# Batting average (cricket)

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.

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

International cricket career batting averages (as of 14 September 2019). Note Bradman's Test average of 99.94.

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:

Rank Batter Tests Innings N.O. Runs Highest Ave Test career dates
1 Don Bradman 52 80 10 6,996 334 99.94 1928–48
2 Adam Voges 20 31 7 1,485 269* 61.87 2015–16
3 Steve Smith 77 139 17 7,540 239 61.80 2010–present
4 Graeme Pollock 23 41 4 2,256 274 60.97 1963–70
5 George Headley 22 40 4 2,190 270* 60.83 1930–54
6 Marnus Labuschagne 18 31 0 1,885 215 60.80 2018–present
7 Herbert Sutcliffe 54 84 9 4,555 194 60.73 1924–35
8 Eddie Paynter 20 31 5 1,540 243 59.23 1931–39
9 Ken Barrington 82 131 15 6,806 256 58.67 1955–68
10 Everton Weekes 48 81 5 4,455 207 58.61 1948–58

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:

Rank Batter Matches Innings N.O. Runs Highest Ave First Class career dates
1 Don Bradman 234 338 43 28,067 452* 95.14 1927–49
2 Vijay Merchant 150 234 46 13,470 359* 71.64 1929–51
3 George Headley 103 164 22 9,921 344* 69.86 1927–54
4 Ajay Sharma 129 166 16 10,120 259* 67.46 1984–2001
5 Bill Ponsford 162 235 23 13,819 437 65.18 1920–34
6 Bill Woodfull 174 245 39 13,388 284 64.99 1921–34
7 Pathum Nissanka 37 65 8 3,674 217 64.45 2016–present
8 Shantanu Sugwekar 85 122 18 6,563 299* 63.10 1987–2002
9 K. C. Ibrahim 60 89 12 4,716 250 61.24 1938–50
10 Vinod Kambli 129 181 14 9,965 262 59.67 1985-2007

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:

Rank Batter ODIs Innings N.O. Runs Highest Ave ODI career dates
1 Rassie van der Dussen 29 23 8 1,048 123 69.86 2019–21
2 Ryan ten Doeschate 33 32 9 1,541 119 67.00 2006–11
3 Virat Kohli 248 239 39 11,867 183 59.33 2008–present
4 Babar Azam 76 74 11 3,455 125* 56.92 2015–present
5 Imam-ul-Haq 39 39 5 1,830 151 53.82 2017–present
6 Michael Bevan 232 196 67 6,912 108* 53.58 1994–2004
7 AB de Villiers 228 218 39 9,577 176 53.50 2005–18
8 Shai Hope 76 71 10 3,166 170 51.90 2016–present
9 Jonathan Trott 68 65 10 2,819 137 51.25 2009–13
10 Joe Root 146 137 21 5,922 133* 51.05 2013–present

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

### T20 Internationals

Rank Batsmen T20Is Innings N.O. Runs Highest Ave T20I career dates
1 Virat Kohli 90 84 24 3,159 94* 52.65 2010–present
2 Muhammad Rizwan 43 32 10 1,065 104* 48.40 2015–present
3 Babar Azam 61 56 9 2,204 122 46.89 2016–present
4 Ryan ten Doeschate 22 22 10 533 59 44.41 2008–19
5 Manish Pandey 39 33 17 709 79* 44.31 2015–present
6 Dawid Malan 30 30 4 1,123 103* 43.19 2017–present
7 KL Rahul 49 45 6 1,557 110* 39.92 2015–present
8 JP Duminy 81 75 25 1,934 96* 38.68 2007–19
9 Mike Hussey 38 30 11 721 60* 37.94 2005–12
10 Kevin Pietersen 37 36 5 1,176 79 37.93 2005–13

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.

### 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.