Frank Duckworth Death: June 21 was a sad day for the cricket world, when Frank Duckworth, the co-creator of the Duckworth-Lewis rule, died at the age of 84. Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis created this rule for matches interrupted due to rain or weather. This rule was first used in international cricket in 1997 and the ICC fully implemented this rule in 2001. Both Duckworth and Lewis were awarded the Member of the Order of British Umpires (MBE) in June 2010.
Let us tell you that in the 1992 World Cup semi-final, a controversy arose in the match between England and South Africa due to rain. Actually, during the semi-final of that World Cup, there was a dilemma between England and South Africa regarding setting the target in Sydney. Before the rain, Africa needed 22 runs in 13 balls. After the rain, it was given a target of 22 runs in 1 ball. After which the search for this rule started.
Why is this rule called DLS
After the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis in 2014 and modifications made to the system by Australian statistician Steven Stern, it was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS). This rule helps in setting targets, especially in rain-interrupted matches. In T20s, 5-5 overs of play and in ODIs, 20-20 overs of play are required for the DLS rule to be used. The importance of this rule has also been seen in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Duckworth retired from statistician in 2014
Frank Duckworth pursued further studies in Physics from the University of Liverpool in 1961. Frank also received a PhD degree in the subject of metallurgy in 1965. He worked as a consultant statistician for the International Cricket Association for many years and retired in 2014.