Saturday Nights Review: Deep statement on loneliness in a crowded city

October 29, 2019 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Lives of sex workers or prostitutes, as they are called, offer a lot of scope for storytelling in cinema. That’s precisely the reason why characters of sex workers are explored in films across languages and genres.

Director Shibu Sable’s short film Saturday Nights is also based inside the chamber of a prostitute. However, it’s not just any other story based on one.

The film tells the story of Vishwas (Sable himself), a middle-class and middle-aged widower staying in a humble colony in Mumbai. People from his locality gossip about him visiting a prostitute’s den every Saturday night.

They are right. Vishwas does spend his Saturday nights in the apartment of the call-girl Tara (Pradnya Manwatkar). But there is a twist here. Vishwas isn’t like any of her customers.

During the starting portions of Saturday Nights, you wonder where this 14-minute film will lead to as the two protagonists start chatting. But soon enough the twist in Vishwas’s tale wins you over.

Through his character, the film makes a deep and powerful statement on loneliness. The city of Mumbai, or any other metro in India, is overcrowded with people. Yet a lot of people don’t have a single person in their life to whom they can pour their heart out, especially without getting judged.

The moment when Tara asks Vishwas the reason for visiting her and he replies with, “Halka hone,” is the moment of the film. Similarly, the film says a lot without saying much. Having said this, they should have delved a little deeper into the back story of Vishwas, like they have done for Tara. This would have helped the audience in feeling more for him.

Both Sable and Manwatkar perfectly get into the skin of their respective characters. Sable has been and filmmaker and writer and this time he has ventured into acting. Manwatkar has a proven track record in theatre.

Overall, Saturday Nights is a moving take on loneliness in an overcrowded city.

Director: Shibu Sable

Writers: Jaidev Hammady and Shibu Sable

Cast: Shibu Sable and Pradnya Manwatkar

Rating: 4 out of 5

By: Keyur Seta

Watch the short film:

Additional reading:

Saaho’s major similarity with Baahubali (SPOILERS alert)

Why people in their 30s should stop believing they are 70

October 19, 2019 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

There was a time when 7-8 of us would play cricket. We used to enjoy it. But as much as playing the sport, our constant jokes, one-liners and banter used to delight us. As years passed by and all of us started working, playing cricket slowly faded away, which isn’t surprising.

But thanks to What’s App, we started a group few years ago with the hope that we would regularly revisit those days of fun and laughter.

But strangely, the atmosphere in the group was nowhere similar to the time we used to spend years ago. There were only serious talks. Jokes had no place. Even after I tried numerous times to create humour, it fell on deaf ears. There was just no response. Finally, I gave up.

Weeks later, a friend, one of the members of the group, bumped into me. I straightaway asked him the reason for everyone being so serious on the group and what all happened to their humour. His only reply was, “Ab humne 30 cross kar liya. Ab kya hasi-mazaak?” I stood frozen there, not knowing what to say. I never knew hasi-mazaak had an expiry date and that too so soon in life.

But this is just one example. As the months passed by, I regularly kept hearing similar things from people in their 30s. While having conversations, it is a must for them to say things like, “Ab toh umar ho gayi hai hum logon ki,” “Hum toh buddhe ho gaye hain ab,” etc.

It seems as if they have started believing that they are 70 +. But on second thoughts, I am reminded of how people even in their 80s are seen having fun and laughter while sitting on the fence of Shivaji Park maidan. Also, my Yoga teacher is 80 but I have hardly seen anyone so cheerful and funny. My aunt and her friends are in their 50s but when they meet they behave like teenagers.

But having said this, each one is entitled to live and think the way he or she likes. So, if friends who are in the 30s feel they have become too old to crack jokes and laugh their hearts out, it is their choice. Some of them have also stopped exercising or doing any kind of physical activity thinking there is no hope now for them to get into a better shape or health. I don’t have a problem with that too.

But I do have a problem when they assume that I also think and feel the same. I have a problem when they say umar ho gayi hai ‘hum’ logon ki and ‘hum’ buddhe ho gaye hain. Boss, please replace ‘hum’ with ‘tum.’

While you would be busy spending your evenings with a cup of tea while staring at the sunset thinking life mein ab kuchh raha nahin, I would be taking a jog or thinking about some idea for my next funny write-up or meme.

Never knew I would feel generation gap with people of my own age group.

By: Keyur Seta

Additional reading:

Why arranged marriages are nothing but shopping?

Murder In Mahim – Book Review

October 7, 2019 by Keyur Seta Leave a Comment

The dark, underbelly of Mumbai has attracted many storytellers and filmmakers. Generally such crime stories are about the underworld or some serial killer. As the title of author Jerry Pinto’s novel is Murder In Mahim, you expect another whodunnit murder mystery.

The story is about Peter, a retired journalist staying near Shivaji Park, who gets to know that his son Sunil might be homosexual. Just as he and his wife Millie are trying to come to terms to it in case it turns out to be true, a gruesome murder takes place inside the toilet of the Matunga Road Railway Station.

Peter has a habit of accompanying his close friend Inspector Jende in investigating crimes. He does the same while investigating this murder too. What looked like another murder turns out to be the starting point of a mystery that runs deep into the dark, homosexual world of Mumbai, which we hardly get to notice [The book was written when Section 377 was not absolved].

The initial portions of the book itself make it ample clear that the novel is much more than a mere murder mystery. The murder and the type of crime explored in the novel stand apart from other stories on crimes in Mumbai. It is real but at the same time surprising enough even for Mumbaikars staying in the city for decades.

Like, how many of us know that gay prostitution is so common in Mumbai and that railway station toilets are known spots for the same? And that there are various unofficial spots in the city where unknown gay men meet up to have a good time? Likewise, Pinto’s geographical knowledge of Mumbai, especially where the story is based, is top-notch too [having stayed in the same locality, I can vouch for that].

The author’s narrative is the clear winner here as it tackles police’s role in solving murders, social commentary on homosexuality and the lives of the underprivileged. He has woven all these aspects naturally into the narrative with not a single one of them being the odd-man out. The book also fulfils the criteria of a whodunnit taking you by surprise with a revelation in the end.

Along with the geography of a city, it is also important to know the type of conversations that would take place over there, irrespective in what language your book is. This is another plus point here as the dialogue between the characters are real, interesting and, at times, amusing. This is seen the most during the conversations during the investigation.

Also read: Book review: The Coup India Missed – Glimpse of an alternative India

There aren’t major negative points, except slight complication with the plot in some areas. But I have an issue with the title. The murders take place in the toilet of Matunga Road Railway Station, so why is the book named Murder In Mahim? One might argue that the jurisdiction comes under Mahim Police Station [as claimed in the book] but the crime has, nevertheless, happened in Matunga.

Overall: Murder In Mahim is a well-crafted tale of murders that also makes a strong social statement.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Author: Jerry Pinto

Review By: Keyur Seta

Additional reading:

Short Story: The Orange Garlands of Bharatpur

Book Review: Decoding Life Post 8/11

After just 1 run in first 6 innings, Marvan Atapattu made a historic comeback

September 29, 2019 by Keyur Seta 4 Comments

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Marvan Atapattu is one of the best batsmen to have played for the island nation in Asia. He played 90 test matches and scored 5502 runs with 16 hundreds and 17 fifties and a highest score of 249. He had a good batting average of 39.02.

But the start of Atapattu’s test career was nightmarish to say the least. He made his debut in Sri Lanka’s only test against India as a 20-year-old youngster. SL lost the match by an innings and 8 runs. Worse, Atapattu scored 0 in both innings.

The selectors dropped him from the team. He returned to first-class cricket and after almost two years, he was selected again for Sri Lanka. However, it was almost the same story. He scored 0 in the first innings and just 1 in the second.

Atapattu once again returned to domestic cricket and scored plenty of runs. This was enough to impress the selectors again. So, he was back in the team. And, would you believe, he scored 0 in both innings again!

At that time, his career stats were 1 run and 5 ducks in his first 6 innings with a batting average of just 0.16! For any top-order batsman even an average of 16 is considered horrible as it suits more to number 9 or 10 batsman. And here was a professional batsman with such an average.

It is believed that the single run that Atapattu scored in the first 6 innings was wrongly attributed to him by the umpire since it should have been a leg-bye.

One could only imagine what would have been going through Atapattu’s mind then. He would have asked himself again and again as to why he goes so disastrously wrong at the international level after being so consistent at the domestic level.

However, the selectors seem to have a lot of faith in him as he was again selected in the Sri Lankan team two years later in 1997 against New Zealand in Dunedin. His scores in both innings were 25 and 22. These numbers might not sound much but going by Atapattu’s horrendous run before this match, he would have been relieved.

But his biggest relief came in the same year in November when he scored his first century in test cricket. It was against India in Mohali where he scored 108 with 14 fours as an opener. From here on, there was no looking back for Atapattu.

Along with tests, he also went onto become a prolific ODI player for Sri Lanka. In 268 matches he scored 8529 runs at an average of 37.57 with 11 hundreds and 59 fifties.

But Atapattu also holds a unique record which is worth knowing. He scored 6 test double hundreds. In the list of most double hundreds, he is just third in the list after the legend Sir Don Bradman (12 double hundreds) and Wally Hammond and Brian Lara (7 each).

Also read: Who are Duckworth and Lewis and why ICC adopted their method?

From a career average of just 0.16 to getting included in a world record list featuring the great Bradman, Atapattu’s journey has been extraordinary to say the least.

He is a shining inspiration for many of us who start doubting ourselves [be it from any field] after few failures and rejections. If you ever feel bogged down again, just ask yourself if your situation is as worse as scoring just 1 run in 6 test innings?

By: Keyur Seta

Additional reading:

Only time Tendulkar was NOT selected in team India, neither injured nor rested

When hearing issues stopped India from winning against England

Saaho’s major similarity with Baahubali (SPOILERS alert)

September 1, 2019 by Keyur Seta 2 Comments

Prabhas’ last film Baahubali: The Conclusion (2017) went onto become a historic hit all over India and gave the actor a star status nationwide. Obviously, there was a keen interest to see him again on screen. His fans had to wait for more than two years to see Prabhas in action (literally) in director Sujeeth’s Saaho, which released this week.

From the trailers or the posters itself, Saaho looked way different from the two Baahubali movies. One is based few centuries ago while the other in today’s times. The earlier film gave importance to traditional Indian culture [because of its setting and era] while Saaho is about modern cars, bikes and clothes.

But what if I tell you that Saaho becomes like another Baahubali by the time it ends?

Let’s look at the basic plot of Baahubali. Amarendra Baahubali is the rightful heir to the throne of the fictitious empire of Mahishmati but his enemies, who are people close to him, get him killed. Years later, his son Mahendra Baahubali eliminates the bad guys and acquires the throne.

Now, this is what the story of Saaho looks like minus the many twists and sub-plots (SPOILERS ahead). Roy is heading his multimillionaire business in a fictitious city called Waaji. He gets killed by people close to him. Later on, his son finishes off the villains and sits on the chair of the owner of the company.

Now, I really wonder if the makers didn’t care about it or didn’t realize. Of course, it has to be the former.

But there are also a couple of other sequences in Saaho that remind us of Baahubali. The scene where Prabhas and Shraddha Kapoor are seen shooting the bad guys together instantly reminds you of the famous bow and arrow scene between Prabhas and Anushka Shetty in Baahubali.

The scene in the first Baahubali where hundreds of dangerous looking men speaking Kilikili language attack Amarendra Baahubali is still fresh in our minds. Similarly, in Saaho, hundreds of unusual blood-thirsty devils are seen attacking Prabhas.

Also read: Mission Mangal Review

The one major difference between Baahubali and Saaho is its content, but that’s a story for another day.

By: Keyur Seta

Mission Mangal Review – A joyride about India’s space achievement

August 18, 2019 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

Director Jagan Shetty’s Mission Mangal revolves around the launch of India’s Mars Orbiter Mission (MOM), also known as Mangalyaan, which was launched in November 2013. India thus became the first nation in the world to successfully send a spacecraft to Mars in the first attempt itself.

The mission involved some painstaking efforts by a group of ISRO’s scientists led by Rakesh Dhawan (Akshay Kumar) and Tara (Vidya Balan) and their team consisting of Kritika (Taapsee Pannu), Neha (Kirti Kulhari), Varsha (Nithya Menen), Eka (Sonakshi Sinha), Parmeshwar (Sharman Joshi) and H G Dattatreya (Ananth Iyer).

The team had to battle various odds in the form of a senior ISRO member (Dalip Tahil) and lack of funds and confidence from the government. They had their various personal battles to counter as well.

Mission Mangal gives a proper explanation of the relevance of MOM, the process of launching it and its last stage. All this might sound very technical for a layman. But the film is nowhere near technical.

It is, in fact, a joyride. The narrative is filled with moments that get you in splits regularly. This is done through situations and character habits and traits. Many a times a funny moment arrives when you least expect it. The surprise inclusion of ‘Ankhiyaan Milaaun Kabhi Ankhiyaan Churaun’ by Sanjay Kapoor’s character himself is a masterstroke!

However, despite the humorous moments, Mission Mangal ensures that the seriousness of the topic is never lost whatsoever. Throughout the film, special care has been taken to explain space related scientific workings in a manner that even a person with poor scientific knowledge like me can easily understand. I had laughed at the puri scene in the trailer but realized that it perfectly fits the situation in the film to provide an easy explanation for a layman.

The combination of easy information and humour is enough to keep you glued for its duration of 133 minutes, which passes in a jiffy. And the moments in the finale keep you at the edge despite the fact that you are well aware that the mission will eventually become successful.

Having said this, there are few factors that bother you. The biggest one is that we haven’t been given any background about Akshay’s character. Considering he is the main lead, it was necessary. Few conversations from the subplot of few characters could also have been avoided. Thankfully, none of these fall in the major negative point zone.

Mission Mangal has an ensemble cast and not every character has got proper space, which is not surprising. But each character is given an interesting story and arc of its own (except Akshay, as mentioned above).

Every actor has risen to the occasion. Despite no character background, Akshay Kumar provides a fine mixture of seriousness and humour. This is easily one of his most noteworthy acts. Vidya Balan once again proves why she is the best of the current lot of actresses. She is adorable once again. Dalip Tahil makes his presence felt as an unusual antagonist.

It’s good to see Sharman Joshi in a mainstream film after long. He displays an undercurrent of humour and never overdoes it. The rest of the team members provide perfect support, especially the senior most Ananth Iyer.

Overall: Mission Mangal is a joyride that celebrates India’s space achievement. It will be argued that the makers have made it into a filmi affair. But as it is a feature film and, more importantly, succeeds in doing justice to the achievement of ISRO at the same time, it doesn’t turn out to be a problem.

Also read: How to donate for Maharashtra flood victims?

The film has had a good opening and it seems Mission Mangal will be a success at the box office. Akshay has never had a Rs 200 crore film. This is his good chance.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Book review: The Coup India Missed – Glimpse of an alternative India

August 12, 2019 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

There have been various stories, both in the form of books and movies, which are inspired from real-life politics. But Lt. Col. K Gopinathan’s novel The Coup India Missed, is a rare tale that presents an alternative political India which, at the same time, is very familiar.

The most striking feature of the book is the inclusion of characters that are starkly similar to the real names of Indian politics. This not only comes across as interesting but also exciting for those who follow Indian politics. The author has given enough hints to easily make out whom the characters are modelled on.

Here are some of them:

— Baba is an ageing anti-corruption crusader who has brought the biggest anti-corruption movement in India prior to the 2014 general elections.

— Baba’s movement terribly hurts the corruption-laden Rashtriya Heritage Party (RHP) who has been in power in India since long. As per the name, the party always believes in nepotism over merit. The party is headed by an elderly lady. Her son is referred as the young prince whose dream is to be India’s next Prime Minister. His sister is more confident and fiery and her husband is charged in illegal land deals.

— The Maha Bharat Party (MBP) is a Hindu nationalist party. Their leader from Gujarat is considered the ideal Hindu Nationalist and is the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2014 general elections.

— Likewise, there are mentions of a former Finance Minister from Tamil Nadu who is bespectacled and wears a lungi, a political heavyweight woman from the south and a powerful woman leader from the east.

The story starts with Baba forming his own party filled with social workers and members of NGOs. Their party Rashtriya Punarudhaan Sangh (RPS), also known as the common man’s party, surprises everyone by its performance in the 2014 elections. However, their performance also ensures a hung house with nobody gaining enough numbers to form government at the centre.

After a lot of thinking and deliberation, RPS takes outside support from RHP despite its history of corruption and forms government at the centre. However, they lack a single candidate who could be the PM of India. Finally, after rounds of debate among the party, the eccentric professor-cum-politician Krishna Murthy is brought into the party and straightaway made the PM.

Gopinathan has smartly created a fictional plot based on real political happenings. The similarities, which are also seen in the plot developments, also get you in splits at times (not in a bad way). His knowledge about the socio-political situation in India and world politics is proved from how realistic the tale appears despite it showing an imaginary India.

Also read: Book Review – Decoding Life Post 8/11

Out of all the imaginary happenings, some appear over-ambitious. One thing you feel like questioning the most is the borderline Right Wing ideologies of Murthy and Baba’s party. Among other aspects, this is felt the most in Sanatana Dharma being adopted as India’s national belief and the clothes of the lawyers and judges being changed from black to orange.

But the actual negative point of The Coup India Missed is that the last 40 odd pages appear like content from a school or college textbook instead of a novel. This part provides too much of information with little storytelling.

Overall: Gopinathan’s The Coup India Missed is an interesting take on what should have happened in India from 2014 onwards.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Review by: Keyur Seta

Author: Lt. Col. K Gopinathan (retired)

Publishers: Leadstart Publishing

Price: Rs 249

Pages: 235

Also read: Book Review – Dance Of The Spirits

How to donate for Maharashtra flood victims?

August 12, 2019 by Keyur Seta 1 Comment

The deadly floods Maharashtra, especially in the Sangli and Kolhapur districts, have taken a number of lives and left plenty others homeless and in dire need of necessities to sustain. As per official figures, around 761 villages have been affected.

Hence, there is an urgent need to donate every day necessities to the victims in large numbers.

Maharashtra floods — NDRF officers rescuing people in Kolhapur (Photo: Skymetweather.com)

The items you can donate roughly includes:

Clothes
Food grains, sugar and salt
Packaged water
Biscuit and snacks packets
Soaps
Toothpastes and toothbrushes
Dettol or Savlon
Phenyl
Bleaching powder
Air freshners
New undergarments
Candles and matchboxes
Blankets and bed sheets
Basic medicines

If you are in Mumbai, Thane or Pune, you can donate to the following centres from August 10 to 14 from 10 am to 5 pm. This collection drive is organized by Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natyaparishad and Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Chitrapat Mahamandal.

Mumbai:
1) Yashwantrao Chavhan Natyagruha, Matunga (West)
2) Prabhodhankar Thackeray Natyagruha, Borivali (West)

Thane:
1) Gadkari Rangayatan
2) Kashinath Ghanekar Natyagruha

Kalyan:
1) Natyaparishad Office
2) Acharya Atre Rangmandir

Pune:
Jawaharlal Nehru Sabhagruha (opposite Balgandharva Rangmandir)

Pimpri Chinchwad:
1) Natyaparishad Office
2) Pradhyapak Ramkrishna More Prekshagruha

Contact numbers for further assistance:

Mumbai: Ratnakant Jagtap 98201 47601
Pune: Vinod Satav 02025670406
Thane: Pushkar Desai 97690 05111

Monetary donation:

To donate money for the flood victims you can transfer the amount to Akhil Bharatiya Marathi Natyaparishad.
Details:
Bank: Saraswat Bank
Branch: Dadar, Kelkar Road
Account No: 006200100009417
IFSC Code: SRCB 0000006

(This article will be updated with more details)

Only time Tendulkar was NOT selected in team India, neither injured nor rested

August 4, 2019 by Keyur Seta 12 Comments

Throughout his career spanning 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar never went out of form. There was never a time when his spot in the team was in danger due to non-performance. This is one of the major reasons why he is considered a legend.

But there was one occasion when he wasn’t selected in the team for a series against Pakistan. And this wasn’t because of any injury or with the intention of giving him rest.

The month of September in mid and late 1990s brought the excitement of the Sahara Cup, a five match India-Pakistan ODI series in Toronto, Canada. The Toronto Cricket Skating and Curling Club used to be thronged by supporters from both countries that were treated to some quality cricket.

Circa September 1998, the Indian cricket fans were gearing up for another India v/s Pakistan series. But they were in for some disappointment this time around as Tendulkar wasn’t included in the squad for the Sahara Cup.

It so happened that the Commonwealth Games [CWG] clashed that year with the Sahara Cup. Cricket was included in the CWG for the first time during that edition [it hasn’t happened after that] which was played at Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

As many as 16 teams participated to achieve cricket glory. The format was very much like the World Cup. There were four groups of four teams with one team from each group going into the semi-finals. Instead of one West Indies team, the series saw Jamaica, Antigua-Barbuda and Barbados play separately.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India [BCCI] were about to send a second string team for the Commonwealth Games, just like how Pakistan did. However, Suresh Kalmadi [guilty of corruption in the infamous 2010 CWG Scam] who was the President of the Indian Olympics Association then, put tremendous pressure on the BCCI to send a strong India team to the CWG.

After a lot of negotiations, it was decided that India’s main squad will be divided into two for Sahara Cup and Commonwealth Games. As it happened, Sachin Tendulkar was selected to play at the CWG along with other big names like Anil Kumble, Ajay Jadeja, Robin Singh and Harbhajan Singh.

Also read: Sachin Tendulkar the bowler: 8 best bowling performances

Unfortunately, India couldn’t reach the semi-final stage as they won only one match out of the three against Canada with their match against Antigua-Barbuda being a no result due to the rains. India lost to Australia by being all out for just 109 while chasing a total of 256. [See all results of that year’s CWG HERE]

Meanwhile, by the time India were out of the CWG, they had lost the Sahara Cup too in the first four ODIs itself [see all results HERE]. But despite that, Tendulkar was sent to Toronto to play the last ODI. He scored an impressive 77 but India lost the match after Pakistan easily chased their total of 256.

Cricket will be returning to the next edition of the Commonwealth Games in 2022 in the form of Women’s T20.

By: Keyur Seta

Additional reading:

Who are Duckworth and Lewis and why ICC adopted their method?

WC Final 2019: Cricket won, ICC lost

When Australia played against Australia in this World Series

Who are Duckworth and Lewis and why ICC adopted their method?

July 28, 2019 by Keyur Seta 3 Comments

The Duckworth-Lewis Method instantly comes to our minds whenever a limited overs cricket match gets affected by rains. It’s a formula that decides the fate of a match in such situations. This is all I know about it as I am yet to come across anyone who perfectly understands the calculation. So we will not go into that.

But the bigger question which has been lingering in my mind is, who exactly are Duckworth and Lewis and why their calculation has been adapted by the International Cricket Council [ICC]?

I decided to explore this. Hence, this article is also a personal learning for me as I went searching on the internet about Duckworth and Lewis.

As it turns out the method has been named after Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis, the duo which brought about the calculation in rain affected matches.

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Frank Duckworth:

Born in 1939, Frank Duckworth is a retired statistician from Lancashire, England. He has a BSc Hons in Physics and PhD in Metallurgy from the University of Liverpool. He has worked as a mathematical scientist for the nuclear power industry in the UK and is the editor of the Royal Statistician Society’s monthly news magazine called RSS News.

Apart from contributing in the Duckworth-Lewis method, he also singlehandedly developed the ‘Duckworth Scale,’ which can be read about HERE.

Tony Lewis:

The life of Tony Lewis has been pretty much the same. Born in 1942, he also hails from Lancashire and holds degrees in statistics and mathematics from Sheffield University in the 1960s. He was a lecturer in Quantitative Research methods at Oxford Brookes University and University of the West of England. Currently, he is the chairman of the Western Operational Research Discussion Society.

*********************

Apart from this, nothing much is known about their personal lives. But recently there was an interesting article published in Dawn.com, which narrates how the two of them formed a duo and developed the Duckworth-Lewis Method.

To understand this, it is important to know the back story of rain affected matches in cricket. When ODI cricket was in its initial stages in the early 1970s, the cricket governing body adopted the rule of taking into consideration the run-rate of the teams.

It was an unfair method because it didn’t consider the number of wickets lost by a team. For example, if a team is chasing a score of 200, it should have at least 100 runs on board by the 25^th over in order to be declared winners. However, the team will qualify to win even if it has lost 9 wickets to reach the score of 100 in 25 overs.

This rule was done away with in the 1990s and ‘Most Productive Overs’ rule was adopted, which turned out to be an embarrassment after the 1992 World Cup Semi-Final between England and South Africa. For the uninitiated, the latter needed 22 runs in 13 balls to win when the rains poured in. After resuming, as per the new method, needed 22 off just 1 ball.

In between in the 1980s, Duckworth had sent his own scoring formula to decide the fate of rain affected matches but it was rejected by the cricket governing body for being ‘too complicated.’

But he saw his chance after the debacle of the 1992 Semi Final. When he was giving a presentation of his method at Royal Statistical Society few months later, Tony Lewis, who was sitting in the audience, got interested in it.

Also read: WC Final 2019 – Cricket won, ICC lost

The two got together, worked out their formula, which came to be known as Duckworth-Lewis Method, and presented it to the cricket governing body which, was then called the ICC. Their formula was accepted since it also took into account the number of wickets lost by teams.

Their method was first implemented on 1 January 1997 in the England v/s Zimbabwe match at Harare. See the scorecard HERE.

Over the years, the method has received numerous criticisms for being unfair. In the same interview with the Dawn, Duckworth also honestly accepts that the method is not foolproof since it doesn’t take into consideration the identity and ability of batsmen who are yet to bat.

Their formula is reviewed and updated every two years. Duckworth and Lewis gave up looking after their formula six years ago as they decided to retire. They handed over its responsibility to Steven Stern, an Australian professor of statistics. Hence, the formula got a new name – DLS method – with the ‘S’ signifying Stern.

Duckworth and Lewis were appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire [MBE] by Queen Elizabeth II in 2010.

Additional reading:

When hearing issues stopped India from winning against England

How Pakistan was saved by rains from a difficult situation in 1992 World Cup