Strike Rate vs Batting Average: What Each Statistic Actually Measures
The two primary batting statistics — average (runs per dismissal) and strike rate (runs per 100 balls) — what each actually measures, why they capture different aspects of batting value, how the relative importance of each changes between formats (average dominates in Test evaluation; strike rate in T20 evaluation), why some elite batsmen have high averages but modest strike rates (or vice versa), and the emerging composite statistics that try to combine both measures.
What Average Measures
Batting average is calculated as total runs scored / total dismissals. A batsman who scores 5,000 runs and is dismissed 100 times has an average of 50. Average measures a batsman's scoring sustainability — how many runs they contribute before the cost of their dismissal. In Test cricket, where an innings may last hundreds of balls and a dismissal costs the team the rest of the session's batting potential, average is the primary evaluative statistic. A Test average above 40 is considered good; above 50 is excellent; above 60 is great. Don Bradman's career Test average of 99.94 is the benchmark — representing innings of approximately 100 runs before each dismissal on average.
What Strike Rate Measures
Strike rate is calculated as (runs scored / balls faced) × 100. A batsman who scores 60 runs from 40 balls has a strike rate of 150. Strike rate measures how quickly a batsman scores — crucial in limited-overs cricket where the total overs available is fixed and each ball represents a fixed fraction of the batting resource. In T20 cricket, where each ball is 1/120th of the innings, a low strike rate (consuming balls without scoring) is as damaging as an early dismissal. A T20 strike rate of 120-130 is average; 150-160 is excellent; 180+ represents elite power hitting. A batsman who scores 50 from 70 balls in T20 (strike rate 71) has contributed fewer team runs per ball than the over limit permits.
When Each Dominates Selection
Test cricket selection weights average heavily because a batsman's primary value is batting volume — the team needs them to bat long and score many runs before dismissal. Test matches have no over restriction, so consuming balls without scoring is not a structural problem (as long as the scoring rate doesn't fall so low that declaration becomes impossible). T20 cricket selection weights strike rate heavily — a batsman averaging 35 with a 140 strike rate is more valuable than one averaging 42 with a 110 strike rate, because the higher strike rate contributes more runs to the fixed-ball total. ODI cricket requires both: a balance of survival (average) and scoring rate (strike rate) is needed for optimal 50-over batting.
Frequently asked questions
Can a batsman have a very high average but low strike rate in T20?
Yes — a batsman who scores 40 runs from 60 balls across multiple T20 innings before getting out has a high average (40) but a low strike rate (67). This profile is almost counterproductive in T20 cricket — the batsman is consuming overs without scoring at the rate the format demands. In practice, such players are not selected for T20 squads because T20 selection criteria specifically weight strike rate. However, in Test cricket, this same profile (40 average, low scoring rate) might be excellent — a Test opener who scores 40 before each dismissal while consuming many overs is genuinely valuable for their survival time, even at a low scoring rate.
How do batting averages change when 'not outs' are involved?
Not-out innings (innings where the batsman is not dismissed — the allotted overs run out or the team declares) do not count as dismissals in the average calculation. A batsman who scores 60* (not out) contributes 60 runs to the numerator but 0 to the denominator (divisor remains the same). This inflates the average for batsmen who frequently bat in 'finish the innings' roles — tail-enders who bat through the death overs in T20 or no.11 batsmen who remain not out in Test defeats often have inflated averages. Some statisticians adjust for this by calculating 'average per innings' (total runs / total innings) rather than 'average per dismissal' to reduce this distortion.
What is a good strike rate in each format?
In Tests, strike rate is rarely the primary evaluation metric, but a Test strike rate of 50-60 is considered normal; 60-70 is good; above 80 is aggressive for a Test batsman. In ODIs: 80-90 is adequate; 90-100 is good; 100+ is excellent for a batsman who also averages above 35. In T20Is: 120-130 is adequate; 140-150 is good; 160-180 is excellent; above 180 is elite hitting. These benchmarks also depend on position — opening batsmen in T20s typically need higher strike rates than lower-order finishers, because they face more deliveries and set the innings's run-rate foundation.