Bowling Average, Economy and Strike Rate Explained
Updated: 31 October 2026 · Author: Cricket Match Scorecard Editorial
A bowler's quality is measured with three numbers: average, economy rate and strike rate. Each answers a different question, and a bowler can be excellent on one and only ordinary on another. Learning which question each one answers makes it much easier to read a bowling card.
The three formulas
| Stat | Formula | Question it answers | Better is |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | Runs ÷ wickets | How many runs does each wicket cost? | Lower |
| Economy | Runs ÷ overs | How many runs per over are conceded? | Lower |
| Strike rate | Balls ÷ wickets | How many balls does each wicket take? | Lower |
Note that a low bowling strike rate is good, the reverse of batting, where a high strike rate is better.
A worked example
A bowler sends down 40 overs (240 balls) in a series, concedes 280 runs and takes 14 wickets:
- Average: 280 ÷ 14 = 20.00 runs per wicket.
- Economy: 280 ÷ 40 = 7.00 runs per over.
- Strike rate: 240 ÷ 14 = 17.14 balls per wicket.
The numbers are linked, too: average = economy × strike rate ÷ 6. Here, 7.00 × 17.14 ÷ 6 = 20.00. So a bowler can get a good average either by rarely conceding runs or by taking wickets often.
As with overs in run rate, convert overs before dividing. 3.2 overs is 20 balls, or 3.33 overs in a calculation. See our run rate guide.
Reading a bowling figure
A scorecard shows figures as overs–maidens–runs–wickets. So 4-0-23-4 means 4 overs, 0 maidens, 23 runs and 4 wickets. It is a real line, from Jacob Duffy for New Zealand against India at Eden Park in the fourth T20I. The economy was 23 ÷ 4 = 5.75 in a match where 431 runs were scored. In context, that was extraordinary, and it shows why you should always compare a bowler to the match they played in.
What matters in each format
Test cricket
Wickets win Tests, so average and strike rate are the headline figures. A Test bowler with an average below 25 is generally considered outstanding, and economy is often secondary, though a bowler who keeps it tight can build pressure for colleagues at the other end.
ODI cricket
Both wickets and economy matter. Taking wickets in the middle overs often has the greatest effect, as it stops a team building a base for its final-overs acceleration.
T20 cricket
Economy is usually the main measure. A bowler has only 24 balls, and conceding fewer runs in a high-scoring match can be as valuable as a wicket. Even so, wickets slow the scoring too, so the best T20 bowlers tend to be good at both.
Why context matters
- The phase of the innings. Bowling at the death is harder than bowling in the middle overs, so a death specialist's economy of 9 might beat a middle-overs bowler's 7.5.
- Pitch and ground. The same economy means different things on a small, flat ground and a slow, turning pitch.
- Sample size. A bowler with five wickets in two matches can have spectacular numbers that do not last.
- Which batters. Three tail-end wickets do not tell the same story as three top-order wickets.
What counts toward each number?
Byes and leg-byes are not charged to the bowler, but wides and no-balls are. Run outs do not count as bowling wickets. Our dismissals guide lists who gets credit for each. Want the batting side? Read batting average vs strike rate.