Microsoft's attempt to use machine learning to improve on the Duckworth-Lewis method in cricket has been dismissed by the current custodian of the system. For the uninitiated, the Duckworth-Lewis method, or D/L method for short, is used to calculate the score that the team batting second in a limited overs cricket match needs to reach if the match is affected by rain. For example, if the team batting first scores 400 in 50 overs for five wickets, but rain reduces the second team's innings to 40 overs, the D/L method may put forward a score of 300. It was invented by statisticians Frank Duckworth and Tony Lewis and was first used in 1997 in a match between England and Zimbabwe. It is now regularly used at matches at all levels.