• Frank Duckworth passed away on Friday.
• The DLS method is used to set revised targets.
• He served as a consultant statistician for the ICC until 2014.

The cricket community is in mourning following the death of Frank Duckworth, aged 84, on Friday, June 21. Duckworth was renowned for his role in creating the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, which is integral in setting revised targets in cricket matches affected by weather.

The method was originally known as the Duckworth-Lewis (DL) method, a collaboration between Duckworth and Tony Lewis, and was first implemented in international cricket in 1997. The method was later renamed to Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) in 2014 after Duckworth and Lewis retired, and Steven Stern, an Australian statistician, made further adjustments to the system.

Duckworth’s contributions to cricket were recognized with a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010, and he served as a consultant statistician for the ICC until 2014.

Before the DL method was established, a different rain rule was in place for recalculating targets in matches disrupted by rain, such as the 1992 ODI World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa in Sydney.

Wasim Khan, ICC General Manager of Cricket Operations, remarked, “Frank was a top statistician who was respected by peers as well as the wider cricket fraternity.”

He continued, “The DLS method that he co-created has stood the test of time and we have continued to use it in international cricket more than two decades after its inception.”

Khan also noted the significant loss to cricket with Duckworth’s passing: “Frank’s contribution to the game has been immense and the world of cricket is poorer with his death.”

In conclusion, Khan conveyed condolences: “We send our condolences to his family and friends.”

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