How this instrument works
Bowling average is runs conceded divided by wickets taken: in other words, how many runs a bowler typically concedes for every wicket they claim. It runs in the opposite direction from batting average — a batting average of 50 is outstanding, but a bowling average of 50 is poor, because it means the bowler is paying a heavy price in runs for each wicket. The lower the bowling average, the more economically a bowler is taking wickets.
In first-class and international cricket, a career bowling average under 25 is generally regarded as excellent, the mark of a genuinely elite strike bowler, while a figure in the high 20s to low 30s is a solid, dependable workhorse number. These benchmarks shift with the era and conditions — bowling averages across the sport tend to rise in periods dominated by flat, batting-friendly pitches — but the ordering (lower is better) never changes.
Bowling average is usually read alongside two companion stats: economy rate (runs conceded per over, regardless of wickets) and bowling strike rate (balls bowled per wicket). A bowler can have a good figure built on patient, containing spells, or a good figure built on frequent early breakthroughs — the number alone doesn't say which, which is why analysts rarely quote it in isolation.
- Enter Runs conceded — the total runs scored off the bowler's deliveries, including extras charged to them.
- Enter Wickets taken — the total wickets credited to the bowler.
- Read Bowling average beneath the inputs, shown to two decimal places.
- Wickets taken must be greater than zero — an average is undefined for a bowler who hasn't taken a wicket yet.
Worked example — 450 runs conceded, 15 wickets
Enter 450 into Runs conceded and 15 into Wickets taken. Bowling average = 450 / 15 = 30.00 — a solid, dependable workhorse figure, the kind of average a reliable first-change bowler carries across a full first-class season.
Compare that to conceding 250 runs for 10 wickets: 250 / 10 = 25.00, a meaningfully better figure despite fewer total wickets, because each one cost fewer runs. Bowling average rewards efficiency per wicket, not volume — a bowler with fewer, cheaper wickets can post a stronger figure than one who has taken more at a higher cost.
Questions
Why is a lower bowling average better, when a higher batting average is better?
Because the two stats measure opposite things from opposite sides of the same event. Batting average asks how many runs a batter accumulates before getting out — more is better. Bowling average asks how many runs a bowler concedes to get a wicket — fewer is better. They share a name and a similar formula shape, but the direction of 'good' flips.
What is considered a good bowling average?
In first-class and Test cricket, an average under 25 is regarded as elite — the mark of a genuinely dominant bowler — while the high-20s to low-30s range (30.00 in the worked example above) is a solid, dependable figure for a regular first-change bowler. Averages tend to run higher in eras or conditions with flatter, more batting-friendly pitches.
How is bowling average different from economy rate?
Economy rate is runs conceded per over bowled, regardless of wickets — it measures how tightly a bowler restricts scoring. Bowling average is runs conceded per wicket taken — it measures how expensively a bowler buys each dismissal. A bowler can have a good economy rate without taking many wickets, or a good average built on expensive overs that still produce breakthroughs.
What happens if a bowler hasn't taken any wickets yet?
Bowling average is undefined with zero wickets, since the formula would require dividing by zero. This instrument requires at least one wicket taken before it will compute an average, matching how the stat is actually reported — a wicketless bowler's average is conventionally left blank rather than shown as a number.
Does bowling average include extras like wides and no-balls?
Yes — runs conceded off extras that are charged to the bowler (wides and no-balls, but not byes or leg-byes, which aren't attributed to the bowler) count toward the runs-conceded total. This instrument takes the total runs conceded figure exactly as recorded in the scorebook, so any extras already included there flow straight through the calculation.