England's dangerous D-L paranoia
Lawrence Booth, writing in the Wisden Cricketer , says that while the Duckworth-Lewis method may have its flaws, England's performance against West Indies and Ireland had shortcomings
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
Lawrence Booth, writing in the Wisden Cricketer, says that while the Duckworth-Lewis method may have its flaws, England's performance against West Indies and Ireland had shortcomings. Paul Collingwood's criticism of the D-L system following the defeat to the hosts, Booth says, reflects a "siege mentality" which is best avoided when not in a position of strength.
Take the West Indies game. England batted superbly, it’s true: an explosive starter, a consolidatory main course and a dreamy dessert. But it wasn’t Frank Duckworth or Tony Lewis who allowed West Indies to batter 30 off 2.2 overs before the rain came and apparently skewed the maths thereafter. Neither did D/L contribute to the eight wides England conceded in 5.5 overs. The truth was England were sloppy and Ryan Sidebottom bowled the wrong length to Chris Gayle. And, don’t forget, West Indies scraped home with only one ball to spare: this was no stroll.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo