Former AC Milan star Zvonimir Boban believes Paolo Maldini could make a comeback to the club despite what he called a "shameful" sacking back in 2023.

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• Boban believes Maldini's return to Milan "shouldn't be ruled out"
• Italy legend was sacked at the end of the 2022-23 season
• Boban reveals ex-captain is still attached to his former club

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  In a recent interview on Andrea Longoni's 'Milan Hello' podcast, Zvonimir Boban, the former AC Milan midfielder and executive, suggested that Paolo Maldini might be open to returning to the club in the future. Maldini, a lifelong Rossoneri, was dismissed from his role as technical director in 2023, a decision that sparked criticism among fans and former players.

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  The departure of Maldini, who played over 900 first-team games for AC Milan between 1984 and 2009, marked a significant shift in the club's leadership, raising concerns about the direction being taken and the team's identity. Boban, who has been vocal about his disapproval of the club's current management, emphasised Maldini's enduring connection to Milan, stating: "He suffers, I know he suffers [after having had his contract terminated]… he has given his whole life for Milan."

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  WHAT BOBAN SAID

  When asked about Maldini's potential return, Boban said: "Even though I love and respect Milan so much, the symbols and flags are different. Paolo feels all this, he has given his whole life to Milan. The other day I told him that in the end he has to be happy, at the end of the day, whether he comes back or not – who knows, he wouldn’t mind a little."

  On the decision to let the Milan legend go in 2023, the Croatian expressed his disgust at the Rossoneri hierarchy: "A shameful page, done in a shameful way. Indecent, unacceptable and I could say a thousand other bad things. Above all, inexplicable even for them. For them Paolo represented the last obstacle to do what they wanted. And the [Sandro] Tonali thing (allowing him to leave for Newcastle) had a big impact, Paolo would never have let him go."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MILAN

  AC Milan face Bologna on Wednesday, May 14, in the Coppa Italia final, with the Rossoneri aiming for their second trophy under Sergio Conceicao. With 60 points and two league games remaining, Milan are still in the hunt for a European spot, and they travel to face direct rivals Roma on Sunday in a crucial clash that could define their league finish. The San Siro giants wrap up the season at home against Monza on May 25.

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have been warned that handing out £50,000-a-week contracts could lead to "resentment and disharmony" at Wrexham.

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Red Dragons preparing for life in the ChampionshipLinked with players that have Premier League experienceHollywood co-owners prepared to splash the cashFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Red Dragons, on the back of three successive promotions, are readying themselves for life in the Championship. Hollywood co-owners continue to bankroll a meteoric rise, while leaving the door open for further investors to join the most ambitious of projects.

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Recruitment records have been broken on a regular basis at SToK Racecourse, with Sam Smith becoming a £2 million addition in January 2025 – while ex-England international striker Jay Rodriguez has been acquired on a deal worth £15,000-a-week.

DID YOU KNOW?

Wrexham are reportedly ready to roll the dice again, amid links to Fulham captain Tom Cairney – who is about to become a free agent – while big-money agreements are also being mooted at Birmingham, as Tom Brady and Co seek to make their own push towards the Premier League.

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Getty/GOALWHAT EFL PUNDIT SAID

Former EFL player turned pundit Don Goodman has told of why splashing the cash is no guarantee of positive results and a happy camp: "If those figures that you’ve quoted are true, fifty thousand pounds a week that Wrexham are prepared to pay Tom Cairney and thirty thousand pounds a week Birmingham are prepared to pay Kwame Poku, then they will be two of the highest paid players in the Championship.

“That in itself is staggering really to be fair but those are two players that would undoubtedly help those two clubs in the Championship next season, there’s no question, and if that's the kind of money that it's going to take for them to attract that kind of player, then fair play to them.

“It’s just a case of how many others can you put on those kind of wages, and if it’s not many is there going to be resentment and disharmony in the changing room? I’m not sure about that so, yeah, impressive numbers but they don’t really guarantee you anything.”

The Sethi-led set-up has been given till June 21 to bring back the board’s 2014 constitution

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Apr-2023

The interim management committee currently running the PCB has been granted an extension of two months by the prime minister of Pakistan, Shehbaz Sharif, who is also the patron of the cricket board. The length of the extension is more than had been expected.Over the weekend, ESPNcricinfo had reported that the Inter-provincial coordination (IPC) ministry, which acts as a conduit between the board and government, had recommended that an extension of between two to a maximum of four weeks be considered for the management committee that runs the PCB’s daily affairs. They had also asked the prime minister to name two nominees to the PCB board, one of whom would be expected to become chairman. There was no word on the nominees in the notification issued by the IPC’s office.That means the current PCB set-up, led by Najam Sethi, has been given till June 21 this year to implement the various changes they were targeting when they took over from the Ramiz Raja-led board in December last year. Sethi came in leading a 14-member management committee with a brief to replace the board’s 2019 constitution with the one that was in place in 2014.The biggest change that will entail is the return of the regional and services department set-up in domestic cricket. Once again that will mean a total upending of Pakistan’s domestic cricket structure, which had been operating for the last three seasons on a leaner six-team model of provincial teams. That model was based on the Australian Shield structure, at the behest of then prime minister – and former captain – Imran Khan.The management committee is also responsible for forming a board of governors and electing a chairman, with Sethi himself in the fray, according to the 2014 constitution. That process will begin with the election commissioner convening a special meeting with member boards.The PCB’s board will comprise ten members: four regional representatives (top-four teams from the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy), four representatives of services organisations (top-four department teams), and the two members nominated by the patron/prime minister. The federal secretary of the IPC ministry (or any other officer nominated by them) shall be an ex-officio, non-voting 11th member. The term of each member of the board of governors is three years – equivalent to one term of the chairman – in a bid to promote continuity in the set-up.”The Management Committee was appointed for a four-month period on 22 December 2022 to restore the 2014 PCB Constitution in its letter and spirit,” the PCB said. “This included, among other things, restoration and integration of departmental cricket in the domestic structure so that the careers and future of professional cricketers can be secured, elections at the district/zonal/regional level and composition of a democratic and elected Board of Governors.”In this regard, significant work has already taken place.”While a number of departments have confirmed their return to the domestic structure, election process at the district/zonal/regional level has recently picked up pace following last month’s appointment of the independent Election Commissioner by the… Prime Minister.”It is anticipated the entire process for the revival of the 2014 PCB Constitution will be completed within the next 60 days.”

Legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane is not in Nepal’s provisional 15-member squad for the Cricket World Cup League 2 tri-series be played in Dubai because of travel restrictions. That situation may change as efforts are believed to be underway to secure court permission for Lamichhane to travel – a decision of that is due on Friday, which is also the last day Nepal can make changes to their squad.Lamichhane is currently out on bail, facing charges of the sexual coercion of another person, and current bail conditions restrict him from travel outside the country.Nepal’s participation in the tri-series, featuring UAE and PNG, begins on Monday when they take on the latter in Dubai. Lamichhane’s importance to the Nepal team was underlined last week, as he picked up 13 wickets in four matches of the tri-series featuring Namibia and Scotland. That performance helped Nepal win all four games, albeit all of them were ultimately close finishes. He returned three wickets in each of the first three games before picking up four in the final against Scotland.His participation in that series was met with some protest by fans as well as opponents. Scotland refused to shake hands with Lamichhane post-game, while Namibia decided to bump fists rather than shake hands after one of their games. The boards of both teams also issued statements ahead of the series, condemning gender-based violence.Left-arm spinner Surya Tamang, who was part of the 14-member squad for that tri-series at home, is not in this provisional squad, seen by ESPNcricinfo. Aarif Sheikh, Pratish GC and Shyam Dhakal – all part of reserves for the series at home – have been included for the series in Dubai where each team will play the other twice. The caravan then moves back to Nepal where the three teams play each other twice each from March 9.Nepal are placed sixth in the seven-team World Cup League 2. Lamichhane has picked up 55 wickets in the competition – the most for Nepal – and is third in the list of wicket-takers.Squad: Rohit Paudel (capt), Dipendra Singh Airee, Kushal Bhurtel, Gyanendra Malla, Bhim Sharki, Karan KC, Sompal Kami, Aasif Sheikh, Aarif Sheikh, Gulshan Jha, Sundeep Jora, Lalit Rajbanshi, Kushal Malla, Pratis GC, Shyam Dhakal

The U.S. had to make a change at goalkeeper after Schulte sustained an oblique injury over the weekend

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• Schulte out of USMNT squad
• Brady in for first senior call-up
• Joins Turner, Steffen and Freese in goalkeeper pool

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Ahead of the upcoming Gold Cup, U.S. men's national team boss Mauricio Pochettino called up Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady to replace the injured Patrick Schulte.

  Schulte's removal comes after the Columbus Crew goalkeeper sustained an oblique injury over the weekend, with that injury expected to keep him out through the Gold Cup. In his place, Pochettino has called in Brady to join Matt Turner, Zack Steffen and Matt Freese in the 27-player USMNT squad.

  Pochettino will cut that squad down to 26 following two pre-Gold Cup friendlies, with one of the four goalkeepers likely making way before the tournament.

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  Schulte's injury comes at a tough time, as the Crew star was looking to push Turner for the USMNT's starting job. Turner has been the starter since the 2022 World Cup cycle but, due to his lack of minutes at Crystal Palace, the race to be the 2026 starter remains on.

  Brady will now join Steffen and Freese for the summer portion of that race, with the Fire shotstopper earning his first senior team call-up. Brady has previously featured for the U.S. throughout the youth levels.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Brady was a regular for the U.S. at the U20 level, winning the Golden Gloves at the 2022 CONCACAF U20 Championship. He then featured for the U.S. U23s, but did not make the final 2024 Olympic squad, which included Schulte and Gabriel Slonina in goal.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

  The U.S. will face Turkey on June 7 and Switzerland on June 10 in pre-Gold Cup friendlies. They'll then take on Trinidad & Tobago, Saudi Arabia and Haiti in the group stage to start this summer's tournament.

England opener cracks 38 from 21 to set visitors on way in small chase

ECB Reporters Network25-May-2023A blistering 38 off 21 balls from opener Tammy Beaumont was the eye-catching contribution as she helped the Blaze to a three-wicket victory over struggling Thunder in an England-player dominated Charlotte Edwards Cup fixture at Emirates Old Trafford.Beaumont was one of six Ashes contenders featuring in a low-scoring affair played after Lancashire men had beaten Leicestershire in the Vitality Blast, with star duo Nat Sciver-Brunt and Sophie Ecclestone going head to head.Both impressed as Thunder made 117 for 6 and failed to defend it. Ecclestone returned 2 for 18 from four overs of left-arm spin, while Sciver-Brunt’s seamers accounted for 1 for 23 from four before adding 21 off 14 balls in the chase.But Beaumont usurped them both, striking the ball better than anyone with eight fours and a flicked six to ensure the Blaze continued their unbeaten start to the summer.The Blaze survived a late wobble from 88 for 2 to 98 for 6 to win inside 16 overs and have now won five of seven matches across the Charlotte Edwards Cup and the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy in their first season based at Trent Bridge, including two from two in this T20 competition.The East Midlands side have been rebranded from Lightning after three seasons based at Loughborough University.For Thunder, their disappointing start to 2023 continues. They are winless in seven games across the two competitions, including a pair of T20 defeats.Beaumont, Ecclestone, Kate Cross, Sarah Glenn, Emma Lamb and Sciver-Brunt were the England players on show.Thunder failed to gain any significant momentum through an innings strangled by an on-point five-strong bowling attack. Left-arm seamer Grace Ballinger took the new ball and stood out with 2 for 23 from her four overs, while Sciver-Brunt, captain and spinner Kirstie Gordon, legspinner Glenn and South Africa seamer Nadine de Klerk all struck once.Opener Libby Heap top-scored with 26 for Thunder, while captain Ellie Threlkeld and Cross both made 22.Lancashire had promoted the day as Empower Play, with £1 from each of the 3,101 tickets sold across the day donated to women’s and girls’ participation initiatives in conjunction with the Lancashire Cricket Foundation.Thunder were in trouble early when England opener Lamb chipped Gordon’s left-arm spin to mid-off to fall for 2 four balls into the match before Ballinger bowled big-hitting West Indian Deandra Dottin for 9 as the score fell to 14 for 2 in the fourth over.Heap, Threlkeld, Fi Morris with 18 and Cross were all busy in trying to advance Thunder’s cause, but they slipped from 82 for 3 in the 15th over to 89 for 6 in the 18th to undermine hope of a challenging total.Morris was bowled by Glenn, Heap was well caught at short third by ex-Thunder batter Georgie Boyce off Sciver-Brunt and Ecclestone was caught at short fine-leg for only three off Ballinger.In the first over of the chase, Beaumont made her intentions clear by sweeping and lofting international colleague Ecclestone for back-to-back boundaries. Her flicked six over midwicket came off the seam of Tara Norris, while she hit three boundaries in the same area in dominating a 56-run opening stand with Marie Kelly.The latter was bowled sweeping at Ecclestone for 16 in the sixth over before Beaumont was lbw sweeping at the offspin of Morris an over later – leaving the Blaze 56 for 2.Sciver-Brunt, in at No. 3, then clubbed and carved three fours in as many balls off UAE international fast bowler Mahika Gaur to maintain Blaze’s dominance.Cross had Boyce (15) caught at point as the score fell to 88 for 3 in the 10th over, sparking a mini collapse to 98 for 6 after 12 which only delayed the inevitable. Sciver-Brunt miscued Norris to short midwicket before Ecclestone bowled de Klerk as part of that. Glenn later hit the winning runs and finished 17 not out.

Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min could be set to leave the club this summer after winning the Europa League, with Saudi Arabian clubs hovering.

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Spurs captain may leave this summerLifted first trophy during his time at the clubSaudi clubs keen on South Korea internationalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Per the Telegraph, Son could be set to leave Spurs this summer as the club aim to reshape their squad following their Europa League triumph. The South Korea international signed a contract extension during the season, taking his deal up until next summer, which means that the club can demand a fee for him in this transfer window.

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Son has been Spurs captain since 2023 and won his first senior trophy with the club last month as he lifted the Europa League. Manager Ange Postecoglou's future is also in doubt, and there may be an exit for Cristian Romero too, with Atletico Madrid interested. Losing their manager, captain, and vice-captain in one summer would potentially leave a rather large leadership void at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

DID YOU KNOW?

Son joined the club from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015 for just £22 million ($30m). Since, he has gone on to make 454 appearances for the club, scoring 173 goals and registering 101 assists.

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Spurs must make a decision over Postecoglou's future before addressing the potential of their captain departing.

Australia play their nine league matches at eight venues; the England fixture is in Ahmedabad on November 4

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jun-2023

Australia begin their 2023 ODI World Cup campaign against hosts India in Chennai on October 8, before going on to play their next two games in Lucknow in the north of India: against South Africa on October 13 and a qualifier on October 16.The World Cup schedule was finally released by the ICC and BCCI at an event in Mumbai on June 27, just 100 days before the start of the tournament on October 5. In comparison, the fixtures for the 2019 World Cup in England and the 2015 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand were released more than 12 months in advance.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

The tournament will be played across ten venues in India, with the semi-finals in Mumbai and Kolkata on November 15 and 16, and the final in Ahmedabad on November 19. There are reserve days in place for the semis and final. The format will be the same as it was in 2019, with ten teams playing each other once in the league phase and the top four qualifying for the semi-finals.India qualified for the event as hosts, while Afghanistan, Australia, England, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Pakistan, and South Africa made it by finishing in the top eight of the 2020-2023 ODI World Cup Super League. The remaining two qualifiers will be identified at the ongoing World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, which is being played by Sri Lanka, West Indies, Ireland, Nepal, Netherlands, Oman, Scotland, UAE, USA, and Zimbabwe.Related

England to begin World Cup title defence against New Zealand on October 5

Pakistan to play nine World Cup league matches at only five venues

Travelling fans left in the lurch by delay

2023 ODI World Cup schedule finally out; India vs Pakistan in Ahmedabad on October 15

After two successive fixtures in Lucknow, Australia’s fourth league match is in the south once again, against Pakistan in Bengaluru on October 20. They then travel north again to play the other qualifier in Delhi on October 25, and then go further north to Dharamsala to play New Zealand on October 28.Their last three league fixtures are in western India: against England in Ahmedabad on November 4, against Afghanistan in Mumbai on November 7, and against Bangladesh in Pune on November 12, which is the last day of the league stage.Australia had made the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup where they suffered a heavy defeat against the eventual champions England. They will gear up for the 2023 tournament in India with warm-up games against a qualifier in Thiruvananthapuram on September 30 and Pakistan in Hyderabad on October 3.

Prime Bank Cricket Club, Legends of Rupganj and Gazi Group Cricketers also have perfect starts

Mohammad Isam19-Mar-2024

Key takeawaysDefending champions Abahani Limited are off to a flying start in this season’s Dhaka Premier League, crushing all three opponents in the first week. But they have got company. Prime Bank Cricket Club, Legends of Rupganj and Gazi Group Cricketers have all started with three wins.A top-heavy league also means that there are four teams without a single win. It already reflects the disparity of wealth among the clubs as the DPL of this season was said to be one with several low-budget teams.Brothers Union, Gazi Tyres Cricket Academy, City Club and Rupganj Tigers Cricket Club are all winless after three games each. Partex Sporting Club beat Gazi Tyres in an early battle between the two newly promoted sides.Best battersParvez Hossain Emon struck two centuries in the first week. He started the tournament with a cheap dismissal against Shinepukur Cricket Club, but then stepped up with a career-best 151 against Brothers Union. He struck nine fours and eight sixes in his 129-ball knock, while adding 246 runs for the opening stand with Shahadat Hossain, a record for Prime Bank. The pair was sent to open after Tamim Iqbal got stuck in traffic on the Dhaka-Savar highway. Shahadat also made a century in that game.Nurul Hasan, Imrul Kayes and Ariful Islam also struck hundreds in the first week. Imrul and Ariful’s combined tally for Mohammedan against Rupganj Tigers was 221. The other five batters in the innings scored a total of 29 runs.Parvez Hossain Emon celebrates his century against Brothers Union•Prime Bank Cricket Club

Best bowlersThere were several standout bowlers in the first week, but fast bowlers Mehedi Hasan and Abdul Halim stood apart with two four-wicket hauls each. Offspinner Mahedi Hasan, meanwhile, took a hat-trick on the last three balls of the match against City Club.Almost all of Bangladesh’s fast-bowling prospects, including Musfik Hasan who earned a Test call-up against Sri Lanka, took four-fors. Gazi Group Cricketers’ left-arm quick Ruyel Miah took a five-wicket haul against Mohammedan Sporting Club.Best matchThere were three nail-biting finishes in the DPL this week. Mahedi’s hat-trick helped Prime Bank beat City Club by three runs in a high-scoring game, while Anisul Islam Emon bowled a superb final over to thwart Mohammedan and lead Gazi Group to a three-run win.Aminul Islam hung around till the end to help Legends of Rupganj to a one-wicket win against Rupganj Tigers. With six runs needed in the last over, Aminul couldn’t connect properly with the first three balls against Qazi Onik but walloped the fourth ball for a straight six to start the celebrations.Points to ponderAbahani have definitely built the team and made a start towards their 22nd league title. Prime Bank, Legends of Rupganj, Gazi Group and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club will definitely be in the running, but they have to beat Abahani to have any chance of a shot at the trophy.The likes of Brothers Union, City Club and Rupganj Tigers seem to be early contenders for teams trying to avoid relegation.Players to watchMany of the youngsters, particularly those from the Bangladesh Under-19 side that played in this year’s World Cup, have started the DPL quite well. Since the DPL is regarded as Bangladesh cricket’s finishing school, allrounder Ariful Islam and left-arm spinner Mahfuzur Rahman Rabby performing for major clubs, Mohammedan and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, respectively, is a big plus.

Afghanistan captain says they will miss Rashid but pips the trio of young spinners to grab their opportunity

Andrew Fidel Fernando01-Feb-2024Sri Lanka’s men have one player with more than 100 Tests to his name, another with 88, a third with 76, and another with 51. All Afghanistan have ever played are seven Tests, and are likely to field debutants on Friday. It doesn’t sound like much of a contest, but if there’s one team that can spring surprises seemingly out of nowhere, Afghanistan might be it.”If it comes to experience, their team is more experienced than ours,” captain Hashmatullah Shahidi said on the eve of his team’s first-ever Test against Sri Lanka. “They have a lot of guys who have played Test cricket for more than ten years. I will still not say we are not good enough. We are brave, and we are ready for every kind of challenge.”Not just brave, but in the recent past, on roughly equal footing with Sri Lanka, in ODIs at least. Afghanistan won two of the five completed ODIs these teams have played in Sri Lanka since 2022. And then, in the World Cup came the kicker – a seven-wicket thrashing in Pune, which helped push Sri Lanka out of contention for the Champions Trophy in 2025, a tournament Afghanistan have qualified for.Related

• Chandimal lauds Afghanistan seamers' discipline

• Afghanistan name uncapped Noor, Zia, Ishaq and Naveed for one-off Test against Sri Lanka

• It's a mismatch on paper, but Afghanistan's batters can take the fight to Sri Lanka

“Of course, we can win against Sri Lanka,” Shahidi said. “I’m not going to sit here and think negatively about my team. As a nation, we are strong people, and as a cricket nation, we showed everyone recently at the World Cup what we could do. In Tests also, we have good, talented guys. Everyone in the dressing room should be thinking about how to win in Sri Lanka. We’re not just here to play.”Afghanistan do have a major gap to fill, however, with Rashid Khan still recovering from back surgery. He is by far the highest wicket-taker in Tests for Afghanistan, with 34 wickets at 22.35. Shahidi thinks his team has the spin base covered, however.”Rashid is the best bowler and we will miss him until he comes to the team. But we have more spinners in the team. We have three more guys who are in the 15. We have Zia-ur-Rehman, Zahir Khan, and Qais Ahmad. They’re also good for the future of Afghanistan. They are hard workers. I hope these three who will get a chance tomorrow will do well for us.”At this stage of their Test journey, Afghanistan also have a lopsidedness to their attack. Where spinners have taken 78 of their wickets at an average of 30.21, seamers have claimed only 24, at an average of 37.04. This is where, for Shahidi, the greatest improvements can be made.”If we play [and get] more opportunities we will know more about the game. In the last game we were struggling with the fast-bowling department. If we want to be a good Test nation we need to have fast bowlers. This tour we have guys who can bowl quick. We brought them here with us and hopefully, they play well in this game. We are trying our best to improve on that. This is a good opportunity.”