Frank Duckworth, one of the creators of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, passed away at the age of 84 on June 21. His partner, Tony Lewis, had previously passed away in 2020 at the age of 78.
The Duckworth-Lewis method, pioneered by Duckworth and Lewis, revolutionized cricket by providing a fair mechanism to determine outcomes in rain-affected matches. Introduced in international cricket in 1997, it became the ICC's standard for setting revised targets in shortened games from 2001 onwards.
Most recently, the method was employed during the ongoing T20 World Cup, ensuring equitable play as Afghanistan secured their inaugural semifinal spot after a rain-affected victory over Bangladesh.
Before its implementation, cricket faced difficulties in adjusting run chases during weather-interrupted limited-overs matches, famously exemplified by the 1992 World Cup semi-final where South Africa was left with an impossible target of 22 runs off one ball due to rain.
"I realized it was a mathematical problem that required a mathematical solution," Duckworth reflected in a 2007 interview, responding to critiques from cricket pundits such as Christopher Martin-Jenkins.
After Duckworth and Lewis retired, the method was refined and renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, incorporating adjustments by Australian statistician Steven Stern.
Both Duckworth and Lewis were awarded MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in June 2010 for their contributions to cricket.
The DLS method relies on sophisticated statistical analysis, taking into account variables like remaining wickets and lost overs, to establish a revised target for the team batting second, ensuring fairness in rain-affected matches.