Scoring and statistics · Worked examples
Make every number count.
Cricket numbers become useful when you know what they measure. Start with the score, then add the situation.
Read the headline score correctly
In the notation commonly used in India, 156/4 means 156 team runs for four wickets lost. A batter shown as 48* is not out. Bowling figures of 3/27 mean three wickets taken and 27 runs conceded, not the other way around.
Overs are not decimal fractions. At 17.3 overs, 17 complete overs and three legal balls have been delivered: 105 legal balls altogether. That is 17.5 overs for arithmetic. At 17.5, the next legal delivery completes the eighteenth over. Wides and no-balls normally require another delivery.
Separate batter runs from extras
The team total combines runs credited to batters with extras. Extras include wides, no-balls, byes, leg byes and applicable penalty runs. A ball can generate more than one kind of scoring entry: a no-ball hit for four normally adds four batter runs plus the no-ball penalty.
Wides and no-ball penalties are normally charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes are not. A run-out reduces the batting side’s wickets but is not credited as a wicket to the bowler. These distinctions explain why bowling totals and dismissal counts do not always appear to match the headline score directly.
Calculate batting strike rate and average
Batting strike rate is runs divided by balls faced, multiplied by 100. A batter making 45 from 30 balls has a strike rate of 150. It measures scoring speed, not the probability of winning. Forty-five from thirty can be excellent on a difficult surface and inadequate in a very steep chase.
Batting average is total runs divided by dismissals, not innings. If a batter scores 30, 50 not out and 20, the average is 100 ÷ 2 = 50. With no dismissals, the average is undefined rather than zero. Not-outs matter, so compare players with similar roles and meaningful sample sizes.
Understand the three bowling rates
Economy rate measures runs conceded per over. Conceding 28 in four overs gives an economy of 7.00. If the spell is 3.2 overs, convert that to 20 legal balls, or 3⅓ overs, before dividing. Using 3.2 as a decimal creates an incorrect answer.
Bowling average is runs conceded divided by wickets credited to the bowler. Bowling strike rate is legal balls bowled divided by those wickets. A 24-ball spell costing 28 runs with two wickets has an average of 14 and strike rate of 12. Lower figures usually indicate better outcomes, but phase and conditions still matter.
Work out the chase equation
Without a revised target, a side chasing 181 needs 181 to win. If it reaches 120 after 14 overs in a 20-over innings, it needs 61 from 36 legal balls. The required rate is 61 ÷ 6 = 10.17 runs per over, rounded to two decimal places.
Its current rate is 120 ÷ 14 = 8.57. The gap tells you acceleration is needed, but not whether it is likely. Six wickets in hand, a short boundary and the opposition’s fifth bowler can change the outlook. After a rain interruption, use the officially announced revised target and remaining allocation.
Net run rate is an aggregate
For ordinary completed matches, net run rate is aggregate runs scored divided by aggregate overs faced, minus aggregate runs conceded divided by aggregate overs bowled. Suppose a team scores 180 in 20 overs and restricts its opponent to 160 in 20. Its match contribution is 9.00 − 8.00 = +1.00.
When a team is all out early, the full allotted overs are generally used for its net-run-rate denominator. Across matches, add the relevant runs and overs first; do not average match NRR figures. Rain-adjusted results and exclusions have special provisions, so use the competition’s published table for official standings.
Give every statistic a fair question
Compare like with like: format, era, venue, opposition, innings phase and role. A ten-ball burst is not a stable career trend. A high average from a handful of not-outs does not prove that a player solves every batting problem.
For scoring law details, consult the MCC Laws of Cricket, alongside the competition’s playing conditions. For discussion, show the calculation and name the sample. Good statistics sharpen an argument. They should not be used to disguise a weak one.