What happened in the 1992 World Cup semi-final?
England met South Africa in the second semi-final at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 22 March 1992. South Africa, back in international cricket after isolation, won the toss and fielded. They bowled their overs so slowly that both innings were cut from 50 to 45 overs, a time penalty rather than rain.
England made 252 for 6 in 45 overs, so South Africa needed 253. They kept up with the rate, and with 13 balls left they needed 22 runs, a hard but real chance. Then, before the last ball of the 43rd over, rain stopped play for 12 minutes and two overs were lost.
When the players came back, South Africa had one ball left. The official requirement was 21 runs off 1 ball. The scoreboard at the SCG first showed 22 off 7 and then 22 off 1, which is how most fans remember it. South Africa took a single, finished on 232 for 6, and England won by 19 runs.
How did the most productive overs rule work?
In 1992 the rule was simple: when Team 2 lost overs, its target was cut by the runs Team 1 had scored in its least productive overs, as many of them as Team 2 had lost. Team 1's most productive overs were kept, which is where the name comes from.
South Africa lost two overs, so the target came down by the runs England scored in their two lowest-scoring overs. Those two overs had cost England just one run, so the target fell by one run while South Africa lost 12 balls. The rule looked only at runs. It ignored that South Africa still had four wickets in hand and would have used those 12 balls to attack.
That is the flaw the DLS method fixes. DLS treats overs and wickets together as resources, so taking 12 balls away from a team with four wickets left takes away a fair share of what it could still score.
Why did this match change cricket?
The 1992 semi-final is the reason the Duckworth-Lewis method exists. Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis started work on a fairer system after it, and the ICC first used their method in 1997. It became Duckworth-Lewis-Stern in 2014 and is still the ICC's rain rule today.
It also shows why rain rules matter most in close finishes. A target that is slightly off in the 20th over hardly matters; a target that is wrong with one ball left decides a World Cup semi-final.
Below we enter the same match into our DLS calculator. Under DLS, South Africa would have needed 4 off the last ball to win and 3 to tie: still unlikely, but a real chance with a boundary.
What does our DLS calculator give for this match?
| Overs per side | 45 (cut from 50 for South Africa's slow over rate) |
|---|---|
| England | 252 for 6 in 45 overs |
| Rain in the chase | At 42.5 overs, South Africa 231 for 6; 2 overs lost |
| G50 | 245 |
| Our result (Standard Edition) | 235 in 43 overs |
| Target on the day (most productive overs) | 252 in 43 overs (21 off 1 ball) |
| Difference | −17 runs |
The working, step by step:
- Team 1 starts with 45 overs and 10 wickets: 95.0% of resources.
- Team 1 resources, R1 = 95.0%.
- Team 2 starts with 45 overs and 10 wickets: 95.0% of resources.
- Team 2 stoppage at 42.5 overs, 6 down: 2.1 overs left = 7.1%. After losing 2 overs, 0.1 left = 0.6%. Resources lost: 6.5%.
- Team 2 resources, R2 = 88.5%.
- R2 is not more than R1, so par = 252 × 88.5 ÷ 95.0 = 234.76, rounded down to 234. Target = 234 + 1 = 235.
Open these numbers in the calculator
Our calculator uses the published ICC Standard Edition table. International matches and big franchise leagues use the Professional Edition, which runs on ICC software and is not published, so a gap of a few runs is normal. The famous matches page compares every match side by side.
FAQ
What did South Africa need off the last ball in 1992?
The official requirement was 21 runs off 1 ball, a target of 252 in 43 overs. The SCG scoreboard first showed 22 off 7 and then 22 off 1, which is why many fans remember it as 22 off 1.
Would DLS have saved South Africa in 1992?
Not quite. Our calculator gives a target of 235 in 43 overs, so South Africa, on 231 for 6, would have needed 4 off the last ball to win and 3 to tie. That is a real chance, unlike 21 off 1 ball.
Is this match why the Duckworth-Lewis method exists?
Yes. Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis started work on a fairer rain rule after this semi-final, and the ICC first used their method in 1997.