Tony Lewis, co-creator of the Duckworth-Lewis method, passes away aged 78

The mathematician's system for calculating results in shortened games has been the ICC's official choice since 1999

Mathematician Tony Lewis, one of the creators of the Duckworth-Lewis method, has died at the age of 78.

Bolton-born Lewis devised the system alongside fellow Lancastrian Frank Duckworth following the 1992 Cricket World Cup, where South Africa were infamously set a target of 21 runs from the final ball of a rain-reduced semi-final with England.

The pair's calculations were then first used in international cricket in 1997, awarding Zimbabwe a New Year's Day ODI win over England that they would have lost under previous rain rules, before being adopted officially by the ICC two years later.

Geoff Allardice, the governing body's general manager for cricket, was among the cricketing figures to lead tribute to Lewis' most notable work.

"Tony's contribution to cricket is huge. The present day system of resetting targets in international cricket is based on the one developed by him and Frank more than two decades ago," Allardice said.

"His contribution to the game of cricket will be remembered for years to come and we send our condolences to his family and friends."

^{Lewis (right) and Frank Duckworth earned MBEs in 2010}

Lewis and Duckworth's method quantifies overs and wickets as resources available to a team in order to provide fair targets for teams in the event of a shortened fixture, assigning percentage values to each ball and partnership lost in a chase.

The system was later updated by Australian professor Steven Stern in 2014 in order to better suit shorter formats of the game such as T20, and remains widely used under the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern moniker.

Both original creators were awarded MBEs in the Queen's Birthday Honours of 2010 for their services to both maths and cricket, two years after Lewis himself retired from academic work and lecturing at Oxford Brookes University.

Lewis had previously studied at the University of Sheffield at undergraduate and postgraduate level before working in a variety of academic and consultancy roles in both England and Australia.

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