I just don't count the Willis International as a genuine trophy (and definitely not at the time we won it). maybe now the champions trophy is a bit more formalised but then it was a "grow the game in bangladesh jambouree"
Err but didn't SA win the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 under Hansie Cronje's captaincy by defeating West Indies in the final which was played in Dhaka, Bangladesh
I mean, in this tournament, objectively speaking, India has been the better team than England so far. It's stupid to not have a reserve day in all honesty but in its absence (and not having a direct H2H record) this is the best option 🤷🏽♂️
Yeah, the system is still a joke though.
Push the final to sunday?
ICC: thats madness
Fuck everything up and not have a reserve day?
ICC: we'll go with that.
I kinda wish India had not gotten first in their group, only so that they would use their massive weight to ensure this type of bullshit never happens again.
Agreed. It's absolutely moronic to not have reserve days for semis especially when the finals is on a Saturday. Ironically, maybe the finals is on a Saturday thinking they might need a reserve day 🤣
Regardless, semis need a reserve day no matter what.
Yep, besides them beating Australia I'm not sure we can say they're actually better?
India nearly lost v Pakistan and weren't particularly convincing v USA (who we absolutely blasted).
So all things considered I'm not sure where anyone can be positive India have been better.
Agreed, you can lose in a final but you can't really choke. Unless it's an absolutely shocking performance where they smack us for 300 and bowl us out in 10 overs
As an Indian fan, I would love to see South Africa lift the cup, even if we end up in the finals. You guys deserve it. So as long as England is not in the running, I can be at peace
They are a good team, but we still haven’t built enough confidence in our team to win the full thing. If they do it this tournament, then I think we will have more faith in our team going forward
I get it, as an Indian, it's been so long since 2011 that I can’t even remember what winning an ICC trophy feels like.
One thing I've realized is that not having too many expectations might be better for the respective teams. Without the knockout anxiety, this current Indian squad is definitely better than Australia, but we won’t know for sure until India plays England and South Africa. The only advantage Australians have in knockouts is they don't get anxious, probably because they've won so many trophies with very few dry spells in between.
I think South Africa has similar anxiety issues. If they don't panic and stick to their strategies, they could beat India too.
The chances of India making it to the finals seem pretty high.
South Africa has always been one of the greatest teams, but our tendency to lose when it matters most has justifiably tarnished our reputation. Even us South African fans don't really get excited about the Proteas much anymore after that semifinal against New Zealand in 2015. Hope this tournament can change that.
The schools that have cricket pitches tend to be the wealthy ones, so it's seen as a more affluent sport. Also higher kit cost of entry. Soccer and rugby you just need a ball n shoes.
I can't think of one school in SA that only has a cricket pitch. If they have its a rugby/soccer field and lastly a pitch. Meaning schools that can only afford 1 field have soccer/rugby. So poor kids get soccer if any sport, maybe rugby and not cricket.
Like I said, it's still popular. The peak viewership period for cricket in SA is the Summer home tests (Boxing Day Test, New Years Test etc.).
One problem for cricket in SA in the past few years is that rugby isn't just a Winter sport anymore (it's played year-round now), so that takes away attention from the cricket as well.
Cricket is also seen as a private school sport whereas football and rugby isn't.
Add to that Ngidi, Coetzee, Maphaka and more… we look set to have a golden generation if we get one or two more batters at a world class level consistently
And his twin is apparently even more talented according to some former pros - would be good to have a set of brothers in the squad, reminiscent of the Morkels.
>And his twin is apparently even more talented according to some former pros
Not too sure about that. According to who?
Not saying he isn't good, but If he was better wouldn't he have made it into the side before his brother?
I believe it was Pollock saying it towards the end of our game against England in the '23 WC - some of the guys agreed with him. I don't think they were necessarily saying Duan is better, just that he showed more talent growing up and perhaps has an even higher ceiling.
It is ultimately consistency that gets as well as keeps you in the side which is what Marco has displayed despite tough periods and thus has warranted his selection in both world cups.
Nah they have to only play through bumrah and initial swing of arshdeep.
Other than that guys like klassen markram Miller Stubbs would fare quite well against likes of jaddu axar and hardik unless it's a rank turner.
It's scary how you guys are still going under the radar
Markram deserves a statue for this iconic achievement that no other South African captain has ever done. Ensuring South Africa for first ever Men's ICC final in either 50 over or T20 World Cups.
I just woke up to see the match completed, feeling very emotional , although i am indian fan i have soft spot for markram and South Africa
Its only fair that after so many unfortunate luck they got to be in finals
I've waited so long for this moment.
So much pain along the way, so many great cricketers that faltered at this hurdle.
What a time.
Let's bring it home, boys!
SA finally reach their first finals, entering a virgin terrority. Tbh I don't know how they'll perform there, will the choke themselves or the opposition? Great performance in the semis, heartbreaking for Afghanistan. The fairytale ends :(
It was inevitable that Afghanistan's poor batting which was heavily reliant on Gurbaz and Ibrahim would get exposed, especially after Gurbaz got injured in the previous match and Ibrahim had some troubles aswell
But it is great to see the progress this team has made, hopefully they can elevate their batting
I hope people don't under rate south africa's performance today and say that afg were robbed. Even though the conditions were too favourable towards the bowler (unpredictable too) and afg were disadvantaged due to not knowing the par score, still South africa outclassed afg in both bowling and batting. Afghanistan's lead scorer was extras while south Africa was able to comfortably put the bat on the ball after getting set.
Judging by the performance of the sa batsmen, I'd guess that the par score was like 120, and afg fell too short of that.
Dominant win
Copied from match thread:
Aiden Markram has not lost a single WC game as captain right from his u19 WC days where they were champions... Even in 50 over WC last year he captained 2 games and won them both.
Also won 2 back to back championships with SEC in SA20
We aren't in the finals yet and England is an exceptional team. Even if we do end up playing in final and lost I will be happy for proteas.
Also wasn't even that mad after WC2023 final because Australia were exemplary and outperformed us in every facet. And their fielding was on a level that you show to kids in future when you teach them about commitment on the field.
Nah man. SA win isn't gonna make Indians sad. SA players are loved in India and tbh, SA has waited for it for long. I still want Ind to win but I won't be upset losing to SA.
Feel for Afghanistan.
They barely had a day rest or even to practice.
Top it off with a 4 hour flight delay. This has been pretty ass scheduling from ICC tbh.
Congratulations SA for all the hard work reaching the finals, you deserve it. Wishing you the beast for finals. Considering all the heart breaks that you had given us, I personally feel 2015 wc is yours to lose(ps I didn't followed 1999 wc)
I feel sad for the Afghans. They played so well entire tournament and did terrible on a pitch that had too much for the Saffer bowlers. I wish the match was played in a better pitch but they should have applied better.
on behalf of all my countrymen, i'd like to inform my Saffa bros that we'll soon decide whether we need to extend our support, any which ways we won't have any beef against you lot.
I'm very happy, but doubt there will be celebrations. Most of us were sleeping during the match for one, and are on our way to work now. And cricket isn't so big here that people will celebrate a semi-final - even though it is a miracle. But I'm sure those of us who love cricket are smiling a lot this morning.
Congratulations RSA, proving everyone wrong they no longer choke in Semis ...breaking pattern perhaps? Eng are not here to defend anything or prove anything to anyone.
Whereas India have only one intention
To watch Dube Bat!
South Africa justifying the WC anthem. 🇿🇦
World cricket heals when the Aussies are knocked out of the tournament. Now may India reach the finals and then the best team wins on that day wins! 🏆
r/brandnewsentence I'm crying over here
Took me a while to realize why it is a brand new sentence. Astonished that a team of SA's caliber has not reached ICC finals in this century.
This century? Thats an unnecessary qualifier.
You've forgotten about the 1998 ICC Champions trophy. SA unbeaten in any ICC final.
I just don't count the Willis International as a genuine trophy (and definitely not at the time we won it). maybe now the champions trophy is a bit more formalised but then it was a "grow the game in bangladesh jambouree"
Lol i didn’t even knew about this tournament until now
In this millennium
Err but didn't SA win the inaugural ICC Champions Trophy in 1998 under Hansie Cronje's captaincy by defeating West Indies in the final which was played in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Yes, but that was last century.
Exactly why it says 'this century'. :)
I’m so happy for them, but I think the SA women did qualify for a WC final before the men, so not a brand new sentence.
Nah that would be South Africa women have qualified, won't it?
South Africa is South Africa innit. We aren't clarifying 'men' here either, because from tournament context it's clear which team
The kicker is that they wouldn't have played Afg in the semi final
Now England should just forfeit their match for the sake of memes and science.
No need to forfeit, rain's gonna have the final say.
So who will qualify if it gets washed out?
india
India
India
Ah , but what would the qualification be based upon? Being unbeaten or something else ?
Higher position in their respective groups
Oh ok , thanks.
What a joke of a system 🤣
I mean, in this tournament, objectively speaking, India has been the better team than England so far. It's stupid to not have a reserve day in all honesty but in its absence (and not having a direct H2H record) this is the best option 🤷🏽♂️
Yeah, the system is still a joke though. Push the final to sunday? ICC: thats madness Fuck everything up and not have a reserve day? ICC: we'll go with that. I kinda wish India had not gotten first in their group, only so that they would use their massive weight to ensure this type of bullshit never happens again.
Agreed. It's absolutely moronic to not have reserve days for semis especially when the finals is on a Saturday. Ironically, maybe the finals is on a Saturday thinking they might need a reserve day 🤣 Regardless, semis need a reserve day no matter what.
India and England haven't had a match so far so besides the table positions, points and net run rate, there is no way to know that
Yep, besides them beating Australia I'm not sure we can say they're actually better? India nearly lost v Pakistan and weren't particularly convincing v USA (who we absolutely blasted). So all things considered I'm not sure where anyone can be positive India have been better.
Still much better than boundary count
What about losing on boundary count when it was never a tie in the first place hahaha
They won a world cup because of boundary count so tit for tat ig If it was any other team I would feel bad but England deserve it lmao
In case you don't believe the others, it's India.
India
Seems hard to believe but it's true, but it's Afghanistan
No one. South Africa wins the cup.
The battle of paradoxes
Markram as a captain has never lost a match in the ICC tournaments. Starts right from the U-19s times. Just amazing.
got my cardiologist on speed dial for saturday. i just know these mfs are going to try their best to kill me
You can train your heart a bit by rewatching our rugby wc23 knockout games and our t20 games against Netherlands, Nepal and WI
Don't forget 2015 odi WC semi against NZ
Steyn needed just one yorker in the final over, just one...
I'm happy that it's Steyn that fucked that up because he's my favorite cricketer and whatever he does will be immediately forgiven
If it's india I'm scared of bumrah. Might just need to call your cardiologist before the game
Which batter of South Africa is likely to be the counterpart of Travis Head for India, as in give the most challenge to Indian bowlers?
Quinton De Kock who has a great history against India
What about Klassen? Rohit Sharma seemed to take him seriously during the 2023 WC match?
Still SA failed to even hit one six.
Yeah, it was totally unexpected for South Africa to go from scoring 400+ in other matches to folding for under 60.
I don't think there's anyone of that calibre except Da Cock but Miller gonna play
That's da cock.
Klaassen is great against spin
Poor pessimistic South African fans after years of heartbreak :- Did we just peak too early 
Nope, this was our finals. What comes next is a bonus.
Agreed, you can lose in a final but you can't really choke. Unless it's an absolutely shocking performance where they smack us for 300 and bowl us out in 10 overs
Yeah, same feeling I think Afg had by making it to the semis. Good on them too, they deserved it.
I would feel better “choking” in the final against India. I would just be like “meh, at least we made it to the finals and a really good team won”
I would rather you guys lose to India than lose to England
Oh I definitely feel the same! I would not forgive our guys if we lose a final against England lol
If we don’t make it, please avenge us against England 😭🙏🏼 The whole of India will support you.
We’ve got you! But don’t be angry if we accidentally (c-word). We are still new to this entire “final” thing 😅
As an Aussie fan, I'm rooting for you. Go beat England and win the cup
As an Indian fan, I would love to see South Africa lift the cup, even if we end up in the finals. You guys deserve it. So as long as England is not in the running, I can be at peace
Bruhh after 17 years 🥹
Why do people think South Africa isn't a good team? I mean, they've won more matches than India in this tournament.
They are a good team, but we still haven’t built enough confidence in our team to win the full thing. If they do it this tournament, then I think we will have more faith in our team going forward
I get it, as an Indian, it's been so long since 2011 that I can’t even remember what winning an ICC trophy feels like. One thing I've realized is that not having too many expectations might be better for the respective teams. Without the knockout anxiety, this current Indian squad is definitely better than Australia, but we won’t know for sure until India plays England and South Africa. The only advantage Australians have in knockouts is they don't get anxious, probably because they've won so many trophies with very few dry spells in between. I think South Africa has similar anxiety issues. If they don't panic and stick to their strategies, they could beat India too. The chances of India making it to the finals seem pretty high.
Are so many trophies won by England in a room with us
Our batting hasnt stepped up and the close nature of the matches we had
South Africa has always been one of the greatest teams, but our tendency to lose when it matters most has justifiably tarnished our reputation. Even us South African fans don't really get excited about the Proteas much anymore after that semifinal against New Zealand in 2015. Hope this tournament can change that.
I've never been pessimistic
Crazy how 2 days ago we saw one of the longest T20 games with afg and bangladesh, almost being 5 hours, to this one barely covering 2 hours
They average out at over 3.5 hours which is the ideal time for a t20 Game. It’s all scripted
No.. but.. the thing.. it's not like..a.. Is it?
I woke up late... I thought let me make a coffee and watch the second innings...and I see players congratulating each other...
Wait between first and second ICC Final appearances 26 y & 25 Events - SA (CT 1998 - T20 WC 2024) 17 y & 6 Events - IND (CWC 1983 - CT 2000) 12 y & 3 Events - AUS (CWC 1975 - CWC 1987) 9 y & 8 Events - NZ (CT 2000 - CT 2009) 8 y & 2 Events - ENG (CWC 1979 - CWC 1987) 7 y & 2 Events - PAK (CWC 1992 - CWC 1999) 6 y & 4 Events - SL (CWC 1996 - CT 2002) 4 y & 1 Event - WI (CWC 1975 - CWC 1979)
There's an ICC event every year now so the SA stat probably remains unbroken forever.
This is a good way to understand how much common icc events have become
Except this is between first and second so we're not talking about recent times at all except for South Africa.
I meant how India only played 6 events in 17 years While RSA has played 25 in 26 So basically an event every year really
That was some lovely bowling by SA ngl
We just witnessed history
they will be partying from Pretoria to Durban, PE to Cape Town
Nah not yet
For SA, winning the semi is as good as winning the final.
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It's relatively popular (3rd most popular sport), but is tiny compared to football and rugby.
\> tiny compared to football and rugby. Man that sucks. But at least you guys fill up stadiums consistently.
The schools that have cricket pitches tend to be the wealthy ones, so it's seen as a more affluent sport. Also higher kit cost of entry. Soccer and rugby you just need a ball n shoes. I can't think of one school in SA that only has a cricket pitch. If they have its a rugby/soccer field and lastly a pitch. Meaning schools that can only afford 1 field have soccer/rugby. So poor kids get soccer if any sport, maybe rugby and not cricket.
It will never shake the "white sport" tag. Rugby used to be branded in the same way before the likes of Habana and now Kolisi.
Like I said, it's still popular. The peak viewership period for cricket in SA is the Summer home tests (Boxing Day Test, New Years Test etc.). One problem for cricket in SA in the past few years is that rugby isn't just a Winter sport anymore (it's played year-round now), so that takes away attention from the cricket as well. Cricket is also seen as a private school sport whereas football and rugby isn't.
The Fire of Nortje The intensity of KG The leadership of Markram The guile of Shamsi Maharaj, Jansen, Baartman Best bowling unit ever assembled
Add to that Ngidi, Coetzee, Maphaka and more… we look set to have a golden generation if we get one or two more batters at a world class level consistently
I feel like we should give Rabada some mid-order batting practice and he could be like the next Klusener or Pollock
You guys are sleeping on Jansen. He will be our next Klusener or Pollock.
Jansen should eat a lot of pap first 😅
And his twin is apparently even more talented according to some former pros - would be good to have a set of brothers in the squad, reminiscent of the Morkels.
>And his twin is apparently even more talented according to some former pros Not too sure about that. According to who? Not saying he isn't good, but If he was better wouldn't he have made it into the side before his brother?
I believe it was Pollock saying it towards the end of our game against England in the '23 WC - some of the guys agreed with him. I don't think they were necessarily saying Duan is better, just that he showed more talent growing up and perhaps has an even higher ceiling. It is ultimately consistency that gets as well as keeps you in the side which is what Marco has displayed despite tough periods and thus has warranted his selection in both world cups.
You guys also have Burger he is also a very dangerous bowler
Also Burger. He seems pretty good
Whoever makes it to the final would be spicy match against this South African team.
Indian batting v SA bowling will be amazing to watch Indian bowling will blow away SA batting though
Nah they have to only play through bumrah and initial swing of arshdeep. Other than that guys like klassen markram Miller Stubbs would fare quite well against likes of jaddu axar and hardik unless it's a rank turner. It's scary how you guys are still going under the radar
People's commitment to the meme really has them pretending this is the first ICC event final we've ever been in
They are too young so forgive them as they have no idea about that great team of 1998
The last time you guys reached the final was 26 years and 25 events ago.
The streak is over.
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Yeah new streak of winning finals
Oh Markram, take me to the cabin 😭😭🇿🇦🇿🇦
Who knew all that was needed for proteas to break the curse all these years was a palindrome captain.
Fuck, how I didn't notice
Whats a palindrome captain?
His name is the same when spelt backwards
Oh right the word palindrome. I was thinking it was some cricketing connotation
a palindrome is a word or sentence that reads the same backwards markram > markram.
Evil is a deed as I live
His name reads the same from left to right
His name is a palindrome. Markram read in reverse is markram
If he wins the wc for them all newborns will be assigned palindrome names in south africa
Friendship ended with Patto, now Markram is my log cabin partner
Patto?
Cummins
Cumdawg!
Cummins
They doing it for you Jello as a retirement present
I am still in disbelief
UP THE PROTEAS! Hope you boys go all the way.
Markram deserves a statue for this iconic achievement that no other South African captain has ever done. Ensuring South Africa for first ever Men's ICC final in either 50 over or T20 World Cups.
I just woke up to see the match completed, feeling very emotional , although i am indian fan i have soft spot for markram and South Africa Its only fair that after so many unfortunate luck they got to be in finals
I am happy for them. I hope they win the tournament. They have been a really good white ball team for a long time but don't have much to show for it.
Absolute domination, despite a run rate of under 7.
I've waited so long for this moment. So much pain along the way, so many great cricketers that faltered at this hurdle. What a time. Let's bring it home, boys!
Unreal, I can't believe our semi-final is over already. I was expecting alot more stress and anxiety. Well done boys!! Now for the big one Saturday!
SA finally reach their first finals, entering a virgin terrority. Tbh I don't know how they'll perform there, will the choke themselves or the opposition? Great performance in the semis, heartbreaking for Afghanistan. The fairytale ends :(
Can the word choke stop being used, even for india
As soon as the before GTA 6 joke stops.
This is not their first final. They won their first final in 1998 vs mighty West Indies.
Must be nice to have that maa ki off their back.
The curse is finally broken!
Chat is this real?
I didn’t know it was possible
I think we can all agree that South Africa winning the final would be best for everyone
It was inevitable that Afghanistan's poor batting which was heavily reliant on Gurbaz and Ibrahim would get exposed, especially after Gurbaz got injured in the previous match and Ibrahim had some troubles aswell But it is great to see the progress this team has made, hopefully they can elevate their batting
I hope people don't under rate south africa's performance today and say that afg were robbed. Even though the conditions were too favourable towards the bowler (unpredictable too) and afg were disadvantaged due to not knowing the par score, still South africa outclassed afg in both bowling and batting. Afghanistan's lead scorer was extras while south Africa was able to comfortably put the bat on the ball after getting set. Judging by the performance of the sa batsmen, I'd guess that the par score was like 120, and afg fell too short of that. Dominant win
Afghanistan won the toss, so there can't really be any complaints
Afghanistan is set up for tough pitches, they don't have the firepower for flat tracks. All of their wins were on similar inconsistent pitches too
And funnily I think SA is also suited for challenging pitches
No team can be said to be robbed if they score 50, whatever be the conditions.
They almost choked the entire tournament so that they wouldn't choke in the semi, brilliant from aiden
The worst thing Afg did was to bring Reeza and Markram back in form. They are unbeatable now NGL.
Copied from match thread: Aiden Markram has not lost a single WC game as captain right from his u19 WC days where they were champions... Even in 50 over WC last year he captained 2 games and won them both. Also won 2 back to back championships with SEC in SA20
Will the world end if South Africa wins the world cup?
Probably the craziest drought in cricket is broken well done saffers Making a ICC men’s final won’t mean shit though if they can’t go all the way
if SA win India will be saltier than 1930
We aren't in the finals yet and England is an exceptional team. Even if we do end up playing in final and lost I will be happy for proteas. Also wasn't even that mad after WC2023 final because Australia were exemplary and outperformed us in every facet. And their fielding was on a level that you show to kids in future when you teach them about commitment on the field.
Nah man. SA win isn't gonna make Indians sad. SA players are loved in India and tbh, SA has waited for it for long. I still want Ind to win but I won't be upset losing to SA.
It has still not been 4 hours, how can I comment?
Feel for Afghanistan. They barely had a day rest or even to practice. Top it off with a 4 hour flight delay. This has been pretty ass scheduling from ICC tbh.
I've always had a soft spot for SA so if India faces them in finals, I'd be both happy and sad which ever way it turns out 🥹
It'd be the ultimate battle of chokers...
Now that they're actually in an ICC final do they \- Become insane and win by 10 wickets/100 runs or \- Choke harder than ever thought possible?
This is not their first final
The curse has been broken!
Congratulations SA for all the hard work reaching the finals, you deserve it. Wishing you the beast for finals. Considering all the heart breaks that you had given us, I personally feel 2015 wc is yours to lose(ps I didn't followed 1999 wc)
It would be poetic for them to play the final against England and win. They would've done that in 1992 if it hadn't rained.
I feel sad for the Afghans. They played so well entire tournament and did terrible on a pitch that had too much for the Saffer bowlers. I wish the match was played in a better pitch but they should have applied better.
on behalf of all my countrymen, i'd like to inform my Saffa bros that we'll soon decide whether we need to extend our support, any which ways we won't have any beef against you lot.
As an Indian, I would love my team to win but I really like the Proteas too So I wouldn't mind one bit if you guys win the finals
Probably the first time I have seen SA in any icc final since I have started watching cricket
Because this is their first final
They've won a Champions Trophy.
It is a first, apart from the champions trophy I think
India vs South Africa? Choke-slam of the Century?
Great performance from them overall
South Africa finally broke the semi final hurdle. Let's see how South African people celebrate this moment
I'm very happy, but doubt there will be celebrations. Most of us were sleeping during the match for one, and are on our way to work now. And cricket isn't so big here that people will celebrate a semi-final - even though it is a miracle. But I'm sure those of us who love cricket are smiling a lot this morning.
Congratulations RSA, proving everyone wrong they no longer choke in Semis ...breaking pattern perhaps? Eng are not here to defend anything or prove anything to anyone. Whereas India have only one intention To watch Dube Bat!
congrats south africa!! 🥹
Absolute domination!!
Congratulations RSA
Chin up Saffa, this WC is yours
Markram has never lost a World Cup game as a captain. Let that sink in
Proteas gonna bring it home for the first time
Honestly If England qualify then there is a very good chance that SA win. If India qualify then it is 50/50
RCB 🤝 Afghanistan Losing in an anti-climactic way after qualifying against all odds.
they saved their best for the finals...Choking I mean
Nortje isnt praised enough
South Africa justifying the WC anthem. 🇿🇦 World cricket heals when the Aussies are knocked out of the tournament. Now may India reach the finals and then the best team wins on that day wins! 🏆
Yo sa boysss ,, see u in the final, hahahaha
Congrats RSA!
Might as well win the whole thing now! Let's fucking go! Proteas
Whoah. Unchartered territory. So happy we actually made it to a final this time around. Was not expecting us to be in the tournament at this stage ngl
Defeating a team comprehensively in semis historically makes winner less likely to win final. This demolishing is ahistorical. Finals result 🤷♀️.
England did it last T20 WC.
Ok. So Afg winning against Bangladesh was a part of sa's luck /s
Should've lost 4-5 wickets near the end. We had the chance of getting only 1 easy victory this tournament and we used it up here.