---
title: "Bowling Economy & Average Calculator | Trend Cricket"
description: "Bowling economy rate, bowling average and strike rate from overs, runs and wickets, plus a spell adder that totals figures written 4-0-28-2."
url: https://trendcricket.buzz/bowling-economy-calculator/
---

Bowling · economy, average & strike rate

# Bowling economy calculator

Runs an over, runs a wicket and balls a wicket, from the bowler's overs, runs and wickets. Overs go in as the scorebook writes them, so 3.4 is three overs and four balls.

## Three ways to measure a bowler

**Economy** is runs conceded per over. Like every overs sum it works in balls: 31 runs off 3.4 overs is 31 × 6 ÷ 22 balls = 8.45, not 31 ÷ 3.4 = 9.12. **Bowling average** is runs per wicket, so lower is better: 28 runs for 2 wickets is 14.00. **Strike rate** is balls per wicket: 24 balls for 2 wickets is a wicket every 12 balls.

Which runs count against the bowler? Under the playing conditions, the bowler is charged with runs off the bat, all runs from wides and the one-run penalty for each no-ball, but not byes or leg byes, even when they come off a no-ball. Wides and no-balls are not counted as balls of the over, so the overs figure already leaves them out. Wickets credited to the bowler include bowled, caught, lbw, stumped and hit wicket; run outs are not.

A maiden is an over in which the bowler concedes no runs. The adder checks that maidens never outnumber completed overs and that a spell has at most ten wickets, then totals the spells and picks the best figures: most wickets first, then fewest runs.

Economy suits limited-overs cricket, where every run matters; average and strike rate matter more over a long game, where taking wickets wins matches.

## Sources

- ICC. *ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 Playing Conditions*, clauses 17.3 (wides and no-balls are not valid balls of the over), 18.10.3 (runs debited to the bowler), 21.16 and 22.7 (no-ball and wide runs debited to the bowler). [ICC playing conditions (PDF)](https://images.icc-cricket.com/image/upload/prd/yyt7m8uh9c1uehrbvuwb.pdf)
- MCC. *Laws of Cricket*, Law 17: The over. [lawsofcricket.lords.org](https://lawsofcricket.lords.org/laws-of-cricket/the-over-scoring-runs-dead-ball-and-extras/the-over)

## Questions

**Does a maiden have to be a full over?**

Yes. A maiden is a complete over with no runs charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes don't spoil a maiden, because they aren't the bowler's runs, but a wide or a no-ball does.

**Why is economy shown when there are no wickets?**

Economy only needs runs and overs. Average and strike rate divide by wickets, so they stay blank until the bowler takes one, just as scorecards show a dash.

**Can I enter a whole season?**

Yes. Type the season totals into the calculator, or list every spell in the adder and press Use these totals above. The adder's best figures come from the single best spell.