Methodology

How every number is built.

DeepCover is a data product, so the definitions matter as much as the figures. This page is the open record of where the data comes from, how each metric is computed, and how it is reconciled to the official ball-by-ball record. If a number on the site ever disagrees with the official scorecards, it is a bug, not a choice.

Ball-by-ball sourceReconciled to the official recordNo invented numbers

01 Where the data comes from

Every figure is derived from publicly available ball-by-ball match data, sourced from Cricsheet (licensed CC-BY-SA), and re-derived into DeepCover's own analytics warehouse. Match facts are public information; what DeepCover adds is the computation and the presentation. We do not copy any other provider's figures. Where a sidecar of pre-2002 or all-time records is shown, it is clearly labelled as a cited external layer and kept separate from the ball-by-ball order of merit.

02 The verification promise

The core commitment is simple: every published number matches the official record, definition for definition. Each metric is cross-checked against a known reference (for example, a full season total for a well-known player) before it ships, and the warehouse is rebuilt and re-validated when new matches are added. The Data Trust page shows the live parity checks.

03 Metric definitions (the exact rules)

Balls faced (batting)Legal deliveries plus no-balls; wides are excluded (a wide is not a ball faced). This is what yields the official strike rate.

Strike rate & averageSR = runs / balls faced × 100. Average = runs / dismissals, to two decimals. A non-striker run-out counts as a dismissal; a retired-hurt does not.

Fours & sixesBoundary hits only. All-run fours (where the ball did not reach the rope) are not counted as a four, matching the official record.

Bowling wicketsCredited to the bowler only for dismissals that are the bowler's (bowler_wicket). Run-outs are not charged to the bowler.

Economy rateRuns conceded per over off the bowler. Byes and leg-byes are excluded (they are not charged to the bowler).

Super OversExcluded from all career and match aggregates (innings > 2), as in the official record.

PhasesPowerplay = overs 1 to 6, Middle = overs 7 to 15, Death = overs 16 to 20. Phase splits use legal-ball over numbers.

The HundredScored in balls, not six-ball overs: run rates and economy are expressed per ball (runs-per-ball × 100), so the 100-ball format reads correctly.

04 Coverage & known limitations

Ball-by-ball coverage starts at different points by format, so a few all-time totals for older careers read lower than the lifetime official figure. We never invent the missing balls; we show what the ball-by-ball record contains:

ODIBall-by-ball from 2002. Pre-2002 careers (for example Tendulkar) read partial; modern careers are complete.

TestBall-by-ball from about 2002; players from about 2011 on are complete. No powerplay/phase or chase metrics apply to the red-ball game.

T20IBall-by-ball from about 2005; some early and associate-nation matches have gaps. Full-member careers from about 2010 on are complete.

Women's T20IBall-by-ball from 2009; some earlier and associate matches are not covered.

Franchise leaguesIPL, BBL, SA20, PSL, CPL, MLC, ILT20, The Hundred, the Blast and others are covered for their ball-by-ball era; each league page reflects its own coverage.

05 What we do not do

No estimates, no models filling gaps, no rounding tricks. No data is collected about you to produce these numbers (see the Privacy Policy). If you find a figure you believe is wrong, tell us and we will trace it delivery by delivery.

Source: Cricsheet (CC-BY-SA), re-derived into DeepCover's warehouse. Reconciled to the official ball-by-ball record. Contact: manish.vishist@gmail.com.