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.
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.[8]
A batting average of above 50 is considered by many as a benchmark to distinguish between a good and a great batsman.[9] Highest male career batting averages in Test matches as follows:
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: 12 February 2023.
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 player's ability to score runs against differing types of bowling (i.e. spin, fast bowling).
^Date, Kartikeya (29 May 2014). "The calculus of the batting average". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 10 March 2020.
^Rae, Simon (1998). W.G. Grace: A Life. London: Faber and Faber. p. 26. ISBN0571178553.
^"Sir Donald Bradman". Players and Officials. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 27 April 2006.
^"Andy Ganteaume | West Indies Cricket | Cricket Players and Officials | ESPNcricinfo". statsguru. Cricinfo.com. Retrieved 25 July 2018.
^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.
^"Why did Stuart Law only play one Test for Australia?". Wisden. 28 March 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2022. However, only 54 of those runs came in Australian Test whites, with Law making an unbeaten half-century in his only Test innings, meaning he finished his career without a Test average.
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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 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 Contents 1 Values 2 Interpretation 3 Leading male batting averages 3 1 Test matches 3 2 First class 3 3 One Day Internationals 3 4 T20 Internationals 4 Leading female batting averages 4 1 Test matches 4 2 One Day Internationals 4 3 T20 Internationals 5 Alternatives 5 1 Strike rate 5 2 Player rankings 6 See also 7 ReferencesValues Edit 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 EditIf 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 8 Leading male batting averages EditTest matches Edit Sir Donald Bradman See also Highest career batting averages in Tests A batting average of above 50 is considered by many as a benchmark to distinguish between a good and a great batsman 9 Highest male career batting averages in Test matches as follows Rank Batter Tests Innings No Runs High Score Average Test career dates1 Don Bradman 52 80 10 6 996 334 99 94 1928 482 Adam Voges 20 31 7 1 485 269 61 87 2015 163 RG Pollock 23 41 4 2 256 274 60 97 1963 704 George Headley 22 40 4 2 190 270 60 83 1930 545 Herbert Sutcliffe 54 84 9 4 555 194 60 73 1924 356 Steve Smith 96 169 22 8 792 239 59 80 2010 present7 Eddie Paynter 20 31 5 1 540 243 59 23 1931 398 Ken Barrington 82 131 15 6 806 256 58 67 1955 689 Everton Weekes 48 81 5 4 455 207 58 61 1948 5810 Wally Hammond 85 140 16 7 249 336 58 45 1927 1947Source Cricinfo Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed denotes not out Last updated 20 March 2023 First class Edit See also Highest career batting averages in first class cricket Highest career batting averages in first class cricket as follows Rank Batter Matches Innings N O Runs Highest Ave First Class career dates1 Don Bradman 234 338 43 28 067 452 95 14 1927 492 Sarfaraz Khan 37 54 10 3 505 301 79 65 2014 present3 Vijay Merchant 150 234 46 13 470 359 71 64 1929 514 George Headley 103 164 22 9 921 344 69 86 1927 545 Ajay Sharma 129 166 16 10 120 259 67 46 1984 20016 Kamindu Mendis 34 52 5 3 065 200 65 21 2018 present7 Bahir Shah 33 56 13 2 804 303 65 20 2017 present8 Bill Ponsford 162 235 23 13 819 437 65 18 1920 349 Bill Woodfull 174 245 39 13 388 284 64 99 1921 3410 Shantanu Sugwekar 85 122 18 6 563 299 63 10 1987 2002Source 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 12 February 2023 One Day Internationals Edit See also Highest career batting averages in ODIs Highest career batting averages in One Day International cricket as follows Rank Batter ODIs Innings N O Runs Highest Ave ODI career dates1 Shubhman Gill 21 21 4 1254 208 103 78 2019 present2 Rassie van der Dussen 41 35 10 1 679 134 67 16 2019 present3 Ryan ten Doeschate 33 32 9 1 541 119 67 00 2006 114 Babar Azam 95 93 12 4 813 158 59 41 2015 present5 Virat Kohli 271 262 40 12 809 183 57 69 2008 present6 Michael Bevan 232 196 67 6 912 108 53 58 1994 20047 Harry Tector 26 25 5 1 071 113 53 55 2020 present8 AB de Villiers 228 218 39 9 577 176 53 50 2005 189 Jonathan Trott 68 65 10 2 819 137 51 25 2009 1310 Imam ul Haq 56 56 6 2 545 151 50 90 2017 presentSource Cricinfo Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed denotes not out Last updated 13 March 2023 T20 Internationals Edit See also Highest career batting averages in T20Is Rank Batsmen T20Is Innings N O Runs Highest Ave T20I career dates1 Virat Kohli 115 107 31 4 008 122 52 73 2010 present2 Muhammad Rizwan 80 69 15 2 635 104 48 79 2015 present3 Suryakumar Yadav 48 46 10 1 675 117 46 52 2021 present4 Devon Conway 38 35 8 1 234 99 45 70 2016 present5 Manish Pandey 39 33 17 709 79 44 31 2015 20206 Navneet Dhaliwal 23 22 5 748 69 44 00 2019 present7 Sabawoon Davizi 28 28 3 1 093 115 43 72 2019 present8 Muhammad Waseem 23 23 1 942 112 42 81 2019 present9 Babar Azam 99 94 13 3 355 122 41 41 2016 present10 Ryan ten Doeschate 24 23 10 533 59 41 00 2008 2021Source Cricinfo Table shows players with at least 20 innings completed denotes not out Last updated 13 March 2023 Leading female batting averages EditTest matches Edit See also List of women s Test cricket records Individual records batting One Day Internationals Edit See also List of women s One Day International cricket records Highest career average T20 Internationals Edit See also List of women s Twenty20 International records Highest career averageAlternatives EditAlternative measures of batting effectiveness have been developed including Strike rate Edit Main article 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 player s ability to score runs against differing types of bowling i e spin fast bowling Player rankings Edit Main article ICC 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 See also EditCricket statistics Batting average Bowling averageReferences Edit Date Kartikeya 29 May 2014 The calculus of the batting average ESPN Cricinfo Retrieved 10 March 2020 Rae Simon 1998 W G Grace A Life London Faber and Faber p 26 ISBN 0571178553 Sir Donald Bradman Players and Officials Cricinfo com Retrieved 27 April 2006 Andy Ganteaume West Indies Cricket Cricket Players and Officials ESPNcricinfo statsguru Cricinfo com Retrieved 25 July 2018 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 The Jack of all rabbits 23 July 2007 Phil Tufnell Cricinfo Why did Stuart Law only play one Test for Australia Wisden 28 March 2020 Retrieved 23 July 2022 However only 54 of those runs came in Australian Test whites with Law making an unbeaten half century in his only Test innings meaning he finished his career without a Test average A genuine matchwinner Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Batting average cricket amp oldid 1145679062, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
