Fleming calls D/L method rubbish, wants change in T20 rain-rule

“Duckworth-Lewis is rubbish. As soon as you get to D/L, the game is over. I’ve been saying that for years. The others have said it as well but there’s no point carrying on too much about it,” a disgusted Fleming said after his team’s campaign turned from bad to worse losing to KKR by eight wickets on Saturday.  “It needs to be addressed. 

There’s no willingness to change. It’s not made for a T20 game. It’s just ridiculous really and until it’s addressed you just hope the sky doesn’t open up,” Fleming said. The Supergiants, who are out of race for a last four berth, suffered after they were set to defend 66 from nine overs as per D/L method, a target Knight Riders knocked off in five overs.

Opting to bat on a slow and turning wicket, Supergiants crawled to 103/6 in 17.4 overs with skipper MS Dhoni in the midst of one of his slowest innings of eight not out from 22 balls when rain interrupted the proceedings. But the Kiwi defended the ‘Captain Cool’ and said they could have got to a score of 135-plus which would have been a par on a turning surface.

“We could have got 135 or 140, maybe 25 runs in the last three overs. We thought 135 would have been a good score. With Dhoni there we were looking those last two overs in particular. “But we were denied that, so that’s one aspect of our score. It was slowing, turning. Probably it would have got slower if there was no rain,” he lamented. “The track was turning.

 We knew it would have been a difficult chase with our spinners but as soon as D/L came in, the game was over. As simple as that.” 

Asked about Dhoni’s unusually slow innings, he said, “It was a difficult pitch to bat on and we lost wickets because the ball turned. It was difficult score. We knew we would lose wickets with that type of pitch. With spinners on, it would have been a difficult chase.