Economy Rate in Cricket: Bowling, Batting, and Tournament Variations
Economy rate measures how many runs are conceded per over — the primary measure of a bowler's efficiency. This article explains how economy rate is calculated, what 'good' looks like across different formats, and how the metric is used for batsmen as well as bowlers.
Bowling Economy Rate Defined
Bowling economy rate is the average number of runs conceded per over of bowling: economy rate = total runs conceded / total overs bowled; a bowler who concedes 240 runs across 40 overs has an economy rate of 6.0; economy rate is distinct from bowling average (which measures runs per wicket taken) — a bowler can have a good economy rate but poor average if they concede few runs but also rarely take wickets; and economy rate is distinct from strike rate (which measures balls per wicket taken — a bowler who takes a wicket every 20 balls has a strike rate of 20). The three metrics together (average, economy rate, and strike rate) form a complete picture of a bowler's efficiency: the best bowlers have low average, low economy rate, and low strike rate — all three simultaneously, which is rare.
What Counts as a Good Economy Rate
Economy rate benchmarks differ significantly by format: in Test cricket, a bowler with an economy rate below 3.0 is considered excellent — the low scoring rates in Tests (averaging approximately 3-3.5 runs per over) mean that conceding at exactly the run rate is average; in ODI cricket, an economy rate below 4.5 is good, below 5.0 is acceptable — ODI scoring rates average 5-5.5 runs per over; and in T20 cricket, an economy rate below 7.0 is considered good, below 8.0 is acceptable — T20 scoring rates average 8-9 runs per over, meaning a bowler at 8.0 is conceding at the average rate. These benchmarks shift over time as overall batting standards improve — an economy rate considered 'excellent' in 2010 T20 cricket may be only 'acceptable' in 2024 T20 cricket due to evolving batting techniques and shorter boundaries.
Batting Economy Rate and Strike Rate
The batting equivalent of bowling economy rate is batting strike rate: batting strike rate = runs scored / balls faced × 100; a batsman who scores 100 runs from 80 balls has a strike rate of 125; in T20 cricket, a batsman with a strike rate below 120 is considered a below-average scorer for the format; and in Tests, strike rate is rarely the primary measure (batting average is used instead) because Test batting's primary goal is long innings rather than rapid scoring. Some analytics platforms calculate a 'batting economy' metric — runs produced per fielding opportunity provided — that attempts to quantify not just scoring speed but also the risk accepted to achieve that speed. The evolution of batting analytics in T20 cricket has produced increasingly nuanced metrics that go beyond the basic strike rate to capture the quality of runs scored relative to the difficulty of the conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Does a wide or no-ball affect the bowler's economy rate?
Yes — wides and no-balls directly affect the bowler's economy rate: wides add penalty runs to the bowler's conceded total and add deliveries to the over count (a 6-ball over with 2 wides is recorded as 1 over with 8 balls delivered and includes the 2 penalty runs in the bowler's conceded total); no-balls similarly add penalty runs and additional deliveries; and the economy rate calculation uses the actual overs completed (including the extra balls from wides and no-balls) rather than the 'ideal overs' count. A bowler who bowls an inaccurate over with 3 wides and 3 no-balls not only concedes extra runs from the penalties but also faces the double disadvantage of their economy rate calculation including those penalty runs — making inaccurate bowling doubly costly in the economy rate metric.
How is economy rate used in team selection?
Economy rate is used in team selection primarily for limited-overs formats where run prevention is as important as wicket-taking: a T20 bowler who consistently has an economy rate of 12+ (conceding at significantly above the average rate) is specifically identified for replacement regardless of their wicket count — conceding too many runs is an independent liability; in ODI cricket, 'death bowling economy rate' (economy rate specifically in overs 41-50) is tracked as a separate metric from overall economy rate — a bowler with a good overall economy rate but a poor death economy rate is kept away from the death overs; and in Test match cricket, economy rate is less central to selection because strike rate (wickets per balls bowled) is prioritised — a Test bowler who concedes at 3.5 economy rate but takes wickets every 50 balls is more valuable than one who concedes at 2.5 but takes wickets every 100 balls.
Are there situations where a high economy rate is acceptable for a bowler?
Yes — context makes specific high-economy-rate bowling performances acceptable or even desirable: when an attacking field (slips, gully, no outfielders) is set specifically to take wickets, the bowling captain accepts a higher economy rate in exchange for wicket probability; a bowler bowling the 'powerplay' overs where the batting team has 7+ infield fielders and boundary gaps allows the bowling team to accept above-average economy for high wicket probability; and when the fielding team is in a dominant position and the match result doesn't depend on run prevention — bowling aiming for wickets at the expense of economy makes sense when the batting team needs 500+ runs to win. Economy rate is always a means to an end (winning the match), not an end in itself — coaches who evaluate bowlers purely by economy rate without considering the match context in which runs were conceded make systematically incorrect assessments.