Bowling average

A bowling average is the number of runs a bowler concedes for each wicket they take.

A bowler who has conceded 1,000 runs for 40 wickets averages 25.00, and lower is better. The figure combines two other numbers: the bowler's economy, which says how expensive they are per over, and their strike rate, which says how often they take a wicket. A bowler can have a good average by being either very tight or very dangerous, and the greatest have been both. In Test cricket an average under 25 is excellent and under 30 is solid. In limited-overs cricket the average is read with more caution, because a bowler used only at the death will pay more per wicket than one who gets the new ball.

When you are building an attack, the average tells you what a bowler's wickets have cost, but not when they were taken or against whom. A Test bowler with a fine home record and a poor one abroad is two different bowlers, and a manager who is about to tour needs to know which one is coming.

In Masterstroke: bowling ratings and career figures sit on the player card, and the commentary explains why a plan worked or did not, so the average is never a mystery.