Batting Average Explained: How It Is Calculated and What It Tells You
How a batting average is worked out in cricket, why not-outs matter, how to compare averages fairly and why Don Bradman’s 99.94 remains so famous.
The batting average is the oldest and most widely quoted measure of a batter in cricket. It answers a simple question: how many runs does a player score, on average, each time they are dismissed? Because it rewards both heavy scoring and staying in, it has long been seen as a sign of quality, especially in Test cricket.
How the average is calculated
The formula is total runs scored divided by the number of times the batter has been dismissed. The number of dismissals is not the same as the number of innings, because a batter can finish an innings not out. Not-out innings are counted for the runs but not as a dismissal. If a batter has scored 1,200 runs in 30 innings and has been not out five times, they have been dismissed 25 times, so their average is 1,200 divided by 25, which is 48.
This is why a batter who remains not out can have a higher average than their innings suggest. An innings that finishes with the batter not out adds runs to the total without increasing the number of dismissals. It also explains why finishers who often bat at the end of limited-overs innings can have eye-catching averages.
The Bradman benchmark
The best-known batting average in the sport belongs to Sir Donald Bradman of Australia, whose Test average finished at 99.94. He played 52 Tests between 1928 and 1948. In his final Test innings at The Oval in 1948, he needed just four runs to reach a career average of 100, but was dismissed for a duck. The number is so far above anyone else’s that it is often described as the most remarkable figure in all of sport. Few other batters with long careers have finished above 60 in Tests.
Interpreting an average
A rough sense of what the numbers mean can help, but standards differ between formats and eras:
- In Test cricket, an average in the 40s is regarded as a mark of a good batter, and an average above 50 puts a player among the very best.
- In one-day cricket, averages in the 40s are excellent because players have limited time and must score quickly.
- In Twenty20 cricket, averages are lower on the whole and are looked at alongside strike rate.
An average is also affected by where the player bats. Openers face the new ball and the toughest conditions. Middle-order players may come in against a tired attack, and tail-enders are rarely expected to score many runs, so comparisons are best made between players with similar roles.
Limits of the batting average
A batting average is a useful summary, but it has weaknesses:
- It ignores how fast the runs were scored. A slow 50 and a quick 50 count equally.
- It does not show the context. Runs against a strong attack on a difficult pitch are harder to make than runs on a flat surface.
- It can be flattered by not-outs, particularly for lower-order batters in limited-overs cricket.
- It says little about the timing of an innings, such as whether the runs came when the team needed them most.
For this reason, analysts use the average with other measures, including strike rate, conversion of fifties into hundreds and performance away from home. Over a long career, though, a high average is hard to achieve by luck, and it usually signals a player who is consistent and difficult to dismiss.
Bowling average for comparison
Bowlers have a similar measure. The bowling average is the number of runs conceded per wicket taken, and a lower figure is better. Together, batting and bowling averages give a quick comparison of players in a match or series, and they are often used when picking teams and writing about careers.
In short, the batting average is runs divided by dismissals. Remember that not-outs do not count as dismissals, compare players in the same format and role, and treat the figure as one of several tools for understanding how well a batter has done.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a batting average?
Divide the total runs scored by the number of times the batter has been dismissed. Innings where the batter finished not out are not counted as dismissals.
What is Don Bradman’s Test batting average?
It was 99.94 over 52 Tests, the highest average among players with a significant number of innings in Test cricket.
Why do not-outs raise an average?
Because the runs scored in a not-out innings are added to the total, but the innings is not counted as a dismissal, which leaves the divisor smaller.