Duckworth, Lewis and Senaka
Posted on March 16th, 2026
Rohan Abeygunawardena
Frank Duckworth (left) and Tony Lewis (right) collecting their MBEs in 2010 (PA)
Professor Steven Stern live in Sri Lanka
Professor Steven Stern at the BMICH on March 13, 2026
Senaka Weeraratna
Inventor of the Player Referral System in Sports
Renamed as DRS (Decision Review System) for Cricket by the ICC without consent of inventor
Whose brainchild has had a greater impact on the adjudicatory process of world cricket?
by Senaka Decision Review System (SDRS)- Why Not?
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/210815/sports/duckworth-lewis-and-senaka-452374.html
https://share.google/aimode/zWWDy5K1ZAzmJIXAN
An Appeal to All Cricket Lovers in Sri Lanka
It is high time that Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) made representations to the ICC to rename the Decision Review System (DRS) as the Senaka Decision Review System (SDRS), in due recognition of Sri Lankan Lawyer Senaka Weeraratne who first initiated this system, by writing to the Australian Papers in 1997.
There is not a single published article suggesting a Player Referral in Cricket or, in any other sport, before his letter to the Editor of The Australian”.
All available evidence is that Senaka’s letter was the first to suggest a Referral System for Cricket. It appears there was no such system or mechanism even in other Sports, prior to March 25, 1997.
The mechanism is similar to the review of a lower court decision by an Appeal court judge and, being a Lawyer himself, Cricket enthusiast Senaka Weeraratne suggested this idea to overcome criticisms against Umpiring decisions floating around the cricketing world for a long time. In fact, in the good old days, when there was a questionable decision by an umpire, unhappy spectators used to shout Umpire Hora”, which literally means the umpire is a rogue. Now, such allegations against field umpires are not heard, at least at international matches.
I request all Sri Lankan Cricket lovers to read an article published in The Papare.com on the subject, which explains Senaka’s rightful claim to authorship of the ‘Player Referral’ mechanism which is the lynchpin of the DRS. I quote:
Generally, all inventions carry the name of the founder. In the case of rain-affected One-Day International Cricket, the nomenclature ‘Duckworth & Lewis’ method is used because it is a system worked out by 2 Englishmen (Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis). Why is it not the same with the DRS? Is it because the man who conceived and, for the first time in the world, wrote and published the essential ingredients of the ‘ Player Referral’ mechanism, which became the foundation of the DRS, in leading international cricket Journals and newspapers, as far back as March 1997, is non-white? Senaka Weeraratna from Sri Lanka has been fighting for justice since his brainchild came to be used in Cricket. His request for an impartial investigation and proper hearing by an independent 3rd party arbitrator, has not even been considered.”
As Cricket lovers of Sri Lanka, we appeal to Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials and the Ministry of Sports to step in and make representation to the ICC, to recognise Senaka Weeraratna’s brainchild and rename the term as Senaka Decision Review System (SDRS). It would be a great honour not only to the initiator Senaka, but also to Sri Lanka.
https://www.sundaytimes.lk/180916/sports/cricket-catastrophe-diagnosed-311484.html
DLS and DRS (based on Player Referral) are new additions to Cricket. Between the two methods, which one is more far reaching in impact and value to the game?https://www.lankaweb.com/news/items/2026/03/15/dls-and-drs-based-on-player-referral-are-new-additions-to-cricket-between-the-two-methods-which-one-is-more-far-reaching-in-impact-and-value-to-the-game/