How to use this batting average calculator
- Cricket: enter the runs scored, the number of innings and the not outs. Add the balls faced to get the strike rate as well.
- Baseball / Softball: enter hits and at-bats for the batting average. Open More stats and add walks, hit-by-pitches, sacrifice flies, doubles, triples and home runs to get OBP, SLG and OPS.
The results update as you type, with the working shown underneath. Nothing you enter is saved.
How to calculate a cricket batting average
A cricket batting average is the number of runs a batter scores per dismissal:
Batting average = Runs ÷ (Innings − Not outs)
Not outs are left out of the bottom of the sum because the batter wasn’t dismissed in those innings: they could have kept scoring, so those innings don’t count as a completed effort. Their runs still count, though, which is why a batter with lots of not outs can have an average higher than their usual score.
Worked example: a batter has scored 1,200 runs in 40 innings and was not out 8 times. They were dismissed 40 − 8 = 32 times, so their average is 1,200 ÷ 32 = 37.50.
If a batter has never been dismissed, there is nothing to divide by, so there is no average yet. The calculator says so rather than showing a misleading number.
Cricket strike rate explained
The batting strike rate measures how quickly runs come: the number of runs scored per 100 balls faced.
Strike rate = Runs ÷ Balls faced × 100
1,200 runs from 1,500 balls is a strike rate of 80.00. Average and strike rate tell you different things: average is about consistency and staying in, strike rate is about scoring speed. In short formats like T20, a high strike rate is often valued more; in long-format matches, a high average usually matters more.
How to calculate a baseball batting average
In baseball and softball, the batting average is hits divided by at-bats:
Batting average = Hits ÷ At-bats
It is written to three decimal places without the leading zero. 150 hits in 500 at-bats is 150 ÷ 500 = .300, read aloud as “three hundred”. Walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices are plate appearances but not at-bats, so they don’t affect the average. A perfect average is written 1.000.
OBP, SLG and OPS explained
- On-base percentage (OBP) is how often a batter reaches base: (H + BB + HBP) ÷ (AB + BB + HBP + SF).
- Slugging percentage (SLG) gives extra credit for extra-base hits: total bases ÷ at-bats, where a single is worth 1 base, a double 2, a triple 3 and a home run 4.
- OPS is OBP + SLG, a simple single number that combines getting on base with hitting for power.
Worked example: 150 hits in 500 at-bats, with 50 walks, 5 hit-by-pitches, 5 sacrifice flies, 30 doubles, 5 triples and 15 home runs.
OBP = (150 + 50 + 5) ÷ (500 + 50 + 5 + 5) = 205 ÷ 560 = .366. Singles = 150 − 30 − 5 − 15 = 100, so total bases = 100 + 60 + 15 + 60 = 235 and SLG = 235 ÷ 500 = .470. OPS = .366 + .470 = .836, added before rounding.
What is a good batting average?
It depends on the sport, the level and the format. In cricket, an average in the 40s or 50s is generally seen as excellent for a top-order batter in long-format international cricket, while lower-order batters and players in shorter formats usually average less. The famous benchmark is Sir Donald Bradman, whose Test average of 99.94 (6,996 runs in 80 innings, 10 not out) is far above anyone else’s.
In baseball, a .300 average has long been seen as the mark of a very good hitter, and anything near .400 over a full season is extremely rare. Because batting average ignores walks and power, many people now prefer OBP and OPS for comparing hitters. Whatever the sport, compare players at the same level and in the same format.
Frequently asked questions
How do you calculate a cricket batting average?
Divide the total runs by the number of times the batter was dismissed, which is innings minus not outs. For 1,200 runs in 40 innings with 8 not outs, that is 1,200 ÷ 32 = 37.50.
Why are not outs left out of a cricket average?
A cricket average measures how many runs a batter scores each time they are out. An innings where they weren’t dismissed still adds its runs, but it doesn’t count as a dismissal, because the batter could have kept scoring.
What is a strike rate in cricket?
A batting strike rate is the runs scored per 100 balls faced: runs ÷ balls × 100. Scoring 1,200 runs from 1,500 balls is a strike rate of 80.00. It shows how quickly a batter scores, while the average shows how consistently.
How do you calculate a baseball batting average?
Divide hits by at-bats and write the answer to three decimal places. 150 hits in 500 at-bats is 150 ÷ 500 = .300, read as “three hundred”. Walks, hit-by-pitches and sacrifices are not at-bats, so they don’t count.
What are OBP, SLG and OPS?
On-base percentage (OBP) is how often a batter reaches base by a hit, walk or hit-by-pitch. Slugging percentage (SLG) is total bases per at-bat, so extra-base hits count more. OPS is simply OBP plus SLG, a quick all-round measure of hitting.
What happens if a cricketer has never been dismissed?
Then there is no batting average yet, because dividing by zero dismissals isn’t possible. The calculator says “No average yet — never dismissed” instead of showing a made-up number.