All Equal under the Sun. A Normative Analysis of the Duckworth-Lewis Rule

This essay identifies the concept of equality implicit in the Duckworth-Lewis rain rule and confronts it with the responsibility-sensitive egalitarian ideal advocated by such philosophers as Rawls, Dworkin and Scanlon. While exposing the relatively ad hoc nature of the rule, arguments are forwarded in favour of a more explicit rendering of the rule's conception of equality. To this end, a more egalitarian ideal is developed based upon the principle of responsibility. According to such a concept of equality, compensation and reward are respectively defined in relation to the limits of one's responsibility: that is, while one should be compensated for the consequences of events deemed beyond one's responsibility, one should nevertheless be able to keep the fruits of actions for which one is held responsible. The possible implications of this approach for the game of cricket are elaborated in detail.