MLB's hot stove cooked up a stunner during the winter meetings on Tuesday, as three-time All-Star closer Edwin Díaz, who was being pursued by both the incumbent Mets and the defending champion Dodgers, chose to leave New York for Los Angeles on a three-year, $69 million contract. The deal set an average annual value record for a relief pitcher.

It was a major coup for the Dodgers, who, despite spending big on two relievers last offseason, never had a reliable closer emerge throughout the regular season.

But it was a big blow to the Mets, who seemingly did everything they could to bring back the talented reliever. New York's offer was reportedly $66 million over three years.

So why didn't Díaz return to Queens if the money was similar between the Mets' and Dodgers' offers?

Díaz miffed by Mets, Dodgers' recruitment aided by brother

Díaz was reportedly unhappy with the Mets' decision to part ways with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, according to Mike Puma of . While manager Carlos Mendoza's status was safe in the aftermath of New York's stunning collapse, Hefner was one of five coaches New York decided to let go in a coaching staff shakeup on Oct. 3. Evidently Díaz, who recorded the three lowest ERA marks and two highest strikeout rates of his career during the six seasons Hefner was with the club, was not pleased to see the coach heading out the door.

Plus, Los Angeles, already a desirable destination with the Dodgers coming off back-to-back World Series titles, had a secret weapon in its free agent recruitment of Díaz: Díaz's brother. Alexis Díaz, an All-Star in 2023, was acquired by Los Angeles in May of 2025 but he struggled to the tune of a 5.00 ERA in nine innings pitched for the Dodgers. Los Angeles in September of 2025 designated Díaz for assignment. But he still spoke glowingly of the Dodgers organization to his brother, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN and Puma.

Prior to Díaz's departure, the Mets signed free agent reliever Devin Williams to a three-year, $50 million contract. According to Passan, Díaz was unhappy that Mets brass did not give him a heads up about the signing of Williams. New York president of baseball operations David Stearns, speaking to reporters on Tuesday, couldn't acknowledge the Díaz deal but seemed to indicate that the Williams signing impacted the club's desire to bring back Díaz.

“I'm not going to talk about any specific negotiation," Stearns said. "What I'll say is once you add to a certain part of our team that will change the calculus in how you look at your team in general.”

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O Flamengo divulgou, na noite deste domingo (14), o estado de saúde de Matías Viña, após choque de cabeça sofrido pelo jogador na partida contra o Atlético-GO. Segundo o clube carioca, o lateral-esquerdo não teve lesão cerebral constatada nos exames realizados.

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Viña deixou o gramado aos 30 minutos do segundo tempo, após dividida pelo alto com o zagueiro Adriano Martins. Os jogadores se chocaram de cabeça e precisaram ser substituídos imediatamente. Seguindo o novo protocolo de concussão estabelecido pela Confederação Brasileira de Futebol (CBF), ambos foram encaminhados para o hospital.

Como não houve lesão cerebral detectada, Matías Viña foi liberado para retornar com a delegação do Flamengo para o Rio de Janeiro. O lateral-esquerdo seguirá em observação pelo Departamento Médico Rubro-Negro nos próximos dias.

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Em campo, O Flamengo venceu o Atlético-GO por 2 a 1 neste domingo (14), no Estádio Serra Dourada, na estreia dos times no Brasileirão 2024. Agora, o Rubro-Negro Carioca volta a campo na quarta-feira (17), às 21h30, diante do São Paulo, no Maracanã, pela segunda rodada da competição.

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FlamengoMatías Viña

The Phillies got eliminated by the Dodgers in equally heartbreaking and embarrassing fashion on Thursday night.

In the 11th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS, the score was tied 1-1 and Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering was on the mound with two outs. With the bases loaded, Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages hit a weak ground ball right to Kerkering, who only needed to throw to first base to get the third out and end the inning. But after Kerkering picked up the ball, he lifted his head and immediately threw it to catcher J.T. Realmuto at home plate. The ball sailed over Realmuto, the Dodgers scored a run, and just like that, Philly's 2025 season was over.

Following Kerkering's brutal error, he walked off the field surrounded by his teammates. He was met by manager Rob Thomson at the entrance of the dugout, and the two shared a brief embrace and an emotional moment. Thomson appeared to impart some words of consolation to the reliever before patting Kerkering on the chest and sending him on his way:

Kerkering also received support from his teammates in the dugout as he sat on the bench and looked visibly shaken by what just transpired.

What a truly terrible way for the Phillies to go out, though Kerkering still has plenty reason to keep his head up and move on from this lowlight, as his manager no doubt hopes he will do.

"He just got caught up in the moment a little bit. Coming down the stretch, he pitched so well for us," Thomson said of Kerkering postgame. "I feel for him because he's putting it all on his shoulders. But we win as a team and we lose as a team."

كشفت تقارير صحفية، السعر الذي حدده كريستال بالاس من أجل رحيل آدم وارتون، نجم خط وسط الفريق، كما أوضحت اهتمامًا كبيرًا من قبل ريال مدريد.

آدم وارتون، نجم خط وسط الفريق الأول بنادي كريستال بالاس، قدم أداءً مميزًا للغاية هذا الموسم والموسم الماضي أيضًا كان ظهوره لافتًا تحت قيادة أوليفر جلاسنر.

ويوجد صراع كبير على التعاقد مع صاحب الـ21 عامًا بين عمالقة القارة الأوروبية وهم ريال مدريد، مانشستر سيتي، ليفربول ومانشستر يونايتد.

وذكرت صحيفة “جارديان” أن كريستال بالاس يرغب في بيع لاعب خط الوسط آدم وارتون، بأكثر من 80 مليون جنيه إسترليني، لمن يريد التعاقد معه.

اقرأ أيضًا | جماهير مانشستر سيتي تهاجم جوارديولا: لا تحترم عمر مرموش

ويتمتع النادي بحرية تحديد السعر الذي يرغب فيه، حيث إن عقد اللاعب يمتد حتى عام 2029 دون شرط جزائي.

بحسب ما نقلته صحيفة “مانشستر إيفنينج نيوز”، فإن وارتون هو أحد لاعبي خط الوسط الذين يضعهم مانشستر يونايتد على رأس أولوياته إذ أن أموريم معجب كثيرًا باللاعب الدولي الإنجليزي.

وبحسب شبكة “سكاي” فإن ريال مدريد منافس بقوة على شراء اللاعب خلال الانتقالات الشتوية أو الصيفية المقبلة، إذ يبحث النادي الإسباني عن خليفة توني كروس، بعد المعاناة التي ضربت الفريق الموسم الماضي والحالي.

The New York Yankees and New York Mets will play in a very special Subway Series matchup in 2026, per MLB's official schedule reveal for next season, which was released on Tuesday.

Sept. 11, 2026 will mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11. In tribute of the tragic events from a quarter-century ago, the two New York teams will play a game at Yankee Stadium.

The Mets and Yankees did similarly for the 20th anniversary in 2021. That game was played at Citi Field in Queens in front of a soldout crowd, and the Yankees won 8–7.

The Sept. 11 game at Yankee Stadium will be the first of a three-game Subway Series that will run from the 11th through the 13th. The in-state rivals will also play a three-game set at Citi Field from May 15 to 17.

Friday night was filled with celebration at Dodger Stadium as the team paid tribute to pitcher Clayton Kershaw in the final regular season start of his career.

Kershaw announced his intention to retire at the end of this year’s campaign earlier in the week, after spending 18 seasons in the majors, all with the Dodgers. He will go down in history as one of the best pitchers the game has ever seen.

The tributes for Kershaw started early, with his teammates allowing him to take the field alone at the start of the game to soak in the praise from the crowd. After a bit of time on the mound, Kershaw cheekily encouraged his teammates to join him out on the field.

Listen to this ovation.

On the mound, Kershaw delivered a strong performance for his final act, though it started out a bit rough. Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos apparently didn’t get the memo that it was Kershaw’s big night, and hit a leadoff home run to start the game.

But Kershaw would settle in from there, pitching 4 1/3 innings and giving up two runs while striking out six. He would not be credited with the win, but the Dodgers would score enough late to seal the victory for the team.

After the game, Kershaw was again praised by the crowd, and offered his thanks back to the fans that had cheered him on for nearly two decades.

For Kershaw and the Dodgers, the journey isn’t over quite yet. With the win, Los Angeles clinched their spot in the postseason, where they will look to defend their World Series title.

While South Africa are better remembered for their heartbreaking losses in World Cups, there have been some moments to celebrate too

Firdose Moonda23-Apr-2020Don’t say the words “Cricket World Cup” around South Africans too loudly. Whether it’s the rain rules getting the better of them, as in 1992 and 2003, sudden collapses, as in the 2011 quarter-final, or falling just short, as in the 1999 and 2015 semi-finals and the 2017 Women’s World Cup semi-final, the World Cup always seems to leave South Africans heartbroken. But rather than relive that pain, let’s talk about five times South Africa actually had World Cup performances their fans remember for the right reasons. v Australia, Sydney, 1992
After 21 years of sporting isolation, South Africa arrived at their first World Cup as an unknown force and stunned the hosts, Australia, in their opening match. A 25-year-old Allan Donald should have had a wicket with his first ball, but the umpire did not hear what seemed to be a clear edge. He still ended up with 3 for 34 in ten overs, keeping Australia to 170 for 9. The chase was managed with relative ease by Kepler Wessels, who scored 81 not out, and Peter Kirsten, 49 not out. Wessels had played 54 ODIs for Australia, his adopted country, but now captained the country of his birth. v Pakistan, Nottingham, 1999
The 1999 World Cup will forever be remembered for Lance Klusener’s late, under-pressure hitting. And this Super Sixes match produced, probably, his best performance in the tournament. Chasing 221, the top order had crumbled, and Jacques Kallis and Shaun Pollock had to rescue the team from 58 for 5. Their 77-run partnership had kept South Africa in the game, but when Pollock was out for 30, Klusener faced a situation of needing 86 to win off 83 balls. He had already made significant contributions against Sri Lanka (52*), England (48*), and Zimbabwe (52*), and here he smashed 46 not out off 41 balls, including three sixes and three fours, to give South Africa the two points that would prove crucial to their qualification to the semi-finals.Sune Luus and Shabnim Ismail completed a memorable chase for South Africa against Pakistan in the 2017 Women’s World Cup•International Cricket Council v West Indies Women, Pretoria, 2005
In the days before women cricketers were professionals, South Africa struggled for consistency. They hosted the 2005 Women’s World Cup and started with a no-result against Ireland. Then, against West Indies, they slid to 19 for 4. Opener Cri-zelda Brits’ 72 took them to a respectable 169. She then played a major role in defending the total, first getting involved in an early run-out and then taking four wickets, three of them in a crucial phase between the 32nd and 38th overs. Despite those quick strikes, West Indies remained in the hunt until the final over, when Brits struck her final blow and secured a one-run win. That was South Africa’s only victory of the tournament. v India, Nagpur, 2011
South Africa and India were the two favourites to top Group B at the 2011 World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag laid into South Africa’s attack early, getting to 142 within 18 overs. Tendulkar made 111, but after his dismissal, Dale Steyn put on a masterclass at the death, ending up with 5 for 50, having sparked an India collapse that saw them go from 267 for 1 in 39.4 overs to 296 all out in 48.4. South Africa kept pace in the chase thanks to half-centuries by Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers, but strikes at regular intervals kept India in the hunt. When Johan Botha was dismissed in the 48th over, South Africa needed 18 off 13 balls. Zaheer Khan bowled a brilliant 49th over, giving away just four runs. A thick inside edge, a massive hit over cow corner, and a smash through the covers, all from Robin Peterson, gave South Africa victory. v Pakistan Women, Leicester, 2017
In their first 50-over World Cup as fully contracted professionals, the South African women’s team announced themselves with a thrilling win against Pakistan. They struck regularly through Pakistan’s innings, with left-arm seamer Moseline Daniels’ 2 for 21 in ten overs the standout performance. Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt, all of 18 years old, got the chase of 207 underway with a stand of 113 inside 26 overs. But once they were gone, South Africa lost wickets rapidly and found themselves needing 30 to win off the last five overs with just three wickets left. Sune Luus and Shabnim Ismail, who scored 22 off 16 balls, completed the chase with an over to spare. South Africa went on to reach the semi-finals, where they lost to England in another tight finish.

The Pakistan batsman says a more team-oriented approach has lifted his batting to new heights

Umar Farooq20-Apr-2020Babar Azam has slowly but steadily become one of the best batsmen in the world, an automatic pick in all three formats for Pakistan, and says that his improvement has been down to working on his mindset, not being complacent, and having a clear idea about his game.His maiden Test century came only in November 2018, against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi, and he has averaged 64.35 in Tests since then, and in the last 12 months he averages 102.50 from five outings, with four centuries. At the same time, his average and strike rate in ODIs have gone up from 51.92 and 84.38 respectively to 58.57 and 92.20, and while the T20I average has dipped from 56.56 to 46.58, his strike rate has improved from 125 to 134.”Mostly I worked on my mindset, the way I go about my game and also when I am not playing,” Azam told ESPNcricinfo. “I used to become complacent easily if I performed well. I used to have a negative thought process and that’s the area I realised I had to cover. Apart from playing and training, there are elements outside the game as well that needs to be addressed, you need to control them to have a better grip on the game. The more I am in control, the better I can drive my innings. Now, a good performance doesn’t make me happy, instead I push myself to go further and try to expand my game.”That has helped Azam get into the top five in all three formats in the ICC rankings for batsmen: No. 5 in Tests, No. 3 in ODIs and No. 1 in T20Is.

I have got a chance to reflect on what I have done so far. I am analysing myself and I am watching videos of my batting and trying to see what I did when I played well, and how I could have done better – breaking down my failures and understanding what went wrong and how to get it right

“I have stopped thinking that my work is done if I perform, even if the team loses the game,” he said. “I don’t want to prove anything to anyone, what I am doing, how I am playing and how big is my role. It’s easy to perform, go back, and be happy. But now I have told myself that whatever I do is for the team, and that is more relevant and important. My work isn’t done if I score runs. If you perform in a win, it actually makes you happier inside. It took time, but I sat and spoke to positive people, started asking questions, and answers that have helped my conscience.”With cricket having come to a standstill because of the Covid-19 pandemic, players have had to get used to the new normal of being at home, not playing, and waiting for things to change. The PCB has given its cricketers detailed fitness guidelines, customised to account for lack of gym equipment, so they can stay in shape. Azam, however, has converted a spare room in his house into a small gym because, as he said, if the break gets extended, he would start feeling rusty.His last competitive game was on March 15 in the PSL for Karachi Kings, and he has been using the time off to analyse his game.”I have got a chance to reflect on what I have done so far. I am analysing myself and I am watching videos of my batting and trying to see what I did when I played well, and how I could have done better – breaking down my failures and understanding what went wrong and how to get it right,” he said. “So, while playing you might not be able to do in-depth analysis of your game, so the footage is helping me.”That said, he hasn’t discovered any major flaws in his game. “But sometimes, you make mistakes that can be avoided,” he said. “I grew up learning from my elders that you are your own best coach. It’s not about the flaws, but how not to make mistakes in crucial moments. It could be a small thing in your process: footwork, my bat angle, timing… these are the things in your mind, and just a minor delay in any of them can go against you. So you just reflect and come back and practice to achieve perfection.”While Azam anticipates the rhythm of every player to be affected by the lack of cricket, he expects everyone to come back hungrier. For his part, Azam has been playing tennis-ball cricket with his brothers in the car park at home, not thinking about the Covid-19 situation, which isn’t really in his control.”It’s really difficult to live without playing cricket for me,” he said. “I had a set routine and I was all into it with daily practice, hitting the gym, fielding, training and fitness, and now there’s so much uncertainty. Everything is shut down, you are missing your routines, but you can’t do anything about it. As a batsman, you don’t have that satisfaction until you have a bat in your hand and you are middling the ball. So I am just staying positive, getting the pleasure of batting with tennis-ball cricket with my brothers in the garage.”Gym training is helping me stay fit, that’s something I can do from home. But if the break goes on, it can make me rusty, but I can’t forget your basics. You must believe in yourself, the hard work I had put in to become a good batsman. You have to have confidence in yourself. It might take some time to regain the rhythm, but the base is there, and I will be the same Babar Azam you saw a few weeks ago.”

On some days, the real-world Stoinis and the Stoinis of our imaginations align perfectly and you get a T20 powerhouse

Karthik Krishnaswamy21-Sep-20203:10

IPL 2020: ‘Decorum’ v ‘Common sense’: Manjrekar and Moody discuss the short-run incident

If you were to close your eyes and think of the T20 hitter of the distant future, you’d probably picture someone who looks like Marcus Stoinis. Big, muscly, sitting deep in his crease to pummel your marginally misdirected yorker to distant parts.On some days, the real-world Stoinis and the Stoinis of our collective imaginations align perfectly, and you get an innings like, say, this one. At other times, there’s a disconnect, and he looks like a Renaissance sculpture attempting to wield a bat.Earlier this month, for instance, Stoinis walked in at No. 5 with Australia needing 36 off 30 balls to beat England in Southampton. He finished with 23 not out off 18 balls and England won by two runs.Stoinis has lately found more cheer batting further up the order, and the rest of that England tour brought him useful top-order runs but not enough to suggest he’d made any sort of breakthrough. Then he arrived at the IPL, where the Delhi Capitals only really had room for him in their lower middle order. It wasn’t like he could dictate where he would bat; this was his third franchise in his fifth season.He didn’t seem a certainty to play Sunday’s game against Kings XI Punjab, and it was probably his bowling that got him picked ahead of Alex Carey, who ended Australia’s England tour with a match-winning ODI hundred.The expectations, in short, were probably not sky-high. The Capitals were struggling when he walked in: 86 for 4 after 14 overs. His first three overs at the crease brought his team only 14 runs.Marcus Stoinis slammed a 21-ball 53 to lift the total•BCCIYou expect Andre Russell to defy that sort of scorecard with a blaze of sixes. Or Kieron Pollard. Stoinis, not so much.But sometimes, it only takes a few things falling in place.For one, Kings XI’s end-overs bowling was, for this level, not particularly great; too many of Chris Jordan’s slower balls landed right in Stoinis’ hitting arc, and both he and Sheldon Cottrell kept missing their lengths while attempting the yorker.But you need to do exceptionally well to face 14 balls of mediocre end-overs bowling and score 49 runs off them, especially on a day when the rest of your team-mates and extras have cobbled together 104 off 99. And it’s quite possible that Stoinis made Cottrell and Jordan’s efforts look worse than they actually were.The Stoinis who lit up Dubai on Sunday was a different Stoinis to the one who’d repeatedly played and missed in Southampton a few weeks ago. There seemed to be a greater sense of stability at the crease, a decisiveness in his footwork and execution.The most obvious change between Southampton and Dubai was in the guard he took. Against England, Stoinis had started with his back foot on middle and leg, and then made a small trigger movement across to off stump just before the bowler delivered. Here, he was starting on off stump, and deeper in his crease.At the innings break, Stoinis told that he had shifted his guard across as a response to bowlers trying to restrict him with wider lines and the wide yorker in particular. Fast bowlers often use this tactic against statuesque hitters like Stoinis, who rely on a stable base for their power and don’t move around their crease too much.By shifting his guard to off stump – and then moving further across in his trigger movement – Stoinis achieved a two-fold benefit. He was able to get closer to the line when the bowlers went wide of off stump, close enough to hit into unexpected areas. Jordan definitely wouldn’t have expected to see the first ball of his final over – which eventually went for an eye-watering 30 runs – sail over the square leg boundary.The off-stump guard also left Stoinis in a better position to deal with the full ball on the stumps. England’s quicks had cramped him for room with this straighter line in Southampton, landing the ball roughly in line with his toe. Here, whenever Jordan or Cottrell bowled a middle-and-leg line, Stoinis was far enough across his stumps to be able to place the ball either side of short fine leg. On one occasion, he even scooped a short ball from Cottrell over this fielder.Sitting deeper in his crease also reduced the margin for error when the Kings XI quicks attempted the yorker – when Cottrell underpitched in the 19th over, Stoinis drove him between mid-off and extra-cover, and when he served up a full-toss in compensation, he sliced it away between backward point and short third man.The slower ball is usually the best response to a batsman sitting deep in his crease, forcing him to reach for it and lose shape in the process, but on this day Stoinis was always perfectly balanced and Jordan’s offcutter in particular seemed too easy to pick out of the hand.The balance was perhaps the most striking feature of Stoinis’ innings. In Southampton, his trigger movement seemed a touch off-kilter, leading him to hurry through his shots, whereas in Dubai he was moving when he had to and staying perfectly still when he had to.Perhaps it was just a question of rustiness at the start of that England tour, after months spent without the feel of ball on bat. Perhaps that rustiness is gone now, and Stoinis has arrived in the UAE in perfect rhythm, ready to finally show the IPL what he is and what he can be.

In a game that went into a Super Over, both players showed exactly why they are so highly rated

Saurabh Somani29-Sep-2020It was 2017. Jasprit Bumrah was suitably abashed when reminded of the incident from 2014, staring at the floor and shaking his head while saying, “Yes, I know… even now people tell me, ‘How could you do ?’ I don’t know what I was thinking. We were under pressure at that point and I don’t know why, anger just came out. I’m normally not like that.”ALSO SEE: Mumbai Indians v Royal Challengers Bangalore live score, September 28 2020In IPL 2014, Mumbai Indians were playing Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers were batting, and the Royal Challengers needed 72 to win in the last eight overs, a required rate that was less than what they were going at, having motored to 116 for 2 in 12 overs. Bumrah came on for his third over, slanted one into de Villiers who was moving across, and took out leg-stump. And then he told the departing batsman where he could go, not very politely.Bumrah was not then the supreme machine he has become across all formats. He wasn’t even close to an India call-up, having played eight first-class matches, nine List A games and 17 T20s before that match. De Villiers was established as a batting maestro, equally at home against red ball or white, in 20 overs, 50 overs, or across sessions. Who was this upstart who dared ‘disrespect’ a legend?All the evidence from Bumrah’s now substantial career points to that not being ‘disrespect’ as much as an outburst by a 20-year-old who had had been pitchforked into the limelight, and was still learning how to deal with it. Which is why, three years later, in a hotel room in Nagpur during a Ranji Trophy semi-final, the man who was now a capped international still had an embarrassed smile and a shake of the head when asked about the incident.He couldn’t have known it in 2014 – he might have thought fleetingly of it in 2017 – but the contest whose first installment began with a mouth-off, would evolve into one of his more enduring challenges in the IPL.Bumrah didn’t bowl to de Villiers in his debut IPL season in 2013, but the two have faced off regularly since. Bumrah in fact, has bowled more to de Villiers than he has to any other batsman in the IPL, save Kohli. De Villiers is also the only man with two entries in a fairly exclusive list: most runs taken off Bumrah in any T20 match. Nobody else makes it twice in the top six, but de Villiers is there with two entries, having taken 27 runs off Bumrah twice: on Monday and back in IPL 2015.De Villiers overall record against him is pretty good, with 98 runs and two dismissals, at a strike rate of 144.11. That figure was boosted by the way de Villiers tore into Bumrah on Monday, carting 27 runs off eight balls. Until then, in all IPLs, de Villiers’ strike rate against Bumrah was just 118.33.But even in their battle during the Royal Challengers’ Super Over victory against Mumbai, it was not a one-way triumph for the batsman. De Villiers bossed the contest during regulation play, but in the Super Over, Bumrah didn’t come off second best. His team lost, but that was because he was defending a paltry seven runs – and he still stretched it to the last ball.Mahela Jayawardene, the Mumbai coach, likened it to a boxing bout.”AB and Boom is always going to be a great tussle,” Jayawardene said after the match. “I think they went at each other, it’s a little bit like a boxing game, but we probably didn’t have enough runs for Boom to defend.”In regulation play, de Villiers was masterful. Quick off the blocks, he was already fluently hitting the ball when Bumrah came back at the death, and de Villiers engineered a course correction in their head-to-head match-up. A four and two sixes came from the 17th over, and the 19th brought another four and a six, the boundary peppered from extra cover to deep square leg.Overall, the deliveries that had been most effective from Bumrah to de Villiers were length and short of a length outside off. On the day, Bumrah couldn’t find the right length to hit, even though he kept his line around off stump. But with de Villiers already moving well, a short ball outside off was as likely to be swatted to midwicket as crashed through cover. Round 1 went to the batsman.The Super Over though, found Bumrah with his radar back. Against any other batsman, he might have succeeded too. But against de Villiers, merely bowling what you want to is not enough. Throughout the over, he had fine leg up. The plan seemed clear: yorkers, or their closest equivalents, outside off.The thing with a batsman like de Villiers though, is that you cannot just bowl to plan. Sometimes you have to bluff. Slipping in two successive short balls was part of that bluff. The first one was a snorter and nearly got him a wicket, but de Villiers successfully overturned the caught-behind decision on review. Surely, he wouldn’t try that again? Maybe Bumrah figured that’s exactly what de Villiers would think, and would not expect another short one. Ergo, another short ball might be a good idea. There was plenty right with the thinking, except the batsman at the other end. De Villiers is so beautifully balanced at the crease, his centre of gravity might well be in his feet. And his freakishly quick eye means he has more time than most to adjust. So even though he wasn’t expecting a short one, he could essay a pull shot. He wasn’t in control of it, but he didn’t need to be. He just needed to clear short fine leg.Bumrah’s last ball to de Villiers was an inch-perfect yorker tailing into him. De Villiers still got some bat on it, and took a single. Round 2 was drawn.De Villiers walked off the winner, but Bumrah wasn’t defeated. Round 3 beckons.