In todays world of technology, cricket is even more reliant on technology. Hundreds of cameras are being situated in the cricket grounds nowadays. Due to all advancement of technologies, even stats of crickets also become more handy than earlier. One of the stats in cricketing game is Batting and Bowling average. But, what is it about the batting and bowling average that makes it worth a mention. How does it even work? In todays’ article, we will see what is batting and bowling average and how it is calculated.
What is Batting Average?
Batting Average in Cricket can be defined as the average number of runs scored by a batter before he gets dismissed every time he comes out to bat for his team. Higher the average, the more effective the batter to score runs consistently. A batting average is an average, and it can vary as the career of a batter evolves over a period of time. The batting average of a batter is an important piece of statistics as it showcases the capability of the batter. Since the number of runs scored by any batter and the number of times he gets out is fairly independent of how his team performs, it becomes an important metric to assess the individual player’s skill as a batter in cricket. Let’s look at how exactly is it calculated.
How to calculate batting average?
The formula to calculate the batting average is pretty straight forward.
*Remember: Number of times a batter got out is not the same as the number of matches a batter has played. In order to calculate the number of times a batter got out we have to deduct number of total Not Outs from Number of time a batter came to bat.
Also Read: What Are Batting And Bowling Strike Rates? How Are They Calculated?
Top 5 batters with highest average in Tests
| Rank | Players | Country | Innings | Not out | Runs | Average |
| 1 | Sir Donald Bradman | Australia | 80 | 10 | 6996 | 99.94 |
| 2 | Adam Voges | Australia | 31 | 7 | 1485 | 61.87 |
| 3 | Steven Smith | Australia | 139 | 17 | 7540 | 61.80 |
| 4 | RG Pollock | South Africa | 41 | 4 | 2256 | 60.97 |
| 5 | George Headly | West Indies | 40 | 4 | 2190 | 60.83 |
The following players have the highest average in Test Cricket. The minimum qualification is 20 innings.
What is Bowling Average?
In cricket, a player’s bowling average is the number of runs they have conceded per wicket taken. The lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly used alongside the economy rate and the strike rate to judge the overall performance of a bowler.
When a bowler has taken only a small number of wickets, their bowling average can be artificially high or low, and unstable. Due to this, qualification restrictions are generally applied when determining which players have the best bowling averages.
How to calculate bowling average?
A cricketer’s bowling average is calculated by dividing the numbers of runs they have conceded by the number of wickets they have taken. While the bowling average is a useful tool for judging bowlers, it has limitations. The location and strength of the opposition are significant factors in a player’s bowling average.
Bowling Average= Runs Conceded/ Wickets Taken
Top 5 Bowlers with best average in Test Cricket among active players
| Rank | Players | Country | Balls | Wickets | Average |
| 1 | Kyle Jamieson | New Zealand | 2086 | 52 | 16.03 |
| 2 | Pat Cummins | Australia | 7734 | 164 | 21.59 |
| 3 | Hasan Ali | Pakistan | 2946 | 70 | 21.68 |
| 4 | Kagiso Rabada | South Africa | 8785 | 213 | 22.75 |
| 5 | Jasprit Bumrah | India | 5201 | 101 | 22.79 |
The following active players have the best average. The minimum qualification is 2000 balls.
