ICC introduces improved version of Duckworth/Lewis

The ICC has announced that an enhanced version of the Duckworth/Lewis system for rain-affected one-day internationals will be introduced from October 3, when South Africa begin their five-match series against Pakistan. Called the Professional Edition, the system has specifically been introduced to ensure fair computation of the target when the team batting first makes an exceptionally high score.

"We have always been aware that when the total set by the team batting first is much greater than average, the revised targets and par scores can sometimes seem unrealistic," said Frank Duckworth, one of the inventors of the method.

The D/L rule almost spoilt Australia's party in the final of the 2003 World Cup: requiring 360 to win, India were struggling at 145 for 3 after 23 overs when rain threatened, but the D/L charts indicated that India needed only 12 more from the next two overs to be ahead of the target.

"We have had the answer to this problem available for use for several years," explained Tony Lewis, the co-inventor. "Using the Professional Edition of the D/L method, India would have been 20 runs behind par - a much fairer reflection of the state of the game. With this system a team aiming at a very high total has to score at much closer to the required rate for most of the chase. This means the tables have to be adjusted to suit the target."

The catch is that this adjustment cannot be done manually, and hence the new edition is entirely computerised. The ICC had earlier insisted on a method which could be computed manually, which is why the computerised version could not be introduced earlier.

David Richardson, the ICC's General Manager - Cricket, indicated his satisfaction with the improved version: "The ICC believes that this change ensures that the system is now more accurate in setting targets in high-scoring matches. Teams and media will still receive sheets outlining the par score at the interval and after any subsequent rain delays and, where the facilities permit, scoreboards will also show the par score."