Duckworth-Lewis method completes 10 years in operation

Dubai, Jan 1 (UNI) The intricacies of the Duckworth-Lewis method of scoring are yet to be compeletly understood by many, but the system is unlikely to be replaced anytime soon as it completes 10 years in working today.

On 1 January 1997, Zimbabwe beat England by six runs, after the target had been revised, in an ODI at Harare in what was the very first ICC-sanctioned match to operate the Duckworth-Lewis method.

When New Zealand plays Sri Lanka in the second ODI of their current series in Christchurch tomorrow, the method will have entered its second decade in the top flight.

The system was devised by UK-based statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis and was formally adopted by the ICC in 2001, firstly on a trial basis, and from 2004 on a more permanent basis, being subject to three-yearly review.

But that was not the start. Prior to this, the D-L method was applied in the ICC Trophy in Malaysia in 1997 and in New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, India and West Indies in 1998. The ICC adopted this system for the Cricket World Cup in 1999 in England.

Since then, whenever there is an unscheduled interruption in play, Messrs Duckworth and Lewis -- or at least the results of their calculations -- take centre stage.

The main impetus for the development of what became known as the Duckworth-Lewis method was the 1992 ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final fiasco when, after a short rain delay at the Sydney Cricket Ground, South Africa went from needing 22 runs to beat England from 13 balls to needing the same 22 runs, but from just one ball.

''I recall hearing Christopher Martin-Jenkins on radio saying 'surely someone, somewhere could come up with something better' and I soon realised that it was a mathematical problem that required a mathematical solution,'' recalls Duckworth.

Lewis adds: ''It is very satisfying when watching matches that players generally accept revised targets now as fair, in contrast with the previous systems, and that we have made a significant contribution to the history and development of the game.'' According to Bob Woolmer, former ICC High Performance Manager and now Pakistan national coach, the Duckworth-Lewis method is the best that anyone has managed to come up with.

''Ever since the ICC Cricket World Cup 1992 in Australia when South Africa were set 22 runs to win off 1 ball, I believe that the revised version of the Duckworth-Lewis method has been the fairest system yet for interrupted cricket matches,'' he said.

ICC's General Manager Cricket David Richardson said, ''The D-L method has been adjusted and amended over time taking account of the changing scoring trends in ODI cricket. The lack of a serious controversy surrounding the result of a rain-curtailed match is indicative of the method's proficiency.'' UNI XC PM SAM PM1339