What is a good bowling average in Test cricket?

In Test cricket, a career bowling average below 25 is considered excellent. Below 22 is elite — placing a bowler among the all-time greats. Between 25–30 is solid for an international bowler. Context matters — bowling in seam-friendly conditions versus flat subcontinental pitches dramatically affects averages.

What is more important — bowling average or economy rate?

It depends on format. In Test cricket, bowling average is the primary measure of quality. In T20 cricket, economy rate carries equal or greater weight. In ODIs, both are important — the ideal bowler takes wickets and is economical.

Can a bowler have a good average but bad economy rate?

Yes. A bowler can take wickets cheaply in terms of runs-per-wicket, but if they bowl many expensive overs between wickets, the economy rate suffers. This is relatively rare — good wicket-takers usually create pressure that restricts runs too.

Cricket

Bowling Average Calculator

Calculate bowling average and performance statistics

Bowling Average Calculator

Calculate bowling average and performance statistics

Bowling Stats

Format

Runs Conceded

Wickets Taken

Results

Enter stats to calculate

What is a Bowling Average?

Bowling average is one of cricket's oldest and most respected statistics. It measures the average number of runs a bowler concedes for each wicket taken. A bowler with an average of 25 has taken a wicket every 25 runs — lower is better.

Bowling average tells you about the cost-effectiveness of a bowler's wicket-taking. Unlike economy rate (which measures run restriction), average specifically tracks whether the wickets being taken are coming cheaply or expensively.

Use this calculator to compute bowling average for a spell, a match, a series, or a full career — and benchmark it against format-specific standards.

Formula

Runs ÷ Wickets

Test — Elite

Below 22

Test — Good

22 – 30

ODI — Elite

Below 25

T20 — Elite

Below 18

Lower is Better