Net Run Rate — the tournament tiebreaker
When two teams finish level on points in a league, NRR usually separates them. It rewards teams that win big and lose small.
The formula: NRR = (total runs scored ÷ total overs faced) − (total runs conceded ÷ total overs bowled), summed across every match in the tournament.
Crucially, if a team is bowled out, they are treated as having faced their FULL allotted overs — not the number actually bowled. That's why losing all 10 wickets in 30 overs of a 50-over match hurts your NRR badly.
Worked NRR example
Match 1: Team A scores 250/6 in 50 overs, bowls Team B out for 200 in 40 overs. Team B is treated as facing 50 overs (all out).
A's contribution: +250/50 − 200/50 = +5.0 − 4.0 = +1.0.
Match 2: Team A chases 180 in 25 overs (target reached, uses full remaining allocation? No — actual overs used, e.g. 25/25 in a shortened game).
Add up all matches' scored-vs-conceded and average across all overs to get the final tournament NRR — usually a small number like +0.412.
Batting numbers
Batting average
Runs scored ÷ times dismissed. Not-outs are excluded from the denominator, which is why Bradman's 99.94 average survived 4 not-outs.
Strike rate
(Runs ÷ balls faced) × 100. A strike rate of 150 in T20 means 1.5 runs per ball. Test cricket typically 45–65; T20 130+ for aggressors.
Boundary %
Percentage of runs scored in 4s and 6s. Modern T20 openers push above 65%.
Bowling numbers
Bowling average
Runs conceded ÷ wickets taken. Lower is better. Anything under 25 in Tests is elite.
Economy rate
Runs conceded per over. Under 4 in ODIs, under 7 in T20s is excellent.
Strike rate (bowling)
Balls bowled per wicket. Under 50 for Test fast bowlers is world class.
DLS — the resources equation
The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method treats overs and wickets as combined 'resources'. Every team starts with 100%. The ICC publishes a resource lookup table for every combination of overs remaining and wickets in hand.
Revised target = Team A's score × (Team B resources ÷ Team A resources), rounded up + 1. This is why halving the target after rain doesn't work — DLS accounts for the wickets still in hand.
Frequently asked
Does NRR reset each tournament?+
Yes — NRR is only calculated within a single tournament, from your first match to your last.
Why does being bowled out hurt NRR so much?+
Because the calculation assumes you faced ALL your allotted overs, even if you only lasted 30 of 50. Your effective run rate plummets.
What's a good T20 strike rate for an opener?+
140+ is very good; 160+ is elite. The top T20 finishers push above 180 in the final overs.
Can DLS produce a fractional target?+
The raw calculation can. The target on the scoreboard is always rounded up to the next whole run.