Frank Duckworth, co-inventor of DLS method in cricket, dies aged 84

English statistician and one of the inventors of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern (DLS) method, Frank Duckworth has died at the age of 84, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Wednesday (June 26).

Duckworth, who was a consultant statistician with the ICC until 2014, passed on Friday (June 21), the ICC said while condoling his death.

DLmethord renamed as DLS

The Duckworth-Lewis method, devised by Duckworth and fellow statistician Tony Lewis, was introduced to determine results in rain-affected cricket matches.

The method was first used in international cricket in 1997 and was formally adopted by the ICC as the standard method for setting revised targets in truncated games in 2001.

The method was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method after the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis, followed by some modifications by Australian statistician Steven Stern.

Duckworth and Lewis were both awarded MBEs (Member of the Order of the British Empire) in June 2010.

The DLS method is based on a complex statistical analysis that considers many factors like wickets remaining and overs lost, among others, to set a revised target for the team batting second.

'Top statistician'

The ICC expressed its sorrow at the death of Duckworth.

ICC General Manager – Cricket Operations, Wasim Khan, condoled Duckworth’s death and acknowledged his contribution to the game.

Wasim Khan: “Frank was a top statistician who was respected by peers as well as the wider cricket fraternity. 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.

“Frank’s contribution to the game has been immense and the world of cricket is poorer with his death. We send our condolences to his family and friends.”