What happened in Durban in 2003?
South Africa hosted the 2003 World Cup and had to beat Sri Lanka at Kingsmead, Durban, on 3 March to stay in it. Sri Lanka batted first and made 268 for 9 in 50 overs, with 124 from Marvan Atapattu.
With rain on the way, the South African dressing room worked out the Duckworth-Lewis figure for 45 overs and sent the number out to the batters: 229. Mark Boucher took South Africa to 229 for 6 with one ball of the 45th over left, then blocked the last ball, believing the job was done.
Rain arrived at the end of the over and no more play was possible. South Africa were 229 for 6 after 45 overs, exactly on the D/L par score. The match was tied, and the tie knocked the hosts out of their own World Cup. Shaun Pollock lost the captaincy soon after.
Why did 229 only tie the match?
Sri Lanka batted their full 50 overs, so they used 100% of their resources. When play ended, South Africa had 5 overs left with 6 wickets down, which is worth 14.3% in the resource table. They had used the other 85.7%.
Par = 268 × 85.7 ÷ 100 = 229.68, rounded down to 229
The par score is the score that ties the match if play ends there. To win, South Africa needed one more run: 230. Their sheet was correct; it was read as the winning target instead of the tie.
The timing made it worse. If the rain had come one ball earlier, after 44.5 overs, the par would have been 228, and 229 would have won the match.
What is the lesson for every team?
Know the difference between the par score and the target, and know which one you are looking at. A DLS par score table shows the score to tie at each over; beat it by one run to be ahead. During a chase, the live DLS par tracker tells you after every over whether you are ahead, level or behind if play stops now.
Our calculator, using today's Standard Edition table, gives the same par for this match: 229.
What does our DLS calculator give for this match?
| Overs per side | 50 |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka | 268 for 9 in 50 overs |
| Rain in the chase | At 45 overs, South Africa 229 for 6; the last 5 overs lost |
| G50 | 245 |
| Our result (Standard Edition) | Par 229 at 45 overs |
| Par score on the day (D/L) | Par 229 at 45 overs (match tied) |
| Difference | Same |
The working, step by step:
- Team 1 starts with 50 overs and 10 wickets: 100.0% of resources.
- Team 1 resources, R1 = 100.0%.
- Team 2 starts with 50 overs and 10 wickets: 100.0% of resources.
- Team 2 innings ended at 45 overs, 6 down, with 5 overs left = 14.3%. All of it is lost.
- Team 2 resources, R2 = 85.7%.
- R2 is not more than R1, so par = 268 × 85.7 ÷ 100.0 = 229.68, rounded down to 229. Team 2 wins if they scored more than 229 and the match is tied on 229.
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
Why was the 2003 South Africa vs Sri Lanka match a tie?
Rain ended the match with South Africa on 229 for 6 after 45 overs. Under Duckworth-Lewis the par score at that point was 229, and a score exactly on par is a tie. South Africa needed 230 to win.
What is the difference between a par score and a target?
The par score ties the match if play ends at that point. The target is the par score plus one run. South Africa's dressing room passed on the par figure as if it were the target.
Would one more run have won it?
Yes. 230 for 6 would have been one run above par, and South Africa would have won on Duckworth-Lewis. Mark Boucher blocked the last ball before the rain, thinking the match was already won.
Sources
- ICC: Cricket World Cup memories, Sri Lanka v South Africa 2003
- Wikipedia: Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, the 2003 worked example
- Wikipedia: 2003 Cricket World Cup
- The Papare: Durban will always hold a special place for Sri Lanka
- ICC playing conditions: Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method, with the Standard Edition resource table and worked examples (PDF)
- ECB: Duckworth/Lewis/Stern methodology, March 2026 (PDF)