Bowling economy rate:
runs conceded per over, and the overs trap

Runs per over, in one line

In cricket, economy rate is the average number of runs a bowler concedes in each over. A bowler who gives away 36 runs in 4 overs has an economy of 9. Lower numbers are better for the fielding side, since each over of six balls costs fewer runs.

What counts as 'conceded' is specific to the bowler. Wides and no-balls are charged to the bowler. Byes and leg byes are not, because they are credited to the fielding team as extras without being attributed to the bowler's account.

The overs trap: 3.4 is not 3.4

An over has six legal deliveries, so 3.4 overs written on a scorecard means three complete overs and four balls: 3 × 6 + 4 = 22 balls. In true decimals, that is 22 ÷ 6 = 3.667 overs, not 3.4. Typing 3.4 directly into the formula shortchanges the denominator.

The shortcut that avoids converting overs altogether is to work in balls: economy = runs × 6 ÷ balls. With 31 runs and 22 balls that is 186 ÷ 22 = 8.45, the same answer.

Combining several spells or matches

Never average two economy rates to get the combined one, since a short expensive spell would count as much as a long economical one. Add the runs, add the overs (in balls), then divide once.

The simple mean of 9 and 4 is 6.5, which understates the real figure. The correct figure is 48 ÷ 7 = 6.86, because the 4-over spell carried more weight. The same method is used for a tournament: total runs divided by total overs bowled, which is how official statistics are produced.

How economy links to average and strike rate

Three statistics sit together on a bowling record. Bowling average is runs per wicket, strike rate is balls per wicket, and economy is runs per over. They are related by a single identity, economy = average ÷ strike rate × 6.

This is useful when you only have two of the three: a bowler with an average of 25 and a strike rate of 20 has an economy of 25 ÷ 20 × 6 = 7.5. It also explains why a wicket-taker can have a high economy yet a good average.

A worked match: who cost the runs?

Economy rates earn their keep when you set them side by side. Suppose a side defends 160 in a 20-over innings and uses five bowlers for four overs each. Each bowler's economy is simply runs divided by four.

The team's economy is 160 ÷ 20 = 8.00, so bowler D, at 10.50, went for 2.5 runs an over more than the side average, while E saved 2 runs an over. Over four overs those gaps become 10 runs more and 8 runs fewer. Seen like this, a 10.50 economy is not a statistic to wave away: in a match decided by a handful of runs it is the margin.

The same numbers help the captain too. With D's figures in mind, a fifth bowler's final over can be saved for a specialist, and the key overs held for those with an economy below 7.

Reading an economy rate in context

There is no single threshold for a good economy rate. It varies by format, since a rate that is poor in a five-day match is excellent in a T20. Pitch, ball age, powerplay restrictions and the batting side's approach all change what is reasonable. A fast bowler sent in at the death will concede more than one who bowls with the new ball, so compare bowlers who do similar jobs.

Maiden overs, in which no runs are conceded, pull the economy down sharply and are rare in the shorter formats. One maiden in a four-over spell with 32 runs in the other three overs gives 32 ÷ 4 = 8.00, which looks the same as a spell of 8 runs from every over. The summary figure does not show how the runs were spread, so scorecards that list each over are worth a look before drawing conclusions.

• Within a format, look at the economy against the tournament average for the same conditions.
• Check overs bowled: three overs is a small sample, thirty is not.
• Look at wickets together with economy, since a bowler who attacks may concede more but take more wickets.
• Dot-ball percentage and boundary share add detail that economy hides.

Quick checks and targets

The formula can be run in reverse. A bowler targeting an economy of 7.5 over a 4-over spell can concede at most 7.5 × 4 = 30 runs. If 18 runs are conceded after two overs, the economy is 9 so far, and the remaining two overs must go for 12 or fewer, a rate of 6, to hit the target.

Players and analysts also look at economy by phase of the innings, such as the first six overs, the middle overs and the final four. A bowler with an overall economy of 8.00 who goes for 6.5 in the middle and 11 at the death has a very different job description from one at a steady 8 throughout, and the split is where selection decisions come from.

A bowling economy calculator removes the overs-to-balls conversion, which is where most hand errors happen. Always give the overs as written on the scorecard, in the over.ball format, so the tool can convert correctly.