Mathematician Tony Lewis passes away

Mathematician Tony Lewis passed away on April 1st, 2020. He is noted for the Duckworth Lewis Stern method used in cricket by ICC.

Tony Lewis

Tony Lewis (Anthony Lewis) was an English mathematician born in 1942 in Lancashire, North-west England.  He was a lecturer at the University of the West of England and the Oxford Brookes University. He was appointed as Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2010.

Duckworth Lewis Stern Method

The Duckworth Lewis method was originally developed by Tony Lewis and Frank Duckworth and introduced in 1997. It was officially accepted by the ICC (International Cricket Council) in 1999. It was renamed as Duckworth Lewis Stern Formula after several additions from Professor Steven Stern in 2015.

Uses of the Formula

The DLS formula was used in calculations for limited overs cricket matches that are cut short due to weather conditions or other reasons. It is used in the calculation of the target score for the 2nd team that bats. The methods involves removing the lowest scoring overs from the teams’ innings. Despite its criticism for not suiting the Twenty20 matches, no alternative method has found favour with the ICC.


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