What is Bowling Average in Cricket and How is it Calculated?

A player’s bowling average in cricket is the number of runs they have given up per wicket they have taken. The better a bowler is doing, the lower his or her average is. Along with the economy rate and the strike rate, it is often used to figure out how well a bowler did overall.

In this article, let’s see how the bowling average is calculated.

How to Calculate the Bowling Average in Cricket?

One can calculate a cricketer’s bowling average by dividing the total number of runs conceded by the total number of wickets taken. While the bowling average can be used to evaluate bowlers, it has drawbacks. The location and strength of the opposition have a significant impact on a player’s bowling average.

The Formula | Bowling average = Total Runs Conceded / No. of Wickets Taken

Let’s take a look at an example:                                

So, if a bowler named “A” bowled 10 overs and conceded 50 runs while taking four wickets, their bowling average would be 12.50.

If another bowler, say “B,” bowled 6 overs and conceded 30 runs while taking five wickets, their bowling average would be 6.00.

It goes without saying that a bowler would prefer to give up as few runs as possible while taking as many wickets as possible. As a result, the lower a bowler’s bowling average in terms of numbers, the better the bowling average. In the above example, B (6.00) has a better bowling average than A (12.50).