Strike rate

Strike rate refers to two different statistics in the sport of cricket. Batting strike rate is a measure of how quickly a batter achieves the primary goal of batting, namely scoring runs, measured in runs per 100 balls; higher is better. Bowling strike rate is a measure of how quickly a bowler achieves the primary goal of bowling, namely taking wickets (i.e. getting batters out)measured in balls per wicket; lower is better. For bowlers, economy rate is a more frequently discussed statistic.

Both strike rates are relatively new statistics, having only been invented and considered of importance after the introduction of One Day International cricket in the 1970s.

Batting strike rate

International batting strike rates as of January 2004

Batting strike rate (s/r) is defined for a batter as the average number of runs scored per 100 balls faced. The higher the strike rate, the more effective a batter is at scoring quickly.

In Test cricket, a batter's strike rate is of secondary importance to ability to score runs without getting out. This means a Test batter's most important statistic is generally considered to be batting average, rather than strike rate.

In limited overs cricket, strike rates are of considerably more importance. Since each team only faces a limited number of balls in an innings, the faster a batter scores, the more runs the team will be able to accumulate. Strike rates of over 150 are becoming common in Twenty20 cricket. Strike rate is probably considered by most as the key factor in a batter in one day cricket. Accordingly, the batters with higher strike rates, especially in Twenty20 matches, are more valued than those with a lesser strike rate. Strike rate is also used to compare a batter’s ability to score runs against differing forms of bowling (eg spin bowling, fast bowling), often giving an indication to the bowling team as to how successfully to limit a batter's ability to score.

Highest career strike rate (T20I)

See also: Highest strike rates in ODIs and Highest strike rates in T20Is

Rank	Strike rate	Runs scored	Balls faced	Batsman	Team	T20I career span
1	175.76	1,675	953	Suryakumar Yadav	India	2021–2023
2	173.51	439	253	Mirza Ahsan	Austria	2019–2023
3	171.21	815	476	Taranjeet Singh	Romania	2021–2023
4	170.04	687	404	Saber Zakhil	Belgium	2019–2023
5	166.23	517	311	Zeeshan Kukikhel	Hungary	2021–2023
Qualification: 250 balls. Last updated: 17 July 2023

Highest career strike rate (ODI)

Rank	Strike rate	Player	Team	Runs	Balls faced	Period
1	130.22	Andre Russell	West Indies	1,034	794	2011–2019
2	126.70	Glenn Maxwell	Australia	3,990	3,149	2012–2025
3	117.06	Lionel Cann	Template:Country data BER	590	504	2006–2009
4	117.05	Heinrich Klaasen	South Africa	2,141	1,829	2018–2025
5	117.00	Shahid Afridi	Pakistan	8,064	6,892	1996–2015
Last updated: 4 March 2025
Qualification: Faced at least 500 balls.

Bowling strike rate

Bowling strike rate is defined for a bowler as the average number of balls bowled per wicket taken. The lower the strike rate, the more effective a bowler is at taking wickets quickly.

Although introduced as a statistic complementary to the batting strike rate during the ascension of one-day cricket in the 1980s, bowling strike rates are arguably of more importance in Test cricket than One-day Internationals. This is because the primary goal of a bowler in Test cricket is to take wickets, whereas in a one-day match it is often sufficient to bowl economically - giving away as few runs as possible even if this means taking fewer wickets.

Best career strike rate (ODI and T20I)

See also: Lowest strike rates in ODIs and Lowest strike rates in T20Is

Best career strike rate (Tests)

Retired players

Strike rate	Player	Country	Balls	Wickets
34.1	George Lohmann		3830	112
37.7	J. J. Ferris	/	2302	61
38.8	Shane Bond		3372	87
41.6	Sydney Barnes		7873	189
42.3	Dale Steyn		18608	439
Qualification: 2,000 balls Last updated: 28 June 2022

Active players

Strike rate	Player	Country	Balls	Wickets
32.8	Marco Jansen		1313	40
35.3	Duanne Olivier		2088	59
36.9	Axar Patel		1626	44
37.6	Kuldeep Yadav		1279	34
39.5	Kagiso Rabada		10481	265
41.0	Shardul Thakur		1107	27
42.9	Jayden Seales		1590	37
43.6	Lungi Ngidi		2182	50
43.9	Kyle Jamieson		3162	72
44.0	Anrich Nortje		2601	59
44.7	Prabath Jayasuriya		1298	29
45.0	Ollie Robinson		2700	60
Qualification: 1,000 balls Last updated: 22 December 2022