Before Duckworth-Lewis, limited-overs cricket used much simpler rain rules. The best known was the Average Run Rate (ARR) method: take the first team's runs per over and multiply it by the overs the second team will get. It is easy to work out on the back of a scorecard, which is why some local leagues still use it. This calculator recreates it and shows why professional cricket abandoned it.
How to use the Average Run Rate calculator
- Enter Team 1's runs.
- Enter the overs Team 1 faced, in cricket notation.
- Enter the overs available to Team 2 after the interruption.
- Read the ARR target, the par score, Team 1's run rate and the rate Team 2 needs.
The Average Run Rate formula
Team 1 run rate = Team 1 runs ÷ Team 1 overs
Par = Team 1 run rate × Team 2 overs
Target = Par (rounded down) + 1
As with all run-rate maths, overs are converted to balls first, so 46.3 overs is 279 balls or 46.5 overs in decimal.
Worked example
Team 1 scores 250 in 50 overs, a run rate of 5.00. Rain means Team 2 can face only 30 overs. Par = 5.00 × 30 = 150, so the target is 151 in 30 overs, a required rate of 5.03.
Why the Average Run Rate method was replaced
The method has one large flaw: it ignores wickets. Team 1 had to pace a 50-over innings while protecting its ten wickets. Team 2, facing only 30 overs, can attack from the first ball because it has the same ten wickets to use over far fewer deliveries. A target of 151 in 30 overs with ten wickets is much easier than 251 in 50 overs.
The DLS method fixes this by treating overs and wickets together as resources. In the DLS calculator, the same situation (30 overs, no wickets lost) gives Team 2 75.1% of the resources, and a target of 188, not 151.
The method can also be unfair the other way. If Team 1 scores quickly in a short innings that is then interrupted, Team 2 can be set a target that ignores how many wickets Team 1 had left when its innings was cut short.
Rain rules in history
South Africa v England, 1992 World Cup semi-final
- Before the rain
- South Africa needed 22 from 13 balls
- After the rain
- 21 from 1 ball
- Rule used
- Most Productive Overs method
This match is often wrongly blamed on the Average Run Rate method. It actually used the Most Productive Overs rule, which removed Team 1's least productive overs. The outcome was so absurd that it hastened the search for a better system, which led to Duckworth-Lewis.
Average Run Rate, Most Productive Overs and DLS compared
- Average Run Rate: scales by overs only. Favours the chasing side when overs are lost.
- Most Productive Overs: keeps Team 1's best-scoring overs equal to Team 2's allowance. Tends to punish the chasing side.
- DLS: scales by resources (overs and wickets). Used in all international limited-overs cricket today.
When the ARR method is still useful
- Club and school matches with no access to the DLS table or software.
- Quick estimates during a match, as long as everyone knows it favours the chasing side.
- Understanding cricket history and why rain rules evolved.
Common mistakes
- Using decimal overs. Always convert 46.3 to 46.5 before multiplying.
- Forgetting the extra run. Matching par only ties; the target is one more.
- Applying ARR in professional matches. International matches use DLS under ICC playing conditions.
Once a revised target is set, track the chase with the required run rate calculator.
