What is cricket net run rate and how is it calculated?

The NET RUN RATE has become the preferred method for breaking ties in one-day cricket tournaments, but it can be confusing to understand.

England v Australia is the fourth game to be abandoned in the T20 World Cup, with net run rate now playing a role.

2

The statistical method of net run rate is often compared to goal difference in soccer, as the calculations are made to determine winners in games that cannot be finished.

We advise you comprehensively on all details of the method to be used.

What is cricket net run rate and how is it calculated?

Net run rate is the statistical method used to determine the outcome of washed out games.

Net run rate in a single game is the average runs per over scored by the team minus the average runs per over scored against them.

2

This can also be calculated for a tournament total, as was the case for South Africa in 1999.

A positive net run rate would mean a team is scoring faster than their opponent, while a negative one would mean they are scoring slower than their opponent, so a higher net run rate is desirable and used to determine the winner to calculate.

In the event that a team is all-out in less than their full over-quote, the calculation of both teams’ net run rate is based on the full over-quote to which the batting team would have been entitled, rather than what Number of overs in which the team was dismissed.

However, the method has been criticized for measuring how quickly teams are scoring and conceding runs, but not how much of a margin they have over winning or losing, as it ignores lost wickets.

When has the net run rate been used in the past?

Net run rate was first used at the 1992 Cricket World Cup and has been used widely ever since.

At the 1999 World Cup, South Africa’s net run rate was calculated as their average run rate was 4.263 and their average run rate was 3.404.

This meant her net run rate in the last tournament was +0.859, which is positive.