In cricket, a player's economy rate is the number of runs they have conceded perover bowled. The lower the economy rate is, the better the bowler is performing. It is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers, commonly used alongside bowling average and strike rate to judge the overall performance of a bowler.
Calculation
The calculation is: Overs are written as decimals from 0.1 to 0.6, so must be converted into actual decimals before used in the calculation. For example, a bowler conceding 31 runs from 10.2 overs, has an economy rate of 31/10.33333 = 3.0 runs per over. If the bowler then bowls again, conceding a further 20 runs from 5.5 overs, then overall they have conceded 51 runs from 16.1 overs, so their overall economy rate is 51/16.1667 = 3.15 runs per over. From the Bowler’s perspective, extras are not counted as runs, hence not added to their tally of runs conceded in an over, but the error balls i.e. a wide and no-ball are counted and added to their over, which is displayed in their bowling figure.
Overview
The economy rate is more important in one-day cricket and Twenty20 matches than in Test match cricket. The shorter forms of the game demand that bowlers restrict the flow of runs from the opposition to give their team a better chance of finishing the game with more runs on the board. In Tests, however, the priority when in the field is to bowl the opposition out and take all ten wickets in both the innings. A bowler's economy rate is normally calculated from their career record, but one might also calculate it for a specificperiod of time, such as a calendar year or the duration of a World Cup tournament. In one day matches, a career economy rate of less than five runs per over is good. Conceding too many quick runs in a Test match is sure to get you taken off by your captain and replaced with another bowler, while taking a wicket in limited overs matches invariably slows the run rate. Like many aspects of cricket, economy rate vs bowling average vs bowling strike rate is a matter of finding a good balance. In Twenty20 matches, anything under seven runs per over is considered to be good.
