Explain · Like I'm five version
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method in terms of a rained-off picnic
Why does the game keep changing its mind just because the clouds have decided to join in?
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method is just like trying to finish a picnic while the sky starts to leak. Imagine you have brought ten sandwiches to the park, but halfway through your lunch, a big grey cloud starts tipping water over your blanket. You have to pack up early, so you look at your two best friends and decide who ate the most bread before the dampness set in. The people who make the cricket rules do the same thing with runs and overs.
Because the game has to end when the rain gets too heavy, the team that is still dry has to guess how many runs they might have scored if they had finished their picnic. They look at how many chances they had left to eat and how many slices they had already gobbled up. It is basically maths for people who really wanted to stay outside all afternoon but were forced to go home because of the puddles.
It is a very clever way to be fair when the weather is being a bit of a nuisance. You compare the leftover food to the number of batters still waiting for their turn, and then you shout out a new target. It stops everyone from having a strop when they have to leave the park, even though the sandwiches are now a bit soggy and nobody actually finished their juice box.
Where the analogy breaks downCricket scores are calculated by complex computer software, while a soggy picnic is just ruined by your mum.