Batting average is the most basic and most talked-about stat in cricket. It shows the average number of runs a batter scores every time they get out — worked out as total runs divided by the number of times dismissed. A batting average of 50 means the batter scores 50 runs every time they lose their wicket.

Worked example: a batter scores 320 runs across 6 innings in a series, staying not out twice. Dismissals = 6 − 2 = 4, so batting average = 320 ÷ 4 = 80.0 for that series, a genuinely outstanding return. If those two not-out innings had counted as dismissals instead, the average would drop to 320 ÷ 6 = 53.3 — still very good, but a noticeably different number.

The key detail that makes batting average different from a simple per-innings average is how not outs are treated. If a batter scores 100 runs over 4 innings but stays not out twice, their dismissals are only 2, giving an average of 50, not 25. This is fair, because those unfinished innings shouldn't be counted the same as innings where the batter actually got out.

Batting average also depends on the format. In Test cricket, an average of 50+ is elite. In T20, where innings are much shorter, an average of 35+ is already considered outstanding.