Cricket Batting Average: How It Is Calculated, What It Means, and the Best Career Averages in Test History
Batting average in cricket is calculated as total runs scored divided by the number of times dismissed (not out innings are excluded from the denominator). Don Bradman's Test average of 99.94 is the most famous statistical outlier in any sport. The second-highest Test average with 20+ innings is Steven Smith (approx 60). An average above 50 in Test cricket is elite. In ODI cricket, averages above 40 are considered excellent. The formula: Batting Average = Total Runs / Total Dismissals.
Batting average is the primary individual batting statistic in cricket. It measures how many runs a batter scores, on average, per dismissal. The formula is simple: Total Runs ÷ Total Dismissals. Not out innings are excluded from the denominator — if a batter scores 50* (not out), those 50 runs are included in the total, but the innings is not counted as a dismissal. This means a batter with many not-outs (a lower-order player, for example) can have an inflated average.
The Greatest Averages
Test batting averages (minimum 20 innings): Don Bradman — 99.94 (52 Tests, 6,996 runs, 80 innings, 10 not outs). The next batter in history with 2,000+ runs averages 61 (Herbert Sutcliffe). Steven Smith's career average (through 2024): approximately 59.30. Sachin Tendulkar (most runs — 15,921 at 53.78). The gap between Bradman and the next best is larger than the gap between 2nd place and 100th place. The average career Test batting average across all innings in history is approximately 28.
The Not-Out Problem
Not-out innings inflate batting averages, particularly for lower-order batters who often bat until their partner is dismissed. MS Dhoni's ODI average (50.57) benefited from a high proportion of not-outs (his finishing role meant he was frequently undefeated at the end of a chase). Ben Stokes's batting average (35.9) is considered an understatement — he has numerous incomplete innings. Statistics analysts have developed 'adjusted averages' that include not-outs (dividing by innings instead of dismissals), but these are not the official statistic.
Frequently asked questions
How did Don Bradman end up at 99.94 instead of 100, and what would have happened if he'd scored 4 more runs in his last innings?
Don Bradman's 99.94: the last innings story. Bradman's career Test batting average of 99.94 is one of sport's most famous numbers, and it came tantalisingly close to 100. His last Test innings: 14 August 1948, The Oval, London. Australia vs England (The Invincibles tour — Australia had won 4 Tests before this final match). Bradman needed just 4 runs to average 100. The situation: Bradman walked out to bat in Australia's first innings. The English crowd gave him a standing ovation. Legspinner Eric Hollies (Warwickshire) bowled Bradman second ball (for 0) with a googly. Bradman was bowled for a duck — his final Test innings ended at nought. His average calculated: (6,996 + 4 would have been 7,000 runs) / 70 dismissals = exactly 100.00. Instead: 6,996 / 70 dismissals = 99.94. Why it matters: the story of 'Bradman needed 4 runs for 100' has been told thousands of times and is one of cricket's great 'what ifs.' Popular versions claim Bradman had 'tears in his eyes' and couldn't see Hollies's googly, but this is apocryphal — Bradman himself never confirmed this in writing. Hollies recalled that Bradman played the first ball competently; the second was a googly that beat him. The legacy: 99.94 is as famous as 100 would have been — arguably more famous because of its incompleteness. It has been the subject of books, songs, and documentaries. The number 99.94 is arguably the most recognisable statistic in world sport, comparable to Wayne Gretzky's 2,857 NHL points or Michael Jordan's 6 championships in 6 Finals.