Duckworth-Lewis method deviser Tony Lewis passes away
Tony Lewis, who was renowned for devising the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule for limited overs cricket, passed away at the age of 78 on Wednesday. Lewis and fellow mathematician Frank Duckworth had formulated the rain rule method which was first used during the second ODI played between Zimbabwe and England in 1996-97. Here's more on the same.
Lewis and Duckworth's method had a great impact
Lewis rose to fame in the year 1999. The complex formula was officially adopted by the ICC to help calculate fair run-chases in the event of overs being lost to rain during the 1999 World Cup. The impact these two had was great given the sport needed a solution to crack the issues in rain-hit matches. Their algorithmic solution in the mid-1990s stood out.
In 2015 World Cup, the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method was implemented
The 2015 Cricket World Cup saw the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method being employed by the ICC. This was after Steven Stern, the mathematician from Queensland, made adjustments to the rule by taking into consideration modern day scoring rates. Before the Duckworth-Lewis method, cricket saw the Average Rain Rule being used. This method had failed to take into consideration wickets lost by the team batting second.
ECB pays tribute to Lewis
"It is with much sadness that the ECB has learned of the passing of Tony Lewis MBE, aged 78," read a statement. "Cricket is deeply indebted to both Tony and Frank's contributions to the sport. We send our sincere condolences to Tony's family.''
Key details regarding Tony Lewis
Lewis was born in Bolton, Lancashire and graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in Mathematics and Statistics. Lewis alongside Duckworth were appointed MBEs in the 2010 British honours for their services to cricket and mathematics. Lewis was formerly a lecturer at the University of the West of England, where the Duckworth-Lewis method originated from an undergraduate final-year project.
