One of the most well known cricket figures to never take the field, Frank Duckworth, has died aged 84.
Duckworth was one half of the statistical team who engineered the Duckworth-Lewis system for calculating target scores in limited-overs matches struck by bad weather.
Duckworth came up with the formula that was officially adopted by the International Cricket Council in 1999, along with fellow statistician Tony Lewis.
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He presented a short paper, “A fair result in foul weather” at a Royal Statistical Society conference in 1992.
The piece was inspired by the controversial ending to the 1992 World Cup semi-final between England and South Africa in Australia, when a short period of rain threw the Proteas off course, with calculations at the time stating South Africa needed an impossible 22 runs off one ball to win.
Duckworth’s presentation led to contact with Lewis, and the pair worked together on a formula that was adopted for the first time in 1999, in the second match of England’s one-day series against Zimbabwe.
The method was renamed the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method following the retirement of Duckworth and Lewis, after it was slightly modified by Australian statistician Steven Stern.
The London-based Royal Statistical Society said in a statement: “Frank will be remembered largely for his contributions to the Society as editor of RSS NEWS, and to cricket as the co-inventor of the Duckworth-Lewis method.”
Cricket commentators also paid tribute to Duckworth.
“I’m sad to report that Frank Duckworth MBE, co-creator of the Duckworth-Lewis method for adjusting targets in rain-affected cricket matches, passed away last Friday,” cricket commentator Rob Eastaway wrote on Twitter.
“His method was used just yesterday in the rain-affected World Cup match between Afghanistan and Bangladesh. RIP.
The ICC’s, Wasim Khan, also paid tribute to Duckworth and his contribution to the game.
“Frank was a top statistician who was respected by peers as well as the wider cricket fraternity,’ Kahn said.
“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.”
A spokesperson for the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said: “We are saddened to hear of the passing of Frank Duckworth MBE and send our heartfelt condolences to his family.
“While his mathematical expertise extended beyond cricket’s boundaries, for our game his legacy will be long-lasting thanks to the Duckworth-Lewis Method which we were the first national body to use across our competitions in 1997.”
Duckworth was given the honour of being appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 2010.