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back to article Cricket's average-busting mathematician Tony Lewis pulls up stumps

Eminent British mathematician Tony Lewis has died, aged 78. Lewis is famous for co-developing the Duckworth-Lewis method, a method of settling one-day cricket matches. For those unfamiliar with cricket, its infamously lengthy four or five-day matches can end in a draw, so players just live with rain interruptions. The game's …

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  1. Mike Shepherd
    Happy

    Hardy

    Given his love of cricket, perhaps even G H Hardy (who expressed disdain for all "applied" mathematics) would have approved.

    8 0 Reply
  2. Sean o' bhaile na gleann

    "...The game’s shorter forms were devised to produce a crowd advertisers-pleasing result in just one day..."

    With no disregard intended to the sterling work done by Lewis and Duckworth - at least it kept this wonderful sport alive.

    9 5 Reply
    1. MCMLXV
      Reply Icon

      Downvote. That's just offensively cynical. Despite your assertion of "no disregard intended" you've done exactly that. Didn't know the man personally, but given his credentials I'd say it's a fair bet that advertising wasn't a factor in his work.

      6 1 Reply
    2. Dazed and Confused
      Reply Icon

      Limited over

      "...The game’s shorter forms were devised to produce a crowd advertisers-pleasing result in just one day..."

      Except there was a lot of limited over cricket back when it was shown on the Beeb and there wasn't any advertising to worry about.

      5 0 Reply
      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        Re: Limited over

        And it looked a lot more like cricket than the modern short forms. There was advertising back then, not that all those Rabbit banners on the boundaries did any good. And I assume those giant egg-cups were advertising something, whatever it might have been.

        0 0 Reply
  3. ClockworkOwl

    Sad passing on many levels.

    He was a friend to my father, who used to really look forward to their annual dinner.

    RIP both of you.

    15 0 Reply
  4. Aladdin Sane

    GNU Tony Lewis

    Mind how you go

    3 0 Reply
  5. Ochib

    Frank Duckworth

    must age 6 years in 8 months to win.

    33 0 Reply
  6. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    I just checked to see if he was also the Tony Lewis who played for England and later became a cricket journalist. He wasn't. However the Wonkypedia entry for the player shows him as having died on April 1st as well. Outstanding coincidence or wonky editor? I'll settle for the latter whilst wondering of the statistician could have estimated the probability of the former.

    9 0 Reply
    1. strum
      Reply Icon

      > if he was also the Tony Lewis who played for England

      Yeah. I had always assumed it was him. I even have a (false, I now know) memory of him explaining the method.

      2 0 Reply
      1. Doctor Syntax Silver badge
        Reply Icon

        As a pundit he could have explained it without having been the author so not necessarily a false memory.

        1 0 Reply
    2. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge
      Reply Icon

      Looks like it's been corrected on WP, wonky editor indeed.

      Per Cricinfo:

      The late Tony Lewis of DL(S) fame

      Tony Lewis, former England captain

      0 0 Reply
  7. Rathernicelydone

    The Duckworth Lewis Method

    Great first album and their video for Meeting Mr Miandad is superb: https://youtu.be/t3JA-417V_M

    0 0 Reply
  8. Cederic Silver badge

    22 off one ball

    This is not impossible at all. Just somewhat unlikely. I believe the current record is 286 runs from a single delivery.

    0 0 Reply

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