If you have been following cricket for a while, you would have come across a lingo that’s often used in multi-team tournaments that goes by the name of net run-rate.
In this article we look at what it means, how to calculate it, how does it help tournaments and what is the history behind the introduction of net run-rate.
Basically, this is the most ultimate guide about everything related to net run-rate in cricket.
What is Cricketing Net Run-Rate?
Net Run-Rate or NRR is a term which is used to describe the differential between a team’s run-scoring rate and the rate at which they have conceded the runs to their opponents in a limited overs competition.
It’s typically used in white-ball cricketing tournaments.
How is the Net Run-Rate calculated?
Here’s the Net Run-Rate formula:
NRR = (Sum of all the runs scored by a team in a tournament/number of overs faced) – (Sum of all the runs conceded by a team in a tournament/number of overs bowled).
What this means is that the net run-rate is calculated by totalling all the runs scored by a team and dividing it by the overs they have faced and subtracting from that the runs conceded per over in that very competition.
Examples of Net Run-Rate:
Example 1: Let’s assume a team A plays three matches in a tournament against Teams B, C and D.
Here’re the brief scores of those three matches.
- Team A 250/5 in 50 overs beat Team B 246/6 in 50 overs
- Team C 290/3 in 50 overs beat Team A 200/9 in 50 overs
- Team A 300/6 in 50 overs beat Team D 280/8 in 50 overs
In the example above, Team A has scored a total of 750 runs in 150 overs which gives them an average scoring rate of 5.00 an over. They have conceded 816 run in 150 overs which means they have conceded on an average of 5.44 runs per over.
Their net run-rate at that stage of the tournament will be 5.00-5.44 = -0.44 (minus 0.44).
How is NRR calculated in case a team is bowled out?
If a team is bowled out in an innings having faced lesser than the stipulated overs in that encounter then the entire quota of overs is taken into account while calculating the net run-rate.
The same is the case when they have bowled an opponent out in lesser overs than the stipulated ones.
Continuing with the same example in which team A plays B, C and D, and this time around the scores in the tournament are as follows:
Example 2:
- Team A 250/5 in 50 overs beat Team B 246 all out in 46.2 overs
- Team C 290/3 in 50 overs beat Team A 200/9 in 50 overs
- Team A 300/6 in 50 overs beat Team D 280/8 in 44 overs
In the example above, teams B and D have been bowled out in less than the stipulated overs but the entire quota of overs (i.e. 50 overs) will be taken into account. What this means is that team A will still end the tournament with the same net run-rate as mentioned above, i.e. minus 0.44.
How is NRR calculated in cases of rain-affected games?
Rain or other weather-affected or curtailed games have a different formula which is used to calculate the net run-rate though. In this, there is a use of the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method to calculate the target for teams and in the same way, the NRR always looks at the DLS runs rather than the actual runs while determining the final figure.
Let’s assume the same example as earlier in a tournament consisting of teams A, B, C and D. These are the brief scores of the three matches that team A plays.
Example 3:
- Team A 250/5 in 45.2 overs (rain affected play) beat Team B 246 all out in 40 overs (of the 45-over encounter in which their target was changed to 267)
- Team C 290/3 in 50 overs beat Team A 200/9 in 50 overs
- Team A 300/6 in 50 overs beat Team D 280/8 in 44 overs
The calculation for the NRR doesn’t change in the second and third match but in the first match between teams A and B, DLS was used to recalculate the target because it was a curtailed match.
Team A had scored 250/5 in 45.2 over when their innings had to be ended because of rain and team B were left to chase a revised total of 267 in 45 overs. In this case, what that means is that team A’s DLS score amounted to 266 in 45 overs while team B ended with 246 for which 45 overs will be taken into account while calculating the NRR.
So the NRR for team A at the end of the first game would be (266/45) – (246/45) = 5.911 – 5.467 = 0.444. Team B’s NRR at the end of that game would be -0.444
Similarly, while calculating team A’s tournament NRR, their average runs scored per over would be (266+200+300)/(45+50+50) = 5.282, while their average runs conceded per over would be (246+290+280)/(45+50+50) = 5.627, giving them an NRR of 5.282-5.627 = -0.345.
What happens to the NRR if a limited-overs match is abandoned for any reason?
The runs scored per over or the runs conceded per over from an abandoned game aren’t taken into consideration while calculating a tournament net run-rate.
What happens to the NRR if a limited-overs match ends in a tie?
The net run-rate is calculated in the same manner as the previous examples. However, while the match net run-rate for both the teams in question would be zero, the overall net tournament run-rate for both sides could change.
Take the example 1 mentioned above and assume there is a fifth team in the tournament, team E against whom Team A plays their fourth game. That match ends in a tie with both sides scoring 150 in their 50 overs.
Example 4:
- Team A 250/5 in 50 overs beat Team B 246/6 in 50 overs
- Team C 290/3 in 50 overs beat Team A 200/9 in 50 overs
- Team A 300/6 in 50 overs beat Team D 280/8 in 50 overs
- Team E 150/9 in 5o overs tied with Team A 150/7 in 50 overs
After three games, as mentioned in example 1, Team A’s net run-rate was -0.44.
Adding this fourth game to the mix, we see that Team A’s runs scored in the tournament equals 900 from 200 overs. They have conceded 966 in 200 overs, giving them a total NRR of 900/200 – 966/200 = -0.33, an improvement in their net run-rate from the previous -0.44.
What is the importance of Net Run-Rate?
Net Run-Rate is used as a method to decide on the ranking of teams on the points table of a multi-team tournament if they are tied on points.
So, for instance, in the 2023 Cricket World Cup played in India, both South Africa and Australia finished on 14 points at the end of the group stage of the tournament. However, South Africa were given the second spot because they had a better NRR than Australia (+1.261 to +0.841).
Similarly, in the same tournament, Pakistan and Afghanistan were tied on points with eight apiece. However, Pakistan’s -0.199 was a better NRR than Afghanistan’s -0.336 which gave them the fifth spot.
Lastly, all three of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Netherlands ended the competition on four points. Bangladesh’s NRR of -1.087 meant they finished eighth on the table to Sri Lanka’s -1.419 and Netherlands’ -1.825.
In case of this last example, it was their superior Net Run-Rate that allowed Bangladesh to qualify for the 2025 Champions Trophy since only the top eight teams play in that competition.
Let’s take a few more real-life examples of the importance of net run-rate and how it’s shaped up tournaments.
In the 2019 World Cup which was held in England, the top three teams had 15, 14 and 12 points respectively. New Zealand and Pakistan had 11 points each but the Kiwis qualified for the semifinals thanks to a better net run-rate of 0.175 as compared to Pakistan’s -0.43.
The Group B of the 2015 World Cup saw South Africa pip Pakistan to the second spot thanks to a better net run-rate, allowing them to face Sri Lanka in the quarterfinals while Pakistan were forced to take on hosts and pre-tournament favourites Australia in their last eight encounter.
West Indies and Bangladesh finished on six points apiece in the Group B of the 2011 World Cup but it was the Caribbean side that grabbed the fourth and final quarterfinal spot because of a better net run-rate (+1.066 to Bangladesh’s -1.361).
History of Net Run-Rate
Net Run-Rate wasn’t used in international tournaments till after the 1987 World Cup.
Till the 1987 World Cup, a simple, batting run-rate was used to decide on the points table ranking if two teams finished on the same points.
For instance in the 1987 World Cup, both India and Australia finished on 20 points. India had scored their runs in the group stage of that competition at 5.43 while Australia made their runs at 5.19 which gave India the pole position in the group.
The 1983 World Cup saw an even interesting equation.
Going into the last round of fixtures, England had already qualified for the semifinals from Group A and the fight for the second spot was between Pakistan and New Zealand. At that stage, Pakistan had eight points while New Zealand had 12 (with a win worth four points).
As luck would have it, Pakistan and New Zealand met in that final round fixture. Had New Zealand won that match, they would have gone through but a Pakistan win would have only levelled the two points on points with 12 apiece. They needed to win by a sufficient margin to ensure their batting run-rate ended better than New Zealand’s.
An 11-run win for Pakistan meant that their run-rate tipped over to 4.01 while New Zealand finished on 3.92.
Even in the annual tri-nation series that was held in Australia between 1987 and 1991, the batting run-rate was used. It was only in the 1991-92 tri-series between Australia, India and West Indies, a series which finished just a month before the start of the 1992 World Cup, that the net run-rate was used for the first time.
In the first ever World Cup where the net run-rate was used – in 1992 – while the top four teams did not require it to break a tie, Australia and West Indies finished with eight points each while both India and Sri Lanka registered five points.
Australia’s net run-rate of +0.2 pipped West Indies who had an NRR of +0.07 while India finished on +0.137 as opposed to Sri Lanka’s -0.69. As a result, Australia ended fifth, West Indies sixth, India seventh and Sri Lanka eighth on the table.
The 1999 World Cup carry-over farce
In the 1999 World Cup, India, Zimbabwe and England finished on six points apiece. With two spots available for the Super Six stage after South Africa had already made it through with eight points, it was India (with an NRR of 1.28) and Zimbabwe (with 0.02) who qualified while England (-0.33) were knocked out in Group A.
The same scenario emerged in Group B too with things slightly more interesting here.
Pakistan, with eight points, went through to Super Six without any trouble but the battle heated up between Australia, New Zealand and West Indies. Australia and New Zealand narrowly made it through on the last day of the first round of fixtures thanks to a superior net run-rate.
However, this wasn’t without its controversy either. More to do with the points carry-forward rules of the 1999 World Cup than with the net run-rate alone, it led to questions over the farcical scenario that unfolded in the game between Australia and West Indies.
Read more about this Australia-West Indies game controversy here.
Is there a NRR equivalent in Test match cricket too?
There is a method called the Run Quotient that can be used in first-class and Test match cricket. Instead of dividing the runs by overs and finding the for and against ratio, it uses wickets in the same formula.
So, the formula reads: Quotient = Runs Scored/Wickets Lost divided by Runs Conceded/Wickets Taken.
Why is there criticism of the Net Run-Rate?
While the net run-rate system has been around for years and has mostly worked well without too many complaints from teams and officials, it isn’t without its criticism.
One of the biggest issues with the concept of net run-rate is that while it takes into account the number of overs a team has played, it fails to recognise the wickets lost or taken by teams.
What that means is that in the calculation of a team’s net run-rate, their scores of 230/1 or 230/9 (in 50 overs) will imply the same.
Here’s an example of this specific issue.
In the 1999 World Cup which was held in the UK (and other European countries), South Africa qualified for the next stage of the tournament with eight points but there was a three-way tie between India, Zimbabwe and England with six points apiece.
India finished with an NRR of +1.28, Zimbabwe with 0.02 and England on -0.33 paving the way for the first two teams to enter the next round.
Things might have been slightly different had the net run-rate considered wickets lost as well, with England losing just 26 wickets in the opening round and Zimbabwe seeing 37 of their wickets go down.
In fact, take the case of Kenya’s matches against Zimbabwe, England and South Africa in that very group. In all three matches, Kenya batted first and their opponents chased the target with consummate ease.
Zimbabwe made those runs in 41 overs (but lost five wickets), England got the target in 39 overs (for the loss of just one wicket) and South Africa also needed exactly 41 overs to get there (three wickets down).
The net run-rate of both Zimbabwe and South Africa from their game was deemed to be equal since both won with nine overs to spare but South Africa had clearly done better in losing just three wickets as opposed to Zimbabwe’s five – something that the NRR does not take into account.
On the other hand, while England’s net run-rate from this game was better than Zimbabwe and South Africa’s because they finished it off with 11 overs remaining, they gained no advantage in losing just one wicket as compared the five and three respectively for Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Can NRR be replaced by some other formula?
There are a couple of alternatives proposed to replace net run-rate. One is to use the Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method while the other is to average out the NRRs obtained from every game to ensure each of the games carry equal weightage.