This guide shows how to calculate bowling average, which runs and wickets a scorer should charge to the bowler, and how the average fits together with economy rate and bowling strike rate. It finishes with a question club bowlers ask every season: what does my next spell do to my average?
Quick Answer
Bowling average is the number of runs a bowler concedes per wicket taken. Divide the runs conceded by the wickets, and a lower figure is better. A bowler who has conceded 312 runs for 14 wickets averages 22.29. Wides and no-balls count against the bowler, but byes, leg byes and run outs don’t.
What Bowling Average Measures
Bowling average answers one question: how many runs does each wicket cost?
It combines two things a bowler does: keeping the score down and taking wickets. A tight bowler who rarely takes wickets and an expensive bowler who takes plenty can end up with similar averages, which is why it’s worth reading the average next to economy rate.
Like a batting average, it builds up over a season or many seasons. For a single match you’d normally quote the bowling figures, such as 3 for 24, rather than an average.
Formula
Bowling Average = Runs Conceded ÷ Wickets Taken
- Runs conceded means runs charged to the bowler: runs scored off the bat from their deliveries, plus wides and no-balls. Byes, leg byes and penalty runs are not included.
- Wickets taken means dismissals credited to the bowler: bowled, caught, LBW, stumped and hit wicket. Run outs and a few rarer dismissals don’t count (see the table below).
Like batting average, this is a scoring convention rather than something the Laws define as a formula. The Criko calculator uses the same runs-per-wicket method.
Step-by-Step Calculation
Take a hypothetical club seamer’s season: 61.4 overs, 312 runs conceded, 14 wickets.
- Total the runs charged to the bowler across every match: 312.
- Count only the wickets credited to the bowler: 14.
- Divide: 312 ÷ 14 = 22.2857…
- Round to two decimal places: 22.29.
So each wicket cost this bowler a little over 22 runs. The overs don’t enter the average at all. They matter for economy and strike rate, which come later.
Which Runs and Wickets Belong to the Bowler
Most mistakes in a club bowler’s figures come from charging the wrong runs, or crediting the wrong wickets. These come from the ICC’s playing conditions, which follow the MCC Laws on these points:
| What happened | In the bowler’s runs conceded? | In the bowler’s wickets? |
|---|---|---|
| Runs off the bat | Yes | — |
| Wide (the penalty and any runs from it) | Yes (clause 22.7) | — |
| No-ball penalty | Yes (clause 21.16) | — |
| Byes and leg byes | No: credited to the batting side as extras (clause 23) | — |
| Five-run penalty awards | No | — |
| Bowled, caught, LBW, stumped, hit wicket | — | Yes |
| Run out | — | No (clause 38.5) |
| Hit the ball twice, obstructing the field, timed out | — | No (clauses 34.5, 37.6, 40.2) |
| Retired out | — | No: it isn’t a dismissal by the bowler |
The run-out rule is the one that catches people out most often. A bowler can bowl the ball that leads to a run out, but the wicket goes into the team’s total, not into the bowler’s analysis.
A worked example: one spell, scored correctly
A bowler sends down 8 overs. During the spell the batting side scores 39 runs: 29 off the bat, 3 wides, 1 no-ball, 4 byes and 2 leg byes. Three wickets fall: a catch, an LBW and a run out.
- Runs charged to the bowler: 29 + 3 + 1 = 33. The 4 byes and 2 leg byes are left out.
- Wickets credited: the catch and the LBW, so 2. The run out is left out.
- Average for the spell: 33 ÷ 2 = 16.50.
If the scorer had charged every run and every wicket, the result would be 39 ÷ 3 = 13.00. That flatters the bowler by three and a half runs a wicket. The spell’s figures are 8 overs, 2 for 33, an economy rate of 4.13.
Important Points
- Lower is better. This is the opposite of batting average. A bowler who averages 18 is giving away fewer runs per wicket than one who averages 30.
- A bowler with no wickets has no average. A bowler who has conceded 41 runs without a wicket has an average that is “Not applicable”, because you can’t divide by zero. Scorecards show a dash, but the 41 runs are still recorded.
- Wides and no-balls are the bowler’s runs, but not legal balls. They add to runs conceded, yet don’t count towards the six balls of an over. That matters for economy rate and strike rate, which use legal balls.
- Small samples swing hard. Early in a season one good spell can halve an average. Wait for at least 8–10 wickets before reading much into it (a rule of thumb, not an official threshold).
- Compare like with like. An average from a 10-over tennis-ball league and one from a two-day game measure different jobs. Compare yourself with bowlers in the same format and role.
Another Example: What Your Next Spell Does to Your Average
Go back to the seamer on 22.29 (312 runs, 14 wickets). Their next match can go two ways.
A good day: 3 for 18.
- Runs conceded become 312 + 18 = 330.
- Wickets become 14 + 3 = 17.
- New average: 330 ÷ 17 = 19.41.
A tough day: 0 for 40.
- Runs conceded become 312 + 40 = 352.
- Wickets stay at 14.
- New average: 352 ÷ 14 = 25.14.
One match moves the average by almost six runs either way. The good day helps twice, adding wickets as well as few runs. A wicketless spell only adds runs, so there’s nothing to share them across.
Bowling Average vs Economy Rate vs Strike Rate
Three numbers describe a bowler, and each answers a different question.
| Bowling average | Economy rate | Bowling strike rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Question it answers | How many runs per wicket? | How many runs per over? | How many balls per wicket? |
| Formula | Runs conceded ÷ wickets | Runs conceded ÷ overs | Legal balls bowled ÷ wickets |
| Better when | Lower | Lower | Lower |
For our seamer, start by converting the overs. 61.4 overs means 61 overs and 4 balls, so it’s 61 × 6 + 4 = 370 balls, not 61.4 decimal overs.
- Economy rate: 312 runs over 370 balls (61.67 overs) is 5.06 runs per over.
- Strike rate: 370 ÷ 14 = 26.43 balls per wicket.
The three are linked: average = economy rate × strike rate ÷ 6. Here that’s 5.06 × 26.43 ÷ 6 = 22.29, the same as the average.
Reading them together (interpretation, not a rule): this bowler concedes about five an over and takes a wicket roughly every four and a half overs. In a short-format league they could look to improve either number. In T20-style cricket many captains care more about economy, and in longer games more about wickets, so the more useful number depends on the job the team gives them.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you calculate bowling average in cricket?
Divide the runs conceded by the wickets taken. For example, 312 runs for 14 wickets is 312 ÷ 14, an average of 22.29 runs per wicket.
Is a lower bowling average better?
Yes. A lower average means each wicket cost fewer runs. That’s the opposite of batting average, where higher is better.
Do run outs count in a bowler’s average?
No. The ICC playing conditions (clause 38.5) say the bowler doesn’t get credit for a run out. The same applies to hit the ball twice, obstructing the field and timed out.
Are wides and no-balls included in runs conceded?
Yes. Runs from a wide and the no-ball penalty are both debited against the bowler (clauses 22.7 and 21.16). Byes and leg byes are not: they’re credited to the batting side as extras.
What is the difference between bowling average and economy rate?
Bowling average is runs per wicket, and economy rate is runs per over. A bowler can be economical without taking many wickets, which gives a good economy but a high average.
What is a bowler’s average if they haven’t taken a wicket?
There isn’t one. With zero wickets the division has no answer, so scorecards show a dash. The runs conceded are still recorded.
Related Criko Tools
- Bowling average calculator: enter runs conceded and wickets to get your average.
- Bowling economy calculator: runs per over, with overs entered in cricket notation.
- Overs to balls converter: turns figures such as 61.4 overs into legal balls for strike-rate working.
Related Cricket Guides
- Evaluating bowling economy rate in high-scoring T20 matches: more on economy in the shortest format.
- How to calculate run rate in cricket: the team-level scoring rate, and how overs notation works.
Conclusion
To calculate bowling average, divide the runs charged to the bowler by the wickets credited to them. Leave byes, leg byes and run outs out, and include wides and no-balls. Read the average next to economy rate and strike rate: together they show whether a bowler’s wickets come cheaply, quickly, or both.