WHEN ONE EQUALS TWO

Jan 05, 2019 Features / Columnists, Peeping Tom

Guyanese have a way of making fun of situations. One of the jokes making the rounds around town is that the West Indies Cricket team which lost the One Day 50-Overs cricket series against Bangladesh by two games to one should call for a review of the decision to award Bangladesh the series.
It is being contended that there is a new formula for calculating a majority, and under this new formula Bangladesh did not win an absolute majority of the matches played. As such the organizers of the 50- Overs One Day Tournament are being asked to reverse or review their decision.
Those asking for the review are arguing that since three matches were played, half of that 3 is 1.5. But since you cannot have a half of a match, it means the 1.5 has to be rounded to 2. Therefore, in order for Bangladesh to have won the majority of the matches, they needed half plus one which is 2+1= 3. It is therefore being claimed that for Bangladesh to have been awarded the series, they needed to win all three matches.
The formula has been subject to criticism. Those against it contend that all Bangladesh needed to do was to win one more than the West Indies to win the series. But supporters of the new formula have argued that this is not so since, according to them one is equal to two and therefore Bangladesh really needed to win the series by two matches and not by a single match.
Those calling for a review of a reversal of this decision to award Bangladesh the series have even gone to the trouble of proving that one is equal to two. Here is the proof as provided:
If A=B, Then A2 – AB = A2 – B2. However, A2 – B2 = (A+B)(A-B). Therefore: A2 – AB = (A+B)(A-B)
Factorizing the left hand side of the equation we obtain: Therefore: A (A-B) = (A+B)(A-B).
Dividing both sides by (A-B) gives A=A+B
However since A is equal to B, it means that A=A+A or A= 2A. Dividing both sides by A gives 1 = 2
Therefore, one is equal to two. And if one more is needed for a majority, then, in fact, two more are really needed. As such, Bangladesh really needed to win the series by two matches to be declared the winners.

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