Calculate cricket batting average from runs, innings, and not outs, plus the runs you still need in upcoming innings to reach a target average.
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Cricket Batting Average Formula
BA = R / (I - NO)
Variables:
- BA is the batting average, in runs per dismissal
- R is the total runs scored, including runs made in not-out innings
- I is the number of innings batted
- NO is the number of not-out innings
The divisor is dismissals, not innings. An innings where the batter finishes not out adds runs to the numerator but nothing to the denominator, which is why two batters with identical runs and innings can have very different averages. If a batter has never been dismissed, the formula divides by zero, so no average exists and scorecards print a dash instead.
The calculator’s default mode applies the formula directly: enter runs, innings, and not outs, and it returns the average along with runs per innings, the not-out percentage, and how the number rates in Test, ODI, and T20 cricket. The total runs mode rearranges the formula as R = BA x D to recover total runs from an average and a dismissal count. The projection mode recomputes the formula after adding one more innings, dismissed or not out, so you can see exactly how a score would move the average. The target mode solves the planning question with the formula below:
Rneed = BAt * (D + n) - R
- Rneed is the runs still needed
- BAt is the target batting average
- D is the current number of dismissals
- n is the upcoming innings you expect to be dismissed in
- R is the runs scored so far
This answers a question no plain average tells you: how many runs you must score over your next few innings to pull your average up to a chosen number.
Batting Average Benchmarks and the Not-Out Effect
What counts as a good average depends on the format and the level of cricket. The bands below reflect common benchmarks for international top-order batters, with a rough guide for club cricket added, since a club average of 30 is an achievement most weekend players never reach.
| Level | Elite | Excellent | Good | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 50+ | 40 to 50 | 35 to 40 | 25 to 35 |
| ODI | 45+ | 38 to 45 | 32 to 38 | 25 to 32 |
| T20 | 40+ | 30 to 40 | 24 to 30 | 18 to 24 |
| Club and weekend cricket | 35+ | 25 to 35 | 15 to 25 | 8 to 15 |
The second table shows why not outs matter so much. Every row has the same 1200 runs from 40 innings, so runs per innings is 30.00 in each case. Only the not-out count changes, and the average climbs sharply while the actual scoring output stays identical.
| Not outs (of 40 innings) | Dismissals | Batting average | Inflation vs zero not outs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 40 | 30.00 | Baseline |
| 4 | 36 | 33.33 | +11% |
| 8 | 32 | 37.50 | +25% |
| 12 | 28 | 42.86 | +43% |
A useful rule of thumb: when not outs make up 30% or more of a batter’s innings, compare the average against runs per innings before drawing conclusions. A big gap between the two numbers means the average is being carried by unfinished innings, which is common for lower-order batters and finishers in limited-overs cricket.
Example Problems
Example 1: Find a career batting average.
A batter has scored 1450 runs across 38 innings and finished not out 6 times. Dismissals are 38 – 6 = 32. Apply the formula:
BA = 1450 / 32 = 45.31 runs per dismissal.
Runs per innings is only 1450 / 38 = 38.16, so the not outs are adding about 7 runs to the average. By the benchmark table, 45.31 rates as excellent in Tests and elite in ODI cricket.
Example 2: Find the runs needed to reach a target average.
A batter has 810 runs from 30 innings with 3 not outs, so 27 dismissals and a current average of 810 / 27 = 30.00. They want a 35 average by the end of the season and expect to be dismissed in 3 more innings. The counted dismissals will be 27 + 3 = 30, so:
Rneed = 35 x 30 – 810 = 1050 – 810 = 240 runs.
That is 240 / 3 = 80 runs per dismissed innings. Any not-out runs along the way count toward the 240 without adding a dismissal, which lowers what the remaining innings must produce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do not outs increase a batting average?
Because the formula divides total runs by dismissals, not by innings. Runs scored in a not-out innings go into the numerator, but the innings never appears in the denominator, so those runs are effectively free. This is why lower-order batters who often run out of partners, and finishers who bat through the end of limited-overs innings, tend to carry averages that overstate their scoring rate per visit to the crease.
What is the batting average of a player who has never been dismissed?
It does not exist. With zero dismissals the formula divides by zero, so no average is defined, no matter how many runs the batter has scored. Scorecards and statistics sites print a dash or leave the column blank, and the runs simply wait until the first dismissal. Until then, runs per innings is the honest way to describe the batter’s output, and the calculator reports exactly that in this situation.
Is batting average or runs per innings the better measure?
They answer different questions. Batting average rewards remaining not out, which reflects real value in Test cricket, where surviving to stumps or batting through an innings helps the team. In T20 cricket a batter can finish not out constantly without that being a skill of equal worth, so a T20 average should be read next to runs per innings and strike rate. If the average and runs per innings are close, the average is a fair summary. If the average is far higher, unfinished innings are doing a lot of the work.
