Run rate

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In cricket, the run rate (RR), or runs per over (RPO) is the number of runs a batsman (or the batting side) scores in an over of 6 balls. It includes all runs, even the so-called extras awarded due to errors by the bowler. Without extras, the maximum run rate is 36 – if every ball were struck for six. However, this is virtually unheard of, since most balls result in no run.

What counts as a good run rate depends on the nature of the pitch, the type of match, and the level of the game. A Test match held over five days typically shows a lower run rate than a limited-overs game, because batsmen adopt a more cautious approach.

Before the advent of the Duckworth-Lewis method, run rate was one of a number of methods used to determine the winner of a game which had been curtailed due to rain or bad light. It can also be used to separate teams in a league table with the same win-loss record, though that is usually done by the net run rate method.