Tony Lewis, renowned for devising the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule for limited overs cricket, passed away at the age of 78. Lewis along with fellow Mathematician, Frank Duckworth, formulated the rain rule method that was first used during the second ODI played between Zimbabwe and England in 1996-97. The rain rule was officially adopted by the International Cricket Council during the 1999 World Cup. In 2014.
Previously, the average rain rule method was used in ODI cricket. However, it didn’t account for wickets lost by the team batting second. The Proteas were negatively affected by this rule during the 1992 World Cup. Requiring 22 runs from 13 balls before rain stopped play during the semi-final against England, the target dropped to 22 from one when play resumed.
"It is with much sadness that the ECB has learned of the passing of Tony Lewis MBE, aged 78," read a statement from the board. "Cricket is deeply indebted to both Tony and Frank's contributions to the sport. We send our sincere condolences to Tony's family.''Lewis, born in Bolton, Lancashire, 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.
