Economy rate is the number of runs a bowler concedes per over. It is the headline bowling number in T20 cricket and an important one in ODIs, because limiting runs builds the pressure that brings wickets. The calculator above converts part-overs to balls correctly and also shows the wrong answer you would get by treating overs as a decimal, so you can see why the conversion matters.
How to use the economy rate calculator
- Enter the runs conceded from the bowler's figures. This includes wides and no-balls but not byes or leg-byes.
- Enter the overs bowled in cricket notation, such as 3.2 for three overs and two balls.
- Read the economy rate, runs per ball and total legal balls. The last line shows the common mistake for comparison.
The economy rate formula
Economy rate = Runs conceded ÷ Overs bowled
Because part-overs are written as balls after the dot, the reliable way to calculate it is:
Economy rate = Runs conceded ÷ (Balls bowled ÷ 6)
Why 3.2 overs is not 3.2
In cricket notation, the digit after the dot counts balls, from 0 to 5. So:
- 3.2 overs = 3 overs + 2 balls = 20 balls = 3.333 overs in decimal.
- 4.4 overs = 28 balls = 4.667 overs.
- 9.5 overs = 59 balls = 9.833 overs.
Using 3.2 directly as a decimal makes the bowler look more expensive than they were. With 7 runs from 3.2 overs, the correct economy is 7 ÷ 3.333 = 2.10. Dividing by 3.2 gives 2.19, which is wrong.
Real match example
Deepak Chahar – 3.2-0-7-6
- Runs conceded
- 7
- Overs
- 3.2 (20 balls)
- Economy
- 7 ÷ 3.333 = 2.10
An economy of 2.10 in a T20 is extraordinary, and Chahar took six wickets as well, including a hat-trick.
Real match example
Lockie Ferguson – 4 overs, 4 maidens, 0 runs, 3 wickets
- Runs conceded
- 0
- Overs
- 4.0 (24 balls)
- Economy
- 0.00
Ferguson became the first bowler to bowl four maidens in a T20 World Cup spell, and only the second in all men's T20 internationals after Canada's Saad Bin Zafar in 2021.
Which runs count against the bowler?
- Runs off the bat: yes.
- Wides: yes. The penalty run and any further runs from a wide are charged to the bowler.
- No-balls: yes. The one-run penalty is charged to the bowler, along with any runs the batter scores from the ball.
- Byes and leg-byes: no. These are team extras and are not charged to the bowler.
- Penalty runs for fielding offences: no.
What is a good economy rate?
- T20: under 7.5 is good, under 6.5 is excellent. Death-over specialists are often judged against 9 or 10 an over because scoring is so fast at the end of an innings.
- ODIs: under 5 is good; under 4.5 is very good.
- Tests: under 3 is tight. Economy matters less than wickets in the longest format, but a bowler who can hold an end at 2.5 an over is very valuable.
Economy in context
Economy tells you how hard a bowler is to score off, but not how often they take wickets. A bowler with an economy of 6 and no wickets may be less valuable than one with an economy of 8 who takes three. That is why analysts pair economy with bowling strike rate and bowling average. The dot ball percentage adds another layer by showing how many deliveries were completely scoreless.
Phase matters too. A powerplay economy of 7.5 in a T20 can be excellent, while the same number in the middle overs, when only a few fielders are inside the circle, can be ordinary.
Common mistakes
- Dividing by overs as a decimal. Always convert balls after the dot. Our overs to balls converter shows the true decimal value.
- Including byes and leg-byes. They are not the bowler's runs.
- Counting wides and no-balls as balls bowled. They are re-bowled and do not add to the over count, even though their runs count against the bowler.
Follow bowlers' economy rates ball by ball on CricketSky's live scores pages.
