# Batting average (cricket)

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In cricket, a player's 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.

## Contents

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 wicket-keepers, though some fall short and make up for it with keeping skill. Until a substantial increase in scores in the 21st century due to improved bats and smaller grounds among other factors, players who sustained an average above 50 through a career were considered exceptional, and before the development of the heavy roller in the 1870s (which allowed for a flatter, safer cricket pitch) an average of 25 was considered very good. [2]

• All-rounders who are more prominent bowlers than 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 as Alf Valentine, B. S. Chandrasekhar or Glenn McGrath were.

Career records for batting average are usually subject to a minimum qualification of 20 innings played or completed, in order to exclude batsmen who have not played enough games for their skill to be reliably assessed. Under this qualification, the highest Test batting average belongs to Australia's Sir Donald Bradman, with 99.94. Given that a career batting average over 50 is exceptional, and that only 4 other players have averages over 60, this is an outstanding statistic. The fact that Bradman's average is so far above that of any other cricketer has led several statisticians to argue that, statistically at least, he was the greatest athlete in any sport. [3]

Disregarding this 20 innings qualification, the highest career test batting average is 112, by Andy Ganteaume, a Trinidadian Keeper-batsman, who was dismissed for 112 in his only test innings. [4] Amongst active players, Kurtis Patterson has the highest average, having scored 144 runs for the loss of one wicket in his two test innings, giving him a batting average of 144. He then fell out of the Australian squad due to a loss of form and injury.

Batting averages in One Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) cricket tend to be lower than in Test cricket because of the need to score runs more quickly. Consequently, batters tend to play riskier strokes and less emphasis is placed on building an innings in order to amass a high individual score. It should also be remembered, especially in relation to the ODI and T20I histograms above, that there were no ODI or T20I matches when Bradman played.

## 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 not out, the true mean or average number of runs they score per innings is unknown as it is not known how many runs they would have scored if they could have completed all their not out innings. In this case, this statistic is an estimate of the average number of runs they score per innings. If their scores have a geometric distribution, then this statistic is the maximum likelihood estimate of their true unknown average. [5]

Batting averages can be strongly affected by the number of not outs. For example, Phil Tufnell, who was noted for his poor batting, [6] 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. [7]

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.

### 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:

RankBatterTestsInningsN.O.RunsHighestAveTest career dates
3 Steve Smith 77139177,54023961.802010–present
4 Graeme Pollock 234142,25627460.971963–70
6 Marnus Labuschagne 183101,88521560.802018–present
7 Herbert Sutcliffe 548494,55519460.731924–35
8 Eddie Paynter 203151,54024359.231931–39
9 Ken Barrington 82131156,80625658.671955–68
10 Everton Weekes 488154,45520758.611948–58

Source: Cricinfo. Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed. * denotes not out. Last updated: 7 September 2021.

### First-class

Highest career batting averages in first-class cricket as follows:

RankBatterMatchesInningsN.O.RunsHighestAveFirst Class career dates
2 Vijay Merchant 1502344613,470359*71.641929–51
4 Ajay Sharma 1291661610,120259*67.461984–2001
5 Bill Ponsford 1622352313,81943765.181920–34
6 Bill Woodfull 1742453913,38828464.991921–34
7 Pathum Nissanka 376583,67421764.452016–present
8 Shantanu Sugwekar 85122186,563299*63.101987–2002
9 K. C. Ibrahim 6089124,71625061.241938–50
10 Vinod Kambli 129181149,96526259.671985-2007

Source: Cricinfo. Table shows players with at least 50 innings completed, note this table has no requirement for minimum number of runs scored. * denotes not out. Last updated: 7 September 2021.

### One Day Internationals

Highest career batting averages in One Day International cricket as follows:

RankBatterODIsInningsN.O.RunsHighestAveODI career dates
1 Rassie van der Dussen 292381,04812369.862019–21
2 Ryan ten Doeschate 333291,54111967.002006–11
3 Virat Kohli 2482393911,86718359.332008–present
4 Babar Azam 7674113,455125*56.922015–present
5 Imam-ul-Haq 393951,83015153.822017–present
6 Michael Bevan 232196676,912108*53.581994–2004
7 AB de Villiers 228218399,57717653.502005–18
8 Shai Hope 7671103,16617051.902016–present
9 Jonathan Trott 6865102,81913751.252009–13
10 Joe Root 146137215,922133*51.052013–present

Source: Cricinfo. Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed. * denotes not out. Last updated: 7 September 2021.

### T20 Internationals

RankBatsmenT20IsInningsN.O.RunsHighestAveT20I career dates
1 Virat Kohli 9084243,15994*52.652010–present
3 Babar Azam 615692,20412246.892016–present
4 Ryan ten Doeschate 2222105335944.412008–19
5 Manish Pandey 39331770979*44.312015–present
6 Dawid Malan 303041,123103*43.192017–present
7 KL Rahul 494561,557110*39.922015–present
8 JP Duminy 8175251,93496*38.682007–19
9 Mike Hussey 38301172160*37.942005–12
10 Kevin Pietersen 373651,1767937.932005–13

Source: Cricinfo. Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed. * denotes not out. Last updated: 07 September 2021.

## 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 limited overs matches, where the speed at which a batter scores is more important than it is in first-class cricket. Strike rate may also be used to compare a players ability to score runs against differing types of bowling (i.e. spin, fast bowling).

### 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.

## Related Research Articles

An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists. Some wicket-keepers have the skills of a specialist batsman and have been referred to as all-rounders, but the term wicket-keeper-batsman is more commonly applied to them, even if they are substitute wicket keepers who also bowl.

Jacques Henry Kallis is a South African cricket coach and former cricketer. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers of all time and as South Africa's greatest batsman ever, he is a right-handed batsman and right-arm fast-medium swing bowler. As of 2021 he is the only cricketer in the history of the game to score more than 10,000 runs and take over 250 wickets in both ODI and Test match cricket; he also took 131 ODI catches. He scored 13,289 runs in his Test match career and took 292 wickets and 200 catches.

Cricket is a sport that generates a variety of statistics.

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## References

1. Date, Kartikeya (29 May 2014). "The calculus of the batting average". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
2. Rae, Simon (1998). W.G. Grace: A Life. London: Faber and Faber. p. 26. ISBN   0571178553.
3. "Sir Donald Bradman". Players and Officials. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006.
4. "Andy Ganteaume | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPNcricinfo". statsguru. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
5. Das, S. (2011). "On Generalized Geometric Distributions: Application to Modeling Scores in Cricket and Improved Estimation of Batting Average in Light of Notout Innings". Social Science Research Network. SSRN   2117199.
6. "The Jack of all rabbits". 23 July 2007.
7. "Phil Tufnell". Cricinfo.