Sample-Size Floors
Summary
A sample-size floor is the minimum amount of data (balls, fixtures, or deliveries) a player or split must accumulate before CricketStudio will treat a metric as signal rather than noise. Floors prevent misleading "best strike rate" claims built on a handful of balls.
Why This Matters
A batter who faced 6 balls and hit 3 sixes has a strike rate of 300 — but that number tells you almost nothing about ability. Floors make sure rankings and comparisons reflect sustained performance, not small-sample flukes.
The Floors
| Context | Minimum sample | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Batting rate metrics | ≥ 30 balls faced | strike rate, average, boundary % |
| Bowling rate metrics | ≥ 15 balls bowled | economy, bowling strike rate, dot-ball % |
| Phase-specific splits | ≥ 15 balls in that phase | powerplay / middle / death splits |
| Venue effects | ≥ 3 fixtures at the venue | chase bias, par-score claims |
| Head-to-head (batter vs bowler) | ≥ 5 deliveries faced | H2H records |
These thresholds are CricketStudio doctrine; they are reflected here verbatim, not invented. Below a floor, CricketStudio suppresses the ranked claim rather than publishing a misleading one.
Edge Cases
- A player above the season floor may still be below a phase floor — report the phase split as "insufficient sample" rather than computing a rate.
- Counting stats (total runs, total wickets) have no floor — they are facts, not rates.
- Floors are applied per scope: a player can qualify for an IPL 2026 ranking but not for a single-venue ranking in the same season.
Agent Guidance
- Before quoting any rate (SR, economy, average), confirm the relevant floor is met.
- If a number sits below the floor, say so explicitly and do not rank on it.
- Always state the actual sample (e.g. "over 407 balls") alongside the rate.