At the age of 84, Frank Duckworth, one of the creative minds of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern system, passed away. The way rain-affected matches are decided has been revolutionised by Duckworth’s everlasting impact on the game.
According to an ESPNcricinfo article, Duckworth died on June 21 in England.
Co-developed by English statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, the Duckworth-Lewis approach provided a solution to a longstanding problem in cricket: determining fair targets in rain-interrupted matches.
The technique was first used in 1997 in international cricket, and in 2001 the International Cricket Council (ICC) formally approved it as the norm for modifying targets in games that are shortened.
In 2014, Australian statistician Steven Stern made changes to the system that resulted in the current version of the method, known as the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method. This update honours the original authors while incorporating fresh perspectives to improve its precision and relevance to contemporary cricket.
The heavily criticised rain rule that had been in force since the 1992 ODI World Cup quarterfinal between South Africa and England in Sydney was superseded by Duckworth-Lewis’ invention. There is an urgent need for a more equitable solution after a sudden downpour and the following application of the rain rule in that match created a ridiculous situation where South Africa needed an unattainable 22 runs off one ball.
Their innovation was acknowledged by the general public in addition to cricket enthusiasts. A tribute to the enormous influence of their work, Duckworth and Lewis were both named Members of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in June 2010 for their services to mathematics and cricket.