Cricket Batting and Bowling Averages: What They Mean and How They Are Calculated
Batting and bowling averages are the primary statistics used to measure cricketer performance. This guide explains how they are calculated, what they mean, and their limitations.
Batting and bowling averages are the most widely used statistics in cricket for comparing player performance. A batting average represents runs scored per dismissal; a bowling average represents runs conceded per wicket taken. Both are simple calculations, but understanding their limitations is as important as understanding their meaning.
Calculating the Batting Average
Batting average = Total runs scored ÷ Number of dismissals. A batter who scores 500 runs and is dismissed 10 times has an average of 50. Not-out innings are excluded from the dismissal count — if a batter scores 50 not-out, those 50 runs count toward the total but the innings does not count as a dismissal. This is why batters who frequently bat not-out (often lower-order players) can have inflated averages relative to their contribution.
Calculating the Bowling Average
Bowling average = Total runs conceded ÷ Total wickets taken. A bowler who takes 20 wickets while conceding 600 runs has an average of 30. A lower bowling average is better — it means fewer runs conceded per wicket. The bowling average does not account for economy rate or strike rate, so two bowlers with the same average can have very different contributions — one taking wickets cheaply in bursts, the other taking them slowly but economically.
Limitations of Averages
Averages do not capture context — a batter averaging 50 in Test cricket against top-tier attacks is far more impressive than the same average in second-division county cricket. They do not capture contribution timing — a century when the team needs 300 to avoid follow-on is worth more than a century in an already-dominant position. Modern cricket analysis increasingly uses context-adjusted statistics such as WinViz or Player Impact to supplement raw averages.
Frequently asked questions
What is considered a good batting average in Test cricket?
An average above 40 in Test cricket is considered good; above 50 is excellent and places a batter among the elite. Only 27 batters in history have a Test batting average above 50 in careers of 20 or more innings. Bradman's average of 99.94 remains the outlier that no batter has approached.
What is a good bowling average in Test cricket?
An average below 25 in Test cricket is considered excellent; below 30 is good at the top level. The all-time Test bowling average leaders are dominated by players from the 19th and early 20th centuries, when batting pitches were less consistently prepared. In the modern era, a Test bowling average below 28 is typically elite.