Calculating the batting average in cricket is mathematically a fun thing to do. While showcasing the batsman’s consistency, batting averages also guide you to compare batters.
But there are a few unfair comparisons regarding batting averages, which we have discussed below after the calculation.
The Calculation
As the name depicts, the batting average is the average number of runs scored per every dismissal. That is why “being Not-out” greatly influences one’s batting average.
A misconception is that batting averages are the median of runs scored by a batsman in terms of the number of innings he played. But that’s not true. The denominator, here, is the number of times the batsman has got dismissed in the format. The formula to calculate batting average of a batsman is,
Batting Average of a Batsman – Number of runs he accumulated / Number of dismissals
For example, take batsman A, who has scores of 75, 33*, 47, 47* & 50 in his first five ODI matches; his ODI batting average would be 84.
Calculation: A’s total score would be 252 Runs in 5 innings. But he was dismissed only three times in his career; thereby, the right method of calculating the average will be by dividing 252 by 3, which gives you the number 84.
Why is it unfair to compare the batting averages of batsmen of different eras?
It is important to note that the benchmarks of the batting average varied through the period. If 40-50 was termed an ideal ODI batting average 10 years back, it has slightly increased now, with the run-scoring becoming relatively easy day by day. So, comparing the batting average of two batters of different eras might not be a good idea.
For instance, imagine the glory a team would get on chasing a score of 300+ in an ODI match in the 1990s, and it has become a common trend nowadays. You can look at the teamwise number of successful 300+ chases in ODIs here to understand what I am stating.
Why is it unfair to compare the batting averages of batsmen of different batting positions?
When you play at different positions for your team, the roles and responsibilities change. It impacts the run flow and opportunity for a batsman to play longer. For instance, sometimes, a century innings from an opening batsman might be valued less than a short but important match-winning knock from a lower-order batsman at a crucial time for the team. Batting averages don’t calibrate that. It is just a number thing. And, that is why we came up with the ideal batting averaging benchmark for the batsmen of different batting positions.
On that note, being a lower-order batsman will also increase the chances of you staying not out, which will directly enhance your batting average. For instance, Michael Bevan has a better ODI average (53.58) than his teammate Ricky Ponting (41.81), even though Ponting’s runs-to-innings ratio is higher than Bevan in the format.
The number is huge because of Bevan’s position he batted for Australia and the number of not-outs he had in his career. I am not in any way belittling Bevan’s contributions to his team here. He has been an outstanding match-winner for them. Lower order batting is one of the difficult jobs in cricket. But it proves that it is unfair to compare two batsmen’s averages while batting at different positions.
Click to Know: The batters who have achieved a record duo of 50+ batting average in both ODI & Tests?