shoriful Islam to replace Mohammad Saifuddin and Sabbir Rahman in their T20 World Cup squad.All four members were part of the team that played the recently concluded tri-series in New Zealand, and although Bangladesh lost all four matches, their technical consultant Sridharan Sriram insisted that there were positives.Soumya and Shoriful’s inclusions in the T20 World Cup squad seemed on the cards given their performance was marginally better than the other two who will now make their way back home from Christchurch.Related

• Shakib aside, there's very little right about Bangladesh's T20I side

• Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh have clarity about their best combination

Soumya’s scores of 23 and 4 were enough for a team management, that includes Sriram, team director Khaled Mahmud and captain Shakib Al Hasan, to pick him. Soumya hadn’t been picked for Bangladesh in any format since a poor outing in last year’s T20 World Cup. He made 164 runs at a strike rate of 109.33 in last season’s BPL during this break.Bangladesh have also sacrificed the only pace-bowling allrounder they had in the squad, axing Saifuddin who has not been able to live up to his potential since his comeback in the Asia Cup in late August. Shoriful steps into his place, even though he hasn’t set the world alight in his last few T20I appearances. He will partner another fast bowler who has been enduring a dip in form, Mustafizur Rahman.Bangladesh head to Brisbane on Saturday where they will face Afghanistan (October 17) and South Africa (October 19) in two warm-up games. Their T20 World Cup campaign begins with a match against one of the first-round qualifiers in Hobart on October 24.Bangladesh T20 World Cup squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Najmul Hossain Shanto, Soumya Sarkar, Litton Das, Afif Hossain, Yasir Ali, Mosaddek Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain

The allrounder had been considered a possible replacement for Aaron Finch

AAP11-Oct-2022Australia’s search for a new limited-overs captain has not got any easier with Mitchell Marsh ruling himself out of the job.Marsh, viewed as one of the top contenders to replace Aaron Finch after his retirement from one-day cricket, says he would prefer to focus on his personal game rather than taking the leadership role.It leaves star batter David Warner as perhaps the leading candidate, although that would require Cricket Australia (CA) to overturn his leadership ban imposed in the wake of the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.Finch will consider his T20 future after the upcoming World Cup but should CA decide they want one captain across both codes he may have to hand over the role.Asked on Tuesday morning whether he would put up his hand for the one-day captaincy, Marsh said the role was not for him.”Probably not to be honest, I’m out of the race,” he said. “I’ve had to get the body right for this World Cup. The World Cup is such an exciting prospect for all of us, to worry about that sort of stuff [captaincy] is just not on my radar at the moment.”Cricket Australia has a decision to make after the World Cup…it’s really not something I’ve thought about.”While stopping short of a firm endorsement of Warner, Marsh acknowledged the 35-year-old could bring a lot to the job.”He’s a great leader among our group,” Marsh said. “As far as all the decisions go, I certainly steer clear of all those conversations. But he’s a great man to have in the squad.”Marsh crunched 36 in his now-usual No.3 role in the T20 series opener against England in Perth on Sunday. The teams will go head-to-head again on Wednesday at Canberra’s Manuka Oval.Allrounder Marsh did not bowl in Perth, but said it remained the plan for the World Cup.”The body’s feeling good at this stage,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll be right to bowl in the first warm-up game but with Stoin [Marcus Stoinis] back bowling now, it’s a bit of a luxury we can work as a team and really build towards the World Cup.”We’re going to get four overs out of us; some days it’s me, some days Stoin, and some days Maxi [Glenn Maxwell]. The best T20 teams in the world over the last five, six years, have that flexibility…we’re almost a team within a team.”

Tournament leaders Western Australia fell away after a strong opening stand

AAP22-Nov-2022Debutant New South Wales spinner Chris Green had a dream introduction to Sheffield Shield cricket, bagging four wickets in a stand-out performance against top of the table Western Australia at the SCG.Despite a promising start, the undefeated visitors limped to 233 all out at stumps on day one, giving their winless hosts hope of a famous upset.Openers Cameron Bancroft and Sam Whiteman had looked comfortable after winning the toss and batting, steering the visitors to 0 for 91 at lunch before the hosts fought back.Green, who has appeared in T20 competitions around the world but never in first-class cricket, tore through Western Australia’s top order, bagging three wickets in a riveting post-lunch spell.The 29-year-old’s maiden Shield scalp was well worth the wait, finding WA captain Whiteman’s outside edge with a ripping offbreak just after lunch.He did not have to wait long for his second.  In his next over, leg slip Jason Sangha atoned for dropping Bancroft off Green’s bowling before lunch, dismissing the same batter with a flying one-handed catch to his left.Green and wicketkeeper Baxter Holt then teamed up to dismiss Hilton Cartwright for two during an ill-advised excursion outside his crease.Legspinner Toby Gray marked his debut with three wickets•Getty Images

Young guns Teague Wyllie and Sam Fanning steadied the ship for WA after Green’s three-wicket spell, putting on 50 runs before Wyllie fell lbw to Chris Tremain on 15.After the tea break, Holt once again displayed handy glovework off Green’s bowling, stumping Josh Philippe for 4.Fellow rookie spinner Toby Gray also picked up his first Shield wickets, bowling top scorer Fanning on 61 before picking up tailenders Charlie Stobo and David Moody to wrap up the innings.NSW quick Mickey Edwards found less joy despite significant effort, picking up 0 for 36 off 19 overs in his first match back in Shield cricket since October 2018 after years of injuries.Western Australia are without several players through higher honours, with debutant paceman Stobo hoping for a big performance with the ball tomorrow to salvage the game for the visitors.

After it was pointed out that the laws bar a substitute from being captain, Pakistan’s team management said Sarfaraz, not Rizwan, was in charge

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Dec-2022Mohammad Rizwan, who is not a part of Pakistan’s playing XI for the ongoing first Test against New Zealand in Karachi, led the team out on to the field at the start of the third day, with news coming out that Babar Azam, the regular captain, and two other players were down with “a viral flu”.As such, the laws of the game bar substitutes from leading a side. Rizwan was spotted moving his fielders around but, in theory, any fielder can do that. Word from the team management initially was that Rizwan – the side’s designated vice-captain – was the acting captain in Babar’s absence, but for reviews, Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain who is in the XI after a long gap, was in charge. That came into play in the 53rd over, when Sarfaraz reviewed the umpire’s not-out decision when Nauman Ali struck Devon Conway on the pads, and got it overturned in Pakistan’s favour.By then, however, the Pakistan team management had been told that substitutes were not allowed lead a side on the field, and clarified that Sarfaraz, and not Rizwan, was the stand-in captain.The law in question – 24.1.2 – states: “A substitute shall not bowl or act as captain but may act as wicketkeeper only with the consent of the umpires.”Shan Masood and Salman Agha were the other players who didn’t come out to field at the start of play, with the team management informing us about the flu, and adding that they would come out later in the day. Masood did, in fact, come out to field a short while after play started, and Babar and Salman came out in the second session.

India’s lower order came to the party again with Axar scoring 74

Andrew McGlashan18-Feb-20234:19

Was Kohli out or not out? Tait and Chopra divided

India’s formidable lower order, led by Axar Patel, again played a crucial role after Nathan Lyon had taken five wickets to turn what looked like being a significant deficit on a tricky Delhi pitch into a one-innings shootout of a Test with Australia holding the advantage of bowling last.The home side had slipped to 139 for 7, with Lyon doing the majority of the damage in the first two sessions, as Australia’s opening-day 263 took on imposing proportions. But Axar and R Ashwin then added 114 for the eighth wicket to leave the difference just one run.Australia had extended that briskly to 62 by the close. Travis Head, opening in place of the subbed-out David Warner, made a very punchy start although they lost Usman Khawaja to a brilliant catch at leg slip from a paddle-sweep. However, Marnus Labuschagne signalled his, and Australia’s intent, by taking three fours in an over off Ravindra Jadeja.Related

• Kohli, Axar and an India fightback of two parts

• Lyon shreds match-up theory, aces test against India's right-handers

• Warner subbed out with concussion, replaced by Renshaw

• R Ashwin and the story of a most magical over

• Uncertain Warner cuts contrasting figure to calm Khawaja

The game would likely have already gone from India, though, if it wasn’t for Axar. He produced a magnificent innings during which some of his off-side strokeplay was the highlight, particularly a flat cover-drive six against Todd Murphy, and it needed a reflex catch at mid-on from Pat Cummins to end things when he was looking to cut loose following the departure of R Ashwin.Ashwin had enjoyed milking his promotion to No. 3 as nightwatchman in Nagpur, but neither he nor Axar would look out of place higher up the order. Ashwin took the role of senior player seriously, constantly encouraging Axar although he did not appear to be having many concerns as he backed up the 84 he made in the first Test.Things had looked much different for the first half of the day. Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul had formed a solid opening stand, but once Australia got their first inroad the game took on another complexion.Lyon made the opening incision when he trapped the under-pressure Rahul with one which straightened from around the wicket. He then produced a brilliant piece of bowling to defeat Rohit with a delivery that skidded on into the stumps.Axar Patel goes big during his magnificent 74•Getty Images

Cheteshwar Pujara had been cheered to the crease in his 100th Test but was unsettled throughout a brief stay before he was trapped lbw for a duck by Lyon with a brave DRS call, instigated by Alex Carey, after Australia had burned their first two reviews very early with poor, speculative requests. They had used them all by the 25th over.This time the replays showed that the ball had brushed Pujara’s front pad first, it was smashing halfway up middle and India were 54 for 3.It got better for Australia soon after when Peter Handscomb did remarkably well to keep his composure at short leg and hold a catch as it rebounded off his body from a strong flick by Shreyas Iyer. After a somewhat difficult first Test, albeit where fortune did not favour him, Lyon had four.India then steadied across the next 20 overs as Virat Kohli, looking very secure and judging length brilliantly, formed a solid alliance with Jadeja who played cautiously until he fell lbw to Murphy which led to another flurry wickets.A key moment came when Matt Kuhnemann claimed his maiden Test wicket by gaining a borderline lbw against Kohli. The decision, as Kohli played forward with bat and pad together, was given out on field. Kohli reviewed and it could have been viewed that impact with bat and pad was simultaneous.2:35

Chopra: Head is potentially Australia’s long-term Test opener

However, third umpire Richard Illingworth ruled it was pad first – not having conclusive evidence to go against the on-field call – and it was just clipping leg stump. As Kohli watched replays in the dressing room he was still coming to terms with it.It was a memorable scalp for Kuhnemann, who only arrived in India a week ago, and overall it was a commendable debut outing from the left-arm spinner.When Lyon had KS Bharat caught at slip off a gloved sweep to complete his five-wicket haul, a three-figure – and likely match-deciding lead – was within reach for Australia. But India’s batting was far from finished.Shortly before tea, Axar took on Kuhnemann, sending consecutive balls for four and six to lay down a marker, but it was the assuredness of the defence as much as the attacking strokes that stood out. However, he could have been caught at slip on 28 off Lyon had Steven Smith been able to stay low on his stance and another tough chance scooted past Matt Renshaw at leg slip from Ashwin.Axar brought up his fifty by mowing Kuhnemann over deep midwicket for six and crunching back-to-back boundaries against Cummins registered the century stand.It was becoming a little desperate for Australia but the new ball finally wrapped up the innings, although probably not entirely by design. Ashwin clipped a leg-stump half-volley to square leg where Renshaw plucked it out of the air and Axar could barely believe Cummins was able to cling onto his well-struck drive at mid-on. After two innings, the teams could not be split, but Australia made the early moves in the decisive second half.

Having ended the day unbeaten on a career-best 184, he now looks forward to drawing level with his father’s highest score of 210

Vithushan Ehantharajah24-Feb-2023Harry Brook hailed his latest century as the best of his four Test hundreds to date, after helping England recover from 21 for 3 to finish day one of the second Test against New Zealand on 315 without any further loss.This fourth century, coming from only 107 deliveries, continued a theme of breaking records seemingly every time he comes out to bat. No one has more than his 807 runs after their first nine innings, and at the time of writing, only Sunil Gavaskar (912) and Don Bradman (862) have scored more in their first six Tests.”I think so,” Brook said when asked if this was the top of his four centuries. “The position of the game makes that decision, to be honest. The ones in Pakistan were amazing and good fun, but they were all very flat pitches. Today wasn’t a flat pitch. It’s a good cricket wicket, but not a flat pitch where you can smack it everywhere. I’ve done that a little bit, but it’s a pretty good pitch.Related

• Harry Brook's latest exploits hand England control after stuttering start

“It (the pitch) always gets easier when the ball gets a bit older. The longer you bat, it gets easier too. The hardest part about batting is the first 20 balls. If you get through that, it gradually starts to get easier. The ball got a bit older and it probably didn’t seem to do as much. There was still a little bit there, and a little bit of bounce.”The 24-year-old heads into Saturday unbeaten on a career best score of 184. That Brook was able to play in the manner he did, operating comfortably above a run a ball for the majority of his innings was all the more impressive given the scene when he arrived to the crease. The returning Matt Henry – accompanied by his captain Tim Southee, who had chosen to bowl first upon winning the toss on a green pitch – removed England’s top three inside seven overs.With Joe Root – who peeled off a 29th Test century during his 101 not out – for company, Brook was the dominant scorer in a yet unbroken stand of 294 – a new English record for any wicket in New Zealand – thanks to 24 fours and five sixes. Having come into Wellington averaging 77 in Tests, he now sleeps over an average of 100.88.”I’m sure it’ll come down very quickly,” Brook said of that statistic. “The onus is clearly on staying grounded despite the tumbling records, and even putting forward a strong case for a fourth Player-of-the-Match award in a row. I’ve just said now actually good times at the minute, but just around the corner there might be bad times so you’ve got to enjoy these moments and cash in as much as I can.”One of the things I’ve tried to work on over the last few years is staying as level headed as possible. There could be a bad moment from the corner and anything could happen, so enjoy the good moments. But we’ve still got four days left to play, and hopefully I can be a vital part of it tomorrow.”Brook has yet to score a double hundred, with a first-class best of 194 against Kent last summer, and could have ticked that box on Friday had rain not washed out the remaining 25 overs of play. In fact, he also has a shot at besting his head coach: it was on this ground in 2014 that Brendon McCullum registered his top score of 302 against India. Brook, however, says his motivation is not to usurp his boss, but to rather overtake his father.In 2001, David Brook had struck an unbeaten 210 for Burley Cricket Club in the Airedale and Wharfedale League. Brook junior, aged two at the time, anticipates a message reminding him of the 26 runs left to get to draw level.”My dad’s highest score is 210, and my highest [first-class] score is 194. So that’s in the back of my mind at the minute,” he said. “But obviously [I] need to face the first ball tomorrow, which is the main thing.”