Bowling average is a statistic measuring the performance of bowlers in the sport of cricket.

A bowler's bowling average is defined as the total number of runs conceded by the bowler divided by the number of wickets taken by the bowler, so the lower the average the better. Most specialist bowlers have bowling averages in the range 20-40. A bowling average of 35 or below is generally considered respectable.

Career records for bowling average are usually subject to a qualification of a minimum number of balls bowled or wickets taken, to avoid an artificially high or low average over a career spanning only a few matches. Under the qualification of at least 2,000 balls bowled, the lowest Test bowling average held by George Lohmann, who took 112 at an average of 10.75. Only 11 other bowlers have bowling averages below 20 on this basis.

Bowling averages in One-day Internationals are generally somewhat lower than in Test cricket because the batsmen need to score runs more quickly which makes it easier to get them out.

See also

• Cricket statistics