Gera Tools

Cricket Bowling Economy Rate Calculator

Calculate a bowler's economy rate, strike rate, and average.

Input runs conceded, overs bowled in overs.balls notation, and wickets taken to compute a bowler's economy rate, bowling average, and bowling strike rate — the three core bowling performance metrics in cricket. It runs free in your browser on Gera Tools, with nothing uploaded.

Last updated Source: Gera Tools

What is a bowling economy rate?

Economy rate is the average number of runs a bowler concedes per over. It equals total runs conceded divided by overs bowled. In limited-overs cricket an economy under 6 in ODIs or under 8 in T20 is considered good, since lower is better.

Cricket Bowling Economy Rate Calculator

Bowlers are judged on three numbers: how cheaply they bowl, how often they strike, and how much each wicket costs. This calculator computes all three — economy rate, bowling average, and bowling strike rate — from runs conceded, overs bowled, and wickets taken.

How it works

Cricket overs are written in overs.balls notation, so the first step is converting them to a total ball count, remembering each over is 6 balls:

balls = (whole overs * 6) + part-balls   // e.g. 8.3 -> 8*6 + 3 = 51 balls
overs (decimal) = balls / 6

Economy rate = Runs conceded / overs (decimal)   // runs per over
Bowling average = Runs conceded / Wickets        // runs per wicket
Strike rate = balls / Wickets                     // balls per wicket

Economy rate is always defined when at least one ball is bowled. Average and strike rate require at least one wicket, otherwise they are undefined.

Worked example

A bowler with 10.0 overs (60 balls), 42 runs conceded, and 3 wickets:

  • Economy rate: 42 ÷ 10 = 4.20 runs per over
  • Bowling average: 42 ÷ 3 = 14.0 runs per wicket
  • Strike rate: 60 ÷ 3 = 20.0 balls per wicket

That economy of 4.20 is excellent in any format. A strike rate of 20 means a wicket every 20 deliveries — roughly once every three and a half overs — which is elite in Test cricket. In T20 cricket the same strike rate is still good but the economy must be even tighter, generally under 8 runs per over.

What each metric tells you — and when it matters most

Economy rate is the most important metric in limited-overs formats. In a T20 match where only 120 balls are bowled per side, conceding 10 runs per over costs the team far more than not taking wickets. Selectors building white-ball squads prioritise bowlers who can restrict scoring even without regular breakthroughs.

Bowling average tells you how many runs the opposition has to score to “earn” each of your wickets. A figure below 25 in Test cricket is strong; the best all-time averages sit below 20. In isolation it rewards bowlers who take wickets cheaply, but it ignores how slowly those wickets come.

Bowling strike rate fills that gap by measuring frequency. A strike rate in the mid-40s is solid in Tests — a wicket roughly every eight overs. A strike rate below 30 is world-class, meaning the bowler strikes much more often.

Format context and part-over handling

The overs.balls notation accepts 0–5 in the balls field because a 6th ball ends the over and creates a new complete one. If you are computing career figures spanning many matches, the tool handles any total number of overs correctly through the same decimal conversion.

For all three metrics, lower is better. Economy rate applies across all formats; bowling average and strike rate carry the most weight in Test cricket where taking 20 wickets wins the match.