Batting average (cricket)
In cricket, a players' batting average is the total number of runs they have scored divided by the number of times they have been out, usually given to two decimal places. Since the number of runs a player scores and how often they get out are primarily measures of their own playing ability, and largely independent of their teammates, batting average is a good metric for an individual player's skill as a batter (although the practice of drawing comparisons between players on this basis is not without criticism[1]). The number is also simple to interpret intuitively. If all the batter's innings were completed (i.e. they were out every innings), this is the average number of runs they score per innings. If they did not complete all their innings (i.e. some innings they finished not out), this number is an estimate of the unknown average number of runs they score per innings.
Each player normally has several batting averages, with a different figure calculated for each type of match they play (first-class, one-day, Test matches, List A, T20, etc.), and a player's batting averages may be calculated for individual seasons or series, or at particular grounds, or against particular opponents, or across their whole career.
Batting average has been used to gauge cricket players' relative skills since the 18th century.
Values
Most players have career batting averages in the range of 20 to 40. This is also the desirable range for
- All-rounders who are more prominent bowlersthan batsmen typically average something between 20 and 30.
- 15 and under is typical for specialist bowlers.
- A small number of players have averaged less than 5 for a complete career, though a player with such an average is a liability unless an exceptional bowler such as Alf Valentine, B. S. Chandrasekhar or Glenn McGrath were.
Career records for batting average are usually subject to a minimum qualification of 20
Disregarding this 20 innings qualification, the highest career Test batting average is 144 by Kurtis Patterson, who scored 144 runs and was dismissed once in his two Test innings. He then fell out of the Australian squad due to a loss of form and injury.
Batting averages in
Interpretation
If a batter has been dismissed in every single innings, then this statistic gives exactly the average number of runs they score per innings.
However, for a batter with one or more innings which finished
Batting averages can be strongly affected by the number of not outs. For example, Phil Tufnell, who was noted for his poor batting,[5] has an apparently respectable ODI average of 15 (from 20 games), despite a highest score of only 5 not out, as he scored an overall total of 15 runs from 10 innings, but was out only once.[6]
A batter who has not been dismissed in any of the innings over which their average is being calculated does not have a batting average, as division by zero does not give a result.[7]
Leading male batting averages
Test matches
A batting average of above 50 is considered by many as a benchmark to distinguish between a good and a great batsman.[8] Highest male career batting averages in Test matches as follows:
Rank | Batter | Tests | Innings | Not out |
Runs | High Score |
Average | Test career dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Don Bradman | 52 | 80 | 10 | 6,996 | 334 | 99.94 | 1928–48 |
2 | Harry Brook | 12 | 20 | 1 | 1,181 | 186 | 62.15 | 2022-2023 |
3 | Adam Voges | 20 | 31 | 7 | 1,485 | 269* | 61.87 | 2015–16 |
4 | Graeme Pollock | 23 | 41 | 4 | 2,256 | 274 | 60.97 | 1963–70 |
5 | George Headley | 22 | 40 | 4 | 2,190 | 270* | 60.83 | 1930–54 |
6 | Herbert Sutcliffe | 54 | 84 | 9 | 4,555 | 194 | 60.73 | 1924–35 |
7 | Eddie Paynter | 20 | 31 | 5 | 1,540 | 243 | 59.23 | 1931–39 |
8 | Ken Barrington | 82 | 131 | 15 | 6,806 | 256 | 58.67 | 1955–68 |
9 | Everton Weekes | 48 | 81 | 5 | 4,455 | 207 | 58.61 | 1948–58 |
10 | Wally Hammond | 85 | 140 | 16 | 7,249 | 336* | 58.45 | 1927–47 |
Qualification for inclusion: 20 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 8 January 2024. |
First-class
Highest career batting averages in first-class cricket as follows:
Rank | Batter | Matches | Innings | N.O. | Runs | Highest | Ave | First Class career dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Don Bradman | 234 | 338 | 43 | 28,067 | 452* | 95.14 | 1927–49 |
2 | Vijay Merchant | 150 | 234 | 46 | 13,470 | 359* | 71.64 | 1929–51 |
3 | George Headley | 103 | 164 | 22 | 9,921 | 344* | 69.86 | 1927–54 |
4 | Sarfaraz Khan | 48 | 71 | 11 | 4,112 | 301* | 68.53 | 2014–24 |
5 | Ajay Sharma | 129 | 166 | 16 | 10,120 | 259* | 67.46 | 1984–2001 |
6 | Bill Ponsford | 162 | 235 | 23 | 13,819 | 437 | 65.18 | 1920–34 |
7 | Bill Woodfull | 174 | 245 | 39 | 13,388 | 284 | 64.99 | 1921–34 |
8 | Kamindu Mendis | 46 | 71 | 6 | 4,164 | 200* | 64.01 | 2018–24 |
9 | Shantanu Sugwekar | 85 | 122 | 18 | 6,563 | 299* | 63.10 | 1987–2002 |
10 | KC Ibrahim
|
60 | 89 | 12 | 4,716 | 250 | 61.24 | 1938–50 |
Qualification for inclusion: 50 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 27 April 2024. |
One Day Internationals
Highest career batting averages in One Day International cricket as follows:
Rank | Batter | ODIs | Innings | N.O. | Runs | Highest | Ave | ODI career dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Ryan ten Doeschate | 33 | 32 | 9 | 1,541 | 119 | 67.00 | 2006–11 |
2 | Shubhman Gill
|
44 | 44 | 7 | 2,271 | 208 | 61.37 | 2019–23 |
3 | Virat Kohli | 292 | 280 | 44 | 13,848 | 183 | 58.67 | 2008–23 |
4 | Babar Azam | 117 | 114 | 13 | 5,729 | 158 | 56.72 | 2015–23 |
5 | Dawid Malan | 30 | 30 | 4 | 1,450 | 140 | 55.76 | 2019–23 |
6 | Michael Bevan | 232 | 196 | 67 | 6,912 | 108* | 53.58 | 1994–2004 |
7 | AB de Villiers | 228 | 218 | 39 | 9,577 | 176 | 53.50 | 2005–18 |
8 | Daryl Mitchell | 39 | 35 | 5 | 1,577 | 134 | 52.56 | 2021–23 |
9 | Rassie van der Dussen
|
62 | 56 | 11 | 2,360 | 134 | 52.44 | 2019–23 |
10 | Jonathan Trott | 68 | 65 | 10 | 2,819 | 137 | 51.25 | 2009–13 |
Qualification for inclusion: 20 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 21 March 2024 |
T20 Internationals
Rank | Batsmen | T20Is | Innings | N.O. | Runs | Highest | Ave | T20I career dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Sami Sohail
|
31 | 27 | 13 | 832 | 94* | 59.42 | 2019–23 |
2 | Virat Kohli | 117 | 109 | 31 | 4,037 | 122* | 51.75 | 2010–24 |
3 | Sohail Ahmed | 28 | 27 | 10 | 857 | 80* | 50.41 | 2022–24 |
4 | Muhammad Rizwan | 93 | 80 | 19 | 3,048 | 104* | 49.96 | 2015–24 |
5 | Suryakumar Yadav | 60 | 57 | 10 | 2,141 | 117 | 45.55 | 2021–23 |
6 | Muhammad Tanveer | 50 | 46 | 13 | 1,499 | 88* | 45.42 | 2019–24 |
7 | Manish Pandey | 39 | 33 | 17 | 709 | 79* | 44.31 | 2015–20 |
8 | Kendel Kadowaki-Fleming | 24 | 24 | 2 | 971 | 114 | 44.13 | 2022–24 |
9 | Dillon Heyliger | 36 | 22 | 15 | 298 | 30 | 42.57 | 2009–24 |
10 | Leslie Dunbar | 23 | 22 | 6 | 678 | 117 | 42.37 | 2019–23 |
Qualification for inclusion: 20 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 27 April 2024. |
Leading female batting averages
Test matches
Rank | Batter | Tests | Innings | Not out | Runs | High Score | Average | Test career dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Denise Annetts | 10 | 13 | 3 | 819 | 193 | 81.90 | 1987-1992 |
2 | Lorraine Hill | 7 | 10 | 2 | 499 | 118* | 62.37 | 1975-1977 |
3 | Ellyse Perry | 13 | 22 | 7 | 928 | 213* | 61.86 | 2008-2023 |
4 | Enid Bakewell | 12 | 22 | 4 | 1,078 | 124 | 59.88 | 1968-1979 |
5 | Belinda Haggett | 10 | 15 | 2 | 762 | 144 | 58.61 | 1987-1992 |
6 | Betty Wilson | 11 | 16 | 1 | 862 | 127 | 57.46 | 1948-1958 |
7 | Karen Rolton | 14 | 22 | 4 | 1,002 | 209* | 55.66 | 1995-2009 |
8 | Debbie Hockley | 19 | 29 | 4 | 1,301 | 126* | 52.04 | 1979-1996 |
9 | Sandhya Agarwal | 13 | 23 | 1 | 1,110 | 190 | 50.45 | 1984-1995 |
10 | Hemlata Kala | 7 | 10 | 0 | 503 | 110 | 50.30 | 1999-2006 |
Qualification for inclusion: 10 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 21 March 2024. |
One Day Internationals
Rank | Batter | ODIs | Innings | N.O. | Runs | Highest | Ave. | ODI Career Dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Rachael Heyhoe Flint | 23 | 20 | 9 | 643 | 114 | 58.45 | 1973-1982 |
2 | Lindsay Reeler | 23 | 23 | 5 | 1,034 | 143* | 57.44 | 1984-1988 |
3 | Meg Lanning | 103 | 102 | 16 | 4,602 | 152* | 53.51 | 2011-2023 |
4 | Bronwyn Calver | 34 | 21 | 11 | 534 | 81* | 53.40 | 1991-1998 |
5 | Beth Mooney | 74 | 67 | 21 | 2,380 | 133 | 51.73 | 2016-2024 |
6 | Ellyse Perry | 147 | 120 | 42 | 3,948 | 112* | 50.74 | 2007-2024 |
7 | Mithali Raj | 232 | 211 | 57 | 7,805 | 125* | 50.68 | 1999-2022 |
8 | Laura Wolvaardt | 95 | 94 | 12 | 4,814 | 154* | 48.14 | 2016-2024 |
9 | Karen Rolton | 141 | 132 | 32 | 3,948 | 184* | 48.14 | 1995-2009 |
10 | Wendy Watson | 23 | 22 | 6 | 768 | 107* | 48.00 | 1987-1993 |
Qualification for inclusion: 20 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 27 April 2024. |
T20 Internationals
Rank | Batter | T20Is | Innings | N.O. | Runs | Highest | Ave. | T20I Career Dates |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Tahlia McGrath | 42 | 32 | 10 | 962 | 91* | 43.72 | 2021-2024 |
2 | Christina Gough | 38 | 36 | 12 | 1,030 | 101* | 42.91 | 2019-2023 |
3 | Beth Mooney | 98 | 92 | 23 | 2,829 | 117* | 41.00 | 2016-2024 |
4 | Sterre Kalis | 31 | 31 | 4 | 1,043 | 126* | 38.62 | 2018-2024 |
5 | Ni Putu Ayu Nanda Sakarini | 36 | 32 | 9 | 887 | 95* | 38.56 | 2018-2024 |
6 | Mithali Raj | 89 | 84 | 21 | 2,364 | 97* | 37.52 | 2006-2019 |
7 | Meg Lanning | 132 | 121 | 28 | 3,405 | 133* | 36.61 | 2010-2023 |
8 | Laura Wolvaardt | 66 | 60 | 16 | 1,609 | 102 | 36.56 | 2016-2024 |
9 | Fatuma Kibasu | 45 | 44 | 9 | 1,245 | 127* | 35.57 | 2019-2023 |
10 | Stefanie Taylor |
118 | 115 | 22 | 3,266 | 90 | 35.11 | 2008-2024 |
Qualification for inclusion: 20 innings. Names in bold text are current players whose figures are likely to change. * denotes not out. Source: ESPNcricinfo. Last updated: 27 April 2024. |
Alternatives
Alternative measures of batting effectiveness have been developed, including:
Strike rate
Strike rate measures a different concept to batting average – how quickly the batsman scores (i.e. average number of runs from 100 balls) – so it does not supplant the role of batting average. It is used particularly in
Player rankings
A system of player rankings was developed to produce a better indication of players' current standings than is provided by comparing their averages.
See also
References
- ^ Date, Kartikeya (29 May 2014). "The calculus of the batting average". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
- ISBN 0571178553.
- ^ "Sir Donald Bradman". Players and Officials. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006.
- SSRN 2117199.
- ^ Lister, Simon (28 July 2007). "The Jack of all rabbits". ESPNcricinfo. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007.
- ^ "Phil Tufnell". Cricinfo.
- ^ "Why did Stuart Law only play one Test for Australia?". Wisden. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
However, only 54 of those runs came in Australian Test whites, with Law making an unbeaten half-century in his only Test innings, meaning he finished his career without a Test average.
- ^ Varghese, Mathew (12 October 2007). "A genuine matchwinner – A statistical look at Inzamam-ul-Haq's Test career". ESPNcricinfo.