The Australian domestic cricket season got underway on Friday, but not without controversy. The Junction Oval was encompassed with dispute around the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method (DLS) that leads us to think: is the DLS system ruining cricket?
The Marsh Cup promised to kick the domestic season off with a bang with the first fixture featuring the two oldest and most successful state teams in Australia: New South Wales, and Victoria.
Victoria won the toss and elected to bowl, likely to see how the pitch was playing so early in the season. The sun was shining down on the Junction Oval as the players jogged out onto the pitch, looking to dust off some cobwebs and set a good precedent for the season.
The new skipper and NSW veteran Dan Hughes made their way to the crease to face a youthful Victorian bowling attack. They put on a 50-run partnership where both openers tore apart Mitch Perry before Murphy took off Patterson’s leg stump with an arm-ball to claim the first wicket of the summer.
After the slip-up from the skipper, Dan Hughes kept going in remarkable fashion, carving out a classy innings, continuing to etch his name alongside the best to have played one-day cricket for New South Wales.
He reached his seventh one-day century for NSW, putting him above the likes of Smith, Warner, Haddin, Maddinson and Phil Jacques in the race for the most one-day hundreds. His 117 also meant he surpassed Warner into 11th place on the state’s all-time run-scorers chart with 1656 at 57.10.
(Photo by Matt King/Getty Images)
Murphy was the pick of the hosts bowlers who also claimed Sangha and finished an economical spell of 2-29 from his 10 overs. Henriques and Gilkes provided the support for Hughes in partnerships of 87 and 88 second and third-wicket partnerships as the Vics started eying off the 300-run mark with 10 overs to go.
However, both Hughes and Gilkes fell to Merlo in the space of four balls as the Blues reigned in the Bushrangers’ middle order, keeping them to a total of 277 runs.
Will Pucovski returned to List A cricket from his latest concussion and Mackenzie Harvey started the run-chase off brightly before rain intervened after nine overs. After the resumption, Pucovski and Harris both fell in the space of five balls to swing the momentum back to the Blues with Victoria at 3-130 after 25 overs.
The rain loomed over the horizon once more, turning the final four overs into a tense predicament. Handscomb, the Bushrangers captain, alongside Matt Short kept Victoria ahead of the par DLS score until the last ball of the 28th over in which they had to be in front of to win if play was stopped.
With the game tied and Victoria level with the par score at 3-148, the players and umpires started to shape to leave the field due to bad light. However, Peter Handscomb had different idea about the situation and pleaded with the umpires at the end of the 28th to remain on the field so they could get ahead of the par score.
After much persuasion, the umpires gave in, and the game continued.
Kurtis Patterson allowed the game to continue by bowling his part-time spinner, Jason Sangha. Matt Short was able to hit the last ball of the over for six, getting ahead of the par score. Once they got ahead of the game Handscomb took off his gloves and walked off the field, claiming there was not enough light, although it had gotten lighter since the previous over when he persuaded the umpires to stay on.
Brendon Julian put it like this: “Any excuse to get off the ground and not play looks to be the first thing first in his mind. Peter Handscomb pleaded with the umpire to say we want to stay out and get ahead of the run rate, bowl the spinner and we will stay out here. They got ahead and suddenly Peter Handscomb took his gloves off and started walking off saying the light’s bad… it should never be up to the players.
“Kurtis Patterson, the captain of NSW out there pleading, trying to get the umpires to start this game, but the umpire, Phil Gillespie, is saying it is unsafe to play. This is just a joke, a sad indictment for cricket.”
A sad indictment for cricket indeed to see that a player can selfishly take advantage of a fault in the rules and lead his team to victory because of that. Forget about cricket being a gentleman’s game, with the way that game out there was played today you’d think it were individuals bending the rules for one’s own advantage. Is the Duckworth-Lewis system encouraging and bringing about that sort of behaviour?
Who determines what a par score is when you are chasing a total in the first place? Whatever happens from now on, Australia must take a good look at this DLS system by either changing it or condemning those actions took by Handscomb to alter a game’s outcome to prevent them from becoming a regular occurrence.
Nevertheless, Matt Short, in the pressure and situation of the game, capitalised and led his team to victory in the inaugural game of the season. Whether that win sets a good precedent for the season is yet to be seen.
It could foster an unhealthy environment in the Victorian dressing room or set them up for the rest of the season but what we have learnt is that the DLS system has the implications in which players feel they can take advantage of the system and alter it to suit their ideals.
Were the players’ actions gentlemanly and honourable in the way cricket was intended to be played? I don’t think so.
Is the DLS system ruining the game or does it just add another facet that tests the character of the players and the spirit in which the game is played? If it’s the latter, did they pass?
Joshua Makepeace
Roar Rookie
A fairer way could be that if an umpire stop the game, that's that and the game's off. This could be problematic, but would stop players being able to influence the umpires and the outcome of the game.
Chanon
Roar Rookie
It was dark he didn’t want to suffer from a ba@@ hitting him in the groin :laughing:
Rellum
Roar Guru
Matt Elliot looks like he just came down off the mountain to watch his son
Rellum
Roar Guru
Morris looks impressive. Making Handscomb looking foolish with his technique
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
Imagine if a dropped catch could change the shape of the vase.
Rowdy
Roar Rookie
I feel as tho rain affects a game like when a vase breaks. No matter how well glued back together the integrity has been marred. Mathematical equations alone do not allow for the ever-changing fluidic nature of the game.
Tony
Roar Guru
It's pretty simple really
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
I didn't watch the game, but that's all fair enough JL Carter.
JL Carter
Guest
Arguably, it was Kurtis Patterson who tried to alter the game's outcome by bringing on a bowler that would force the umpires to stop play. After Peter Handscomb complained to the umpires, play continued without the bowling the change - but not necessarily because about it. At the end of the 24th over, the umpires ruled that it was too dangerous for a quick bowler to operate. As Victoria were ahead of the par score, Patterson bowled Sangha instead of Hatcher and play continued. At the end of the 28th over, Victoria was level with the par score (and hence behind the target) . However, apparently both teams thought NSW was in the winning position. Patterson tried to bring on Hatcher instead of Sangha, which would have caused play to finish. Handscomb complained to the umpires about Patterson being happy to bowl Sangha when they were behind, but taking him off as soon as NSW got in front. The umpires clarified that scores were in fact tied and play continued with Patterson bowling Sangha. Both sides knew bad light would stop play at the end of that over as Patterson only had quicks left to bowl the following over (Lyon had finished his overs). Victoria had played conservatively so as not to lose a wicket and fall behind the DLS par score. However, knowing they would lose if the didn't score 4 off the last ball of the 29th over, Short went the slog, hit a six and the players went off the field. When play couldn't resume, Victoria won the game. Had Short not scored a boundary, they still would have gone off with NSW winning. To quote espnCricInfo: "Not quite sure what to make of that, to be honest," NSW batter Daniel Hughes said. "It was fairly dark for the last hour. Obviously the agreement was we were going to bowl spin and we didn't have any overs left, Gaz [Lyon] had bowled out and Sangha was basically our only spinner. That last over, [it was a] bit disappointing they hit the last one for six, think after that it would have been the end because we couldn't bowl anyone else. That's the way it is, bit of a shambles at the end." However, Hughes did agree it was hard to see the ball. "The umpires tried to get as much cricket out of it as they could," he said. "I was sitting down at fine leg and third man and I could tell that it was it was quite dark...hard to see the ball square the wicket. "When that comes into play and you've got quicks bowling 130-140kph it is quite dangerous...so it's just disappointing we can't play at a ground with lights because we'd still be out there."
Don Freo
Roar Rookie
It hardly "ruins" cricket. DLS only comes into play when it rains. In those cases it is the rain that "ruins" that game, not DLS. It certainly doesn't ruin cricket as a sport.
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
G'day Daniel. That scene you described is totally bizarre. The one situation where DLS get the numbers right is actually this one - when the team batting first had full access to their maximum overs and then the chasing innings is prematurely terminated without prior warning. So the numbers, while not precisely the same as mine, were sound. However, if they had gotten back on, the blanket target that would have been set under DLS would have been as ludicrous as Handscome's behaviour. Cheers mate, I'm here if you want to have a long conversation about the overall absence of merit in the majority of things about DLS.
The Knightwatchmen who say Nii
Roar Rookie
It's actually not a hell of a lot better than the two or three methods it replaced - it's only comfortably better in one specific situation from at least half a dozen situation types. For the rest, it is every bit as bad.
carnivean
Roar Rookie
100% agreed. The author is conflating 2 issues, either to push an agenda or to get clicks. DLS might not be perfect but it's far better than anything that came before it.
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Did he think (rightly or wrongly) that the teams were level, and wanted to win rather than abandon play and settle for a tie ? Was there confusion a la Shaun Pollock and the SA-SL tie in the 2003 World Cup ?
JGK
Roar Guru
Why did Patterson agree to bowl Sangha?
All day Roseville all day
Roar Guru
Sounds like a match-management issue, not a DLS issue. A similar thing could occur at the end of a long-format game, if a team that is chasing in poor light with wickets in hand suddenly collapses and is fighting to force a draw. The Laws and competition playing conditions make the umpires the sole judges of the fitness of ground, weather and light. As long as they are independent and consistent, and maintain control of the game, there won't be any problems. Neither side has a right of veto. "Appealing against the light" is no longer possible. If one side leaves the field while the umpires deem conditions to be fit, they forfeit the match.
Arnab Bhattacharya
Roar Guru
I have no problem with Victoria doing what they did. However, white ball games must always be played on grounds with sufficient floodlights. No white ball game should ever be played at Junction Oval until they fix the floodlights. Umpires and players had their hands tied unfortunately