{"id":8918,"date":"2023-10-16T08:23:04","date_gmt":"2023-10-16T07:23:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8918"},"modified":"2023-10-16T10:53:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-16T09:53:04","slug":"cricket-world-cup-follows-rugby-with-an-under-optimised-schedule","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/cricket-world-cup-follows-rugby-with-an-under-optimised-schedule\/","title":{"rendered":"Cricket World Cup follows Rugby with an under-optimised schedule"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><div  style='padding-bottom:10px; ' class='av-special-heading av-special-heading-h2  blockquote modern-quote  avia-builder-el-2  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  thought-leadership-heading '><div class ='av-subheading av-subheading_above  ' style='font-size:15px;'><p>Thought Leadership<\/p>\n<\/div><h2 class='av-special-heading-tag '  itemprop=\"headline\"  > Cricket World Cup follows Rugby with an under-optimised schedule<\/h2><div class='special-heading-border'><div class='special-heading-inner-border' ><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-3  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  av_inherit_color '  style='color:#80808a; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><h4><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\"><\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 8<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">MIN READ<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-author '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><strong>By David Bullen<\/strong><\/h3>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>October 16, 2023<\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-8  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-9  el_before_av_hr  avia-builder-el-first  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><img decoding=\"async\" class='wp-image-8939 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8939 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3.png\" alt='' title='image (3)' height=\"3564\" width=\"5935\"  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3.png 5935w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-300x180.png 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-1030x619.png 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-768x461.png 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-1536x922.png 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-2048x1230.png 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-1500x901.png 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/image-3-705x423.png 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 5935px) 100vw, 5935px\" \/><\/div><\/div><\/div><br \/>\n<div  style='height:5px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_image  avia-builder-el-last '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-share '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Thought Leadership<\/h3>\n<p>Inspired by what you&#8217;re reading? Why not subscribe for regular insights delivered straight to your inbox.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-button-wrap avia-button-left  avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock ' ><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/contact\/news-signup\/'  class='avia-button  avia-color-theme-color   avia-icon_select-no avia-size-small avia-position-left '   ><span class='avia_iconbox_title' >Subscribe<\/span><\/a><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><hr \/>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  class='av-social-sharing-box  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_textblock  avia-builder-el-last  '><div class='av-share-box'><h5 class='av-share-link-description av-no-toc '>Share this story<\/h5><ul class='av-share-box-list noLightbox'><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-facebook' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook\" href='https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/cricket-world-cup-follows-rugby-with-an-under-optimised-schedule\/&#038;t=Cricket%20World%20Cup%20follows%20Rugby%20with%20an%20under-optimised%20schedule' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f3' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Facebook' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Facebook<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-twitter' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on Twitter\" href='https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?text=Cricket%20World%20Cup%20follows%20Rugby%20with%20an%20under-optimised%20schedule&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/?p=8918' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8f1' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on Twitter' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on Twitter<\/span><\/a><\/li><li class='av-share-link av-social-link-linkedin' ><a target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn\" href='https:\/\/linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&#038;title=Cricket%20World%20Cup%20follows%20Rugby%20with%20an%20under-optimised%20schedule&#038;url=https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/cricket-world-cup-follows-rugby-with-an-under-optimised-schedule\/' aria-hidden='false' data-av_icon='\ue8fc' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' title='' data-avia-related-tooltip='Share on LinkedIn' rel=\"noopener\"><span class='avia_hidden_link_text'>Share on LinkedIn<\/span><\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><p><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just a few short weeks ago we wrote about this year\u2019s Rugby World Cup risking missing a chance to drive new levels of engagement in Rugby, as a result of poor scheduling decisions.\u00a0 Well, it doesn\u2019t take long for history to repeat itself.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 Men\u2019s ODI Cricket World Cup got underway at the start of October in Ahmedabad with a repeat fixture of the 2019 final between England and New Zealand. Following the opening rounds of fixtures, there is already discussion about low attendances, venue choices and match timings. The schedule for the round-robin group stage between the 10 participating teams was announced less than 14 weeks before the opening match. This is in contrast to the RWC draw, which was made almost three years before the tournament.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The late announcement, and subsequent alteration made three weeks later, is extremely unusual for a major global sporting event. However, it may have been a consequence of the multiple challenges when creating this schedule. The 45 group-stage matches take place across 10 different venues, meaning that significant travel is inevitable whilst aligning match timings to accommodate the different time-zones of fans watching across multiple continents adds further complexity. So too does the desire to maximise viewership of India games by scheduling as many of them as possible over weekends.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As well as dealing with these constraints, the schedule must aim to deliver an exciting group stage with jeopardy until the very end through high-stakes matches that determine which teams will finish in the top four positions in the table and progress through to the semi finals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Twenty First Group, this is precisely the kind problem that we thrive on solving. As such, we have developed our own Scheduler Tool (the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/twenty-first-group-launches-the-tfg-scheduler_\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TFG Scheduler_<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">)<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to be able to support rights-holders in overcoming these types of challenges. The TFG Scheduler deploys Machine Learning to create an entire end-to-end schedule for competitions, optimising their sporting excitement, fan engagement and commercial potential.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<div  style='height:50px' class='hr hr-invisible   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_textblock  el_before_av_textblock '><span class='hr-inner ' ><span class='hr-inner-style'><\/span><\/span><\/div><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><p><b><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-8919\" src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.17.54-am.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"291\" height=\"531\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.17.54-am.png 466w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.17.54-am-164x300.png 164w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.17.54-am-387x705.png 387w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 291px) 100vw, 291px\" \/><\/b><\/p>\n<p><b>Travel<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The geographical size of the host nation India provides a challenge to the schedule, particularly as the 10 venues chosen to hold group-stage games are spread widely across the country. Teams are having to undertake significant travel &#8211; both in terms of the frequency and length of journeys.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An optimal schedule would aim to achieve two main goals with travel. Firstly, to minimise the frequency and size of travel between games &#8211; as much as commercial obligations allow. The second would be to try and be as equitable with travel requirements across the different teams &#8211; as travel will impact recovery, match preparation and, ultimately, ability to deliver top-level performances.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The CWC23 schedule leaves a lot to be desired on this front. The total travel distance undertaken by each team ranges from 5,800km (New Zealand) to 9,700km (India) &#8211; a significant disparity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Additionally, there\u2019s a number of further inconsistencies. India and England move location every single match &#8211; the logic behind this being that they are the most popular teams and, as such, they want to give the opportunity to fans all over the country to watch them. In contrast, New Zealand play consecutive fixtures at a venue on 3 separate occasions, which reduces their travel frequency and subsequently aids their recovery, match preparation and familiarity with conditions &#8211; potentially giving them an advantage for those specific fixtures.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div   avia-builder-el-23  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='padding:10px 30px 10px 30px ; border-radius:0px; '><div  class='avia-image-container  av-styling-    avia-builder-el-24  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  avia-align-center '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\"  ><div class='avia-image-container-inner'><div class='avia-image-overlay-wrap'><a href='https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-1030x687.jpg' class='avia_image'  ><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1706\" class='wp-image-8920 avia-img-lazy-loading-not-8920 avia_image' src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-scaled.jpg\" alt='' title='ENGLAND GROUP STAGE JOURNEY'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-1030x687.jpg 1030w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-1500x1000.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/ENGLAND-GROUP-STAGE-JOURNEY-705x470.jpg 705w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-25  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-26  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_three_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock thought-leadership-main-content '  style='font-size:20px; '  itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><b><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignright wp-image-8926\" src=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.24.40-am.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"333\" height=\"583\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.24.40-am.png 540w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.24.40-am-171x300.png 171w, https:\/\/www.twentyfirstgroup.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/Screenshot-2023-10-16-at-8.24.40-am-402x705.png 402w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 333px) 100vw, 333px\" \/><\/b><\/h3>\n<p><b>Jeopardy<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The schedule should aim to maximise jeopardy as the group-stage reaches its climax, meaning matches that directly impact which teams finish in the top 4 (and reach the semi finals) should occur in the final few rounds of fixtures &#8211; to maximise excitement and drama.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">TFG deploys simulations to infer a match jeopardy score by determining the swing in probability of the two participating teams making the semi-finals, depending on the result. Ideally, fixtures with the biggest swings would occur towards the end of the group-stage &#8211; hence these rounds are weighted as more valuable in our calculation. Our schedule optimiser is able to pick the configuration of matches which maximises this weighted score. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We assess the CWC23 schedule to have an optimisation score of 60% &#8211; meaning it\u2019s not bad but certainly could have been improved. A number of key match-ups occur very early on during the group-stage, whereby the pressure and significance of the tie is not as heightened as if it had taken place later on closer to the climax of the group-stage. This reduced jeopardy has potentially been the cause of disappointingly low attendances in some of the early fixtures.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Match Timings<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Another challenge facing the schedule is staging matches during times which are more suitable for the home fans of the participating nations. Given the vast range of time differences for teams involved, relative to India, it\u2019s not always possible to fully accommodate viewers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This tournament has taken a fairly rigid approach by starting almost all matches at 14.00 local time, with only 6 fixtures starting at a different time (all at 10.30). This approach makes sense for consistency reasons by securing a regular time-slot (\u2018appointment to view\u2019). However, if the start times for matches were more flexible, between a window of 10.00 to 15.00 local time &#8211; this would enable an increase of almost 10% in watching hours between 7am and 11pm for fans at home in playing teams<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A tournament\u2019s schedule can be critical to ensuring the sporting product it delivers maximises performance levels, excitement, tension and, ultimately, its legacy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whilst the 2019 Cricket World Cup is synonymous with its dramatic finale, courtesy of a super-over, it can\u2019t be forgotten that England had must-win fixtures against India and New Zealand at the end of the group-stage. This made for an incredibly high-jeopardy end to that stage of the competition.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For the CWC23 schedule, there is enormous commercial value inherent in maximising the number of games that India play &#8211; as not only hosts but by far the biggest cricketing superpower. Therefore, a schedule which unduly hampers their chances of progressing would have a significantly adverse impact on the tournament\u2019s commercial success, and equally any schedule should seek fairness across all participants.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The RWC23 has fallen foul of this mistake, with its draw made too long before the tournament began and subsequently meaning that two of the strongest and most commercially-attractive sides will be eliminated at the quarter-final stage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 2023 Cricket World Cup will hopefully deliver another thrilling tournament for cricket fans across the world &#8211; however, TFG believe there was certainly room for improvement with the schedule to further enhance its quality, jeopardy and connection to fans. The TFG Scheduler Tool is designed to deliver optimal schedules for competition rights-holders and is now being put to use for a range of upcoming competitions across the global sporting calendar.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you would like to find out more about our Scheduler Tool and broader Competition Intelligence services, please get in touch with Ben Marlow<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_codeblock  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":8939,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_oasis_is_in_workflow":0,"_oasis_original":0,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[53,52,33],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v20.0 - 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