<P> The bowling average is one of a number of statistics used to compare bowlers in the sport of cricket . It is the ratio of runs conceded per wickets taken, meaning that the lower the bowling average is, the better the bowler is performing . The bowling average is commonly used alongside the economy rate and the strike rate to judge the overall performance of a bowler . Where a bowler has taken only a small number of wickets, their average can be artificially low, and an increase in wickets taken can result in large changes in their bowling average . Due to this, qualification caveats are generally applied to determine career records for bowling averages . After applying these criteria, George Lohmann holds the record for the lowest average in Test cricket, having claimed 112 wickets at an average of 10.75 . </P> <P> A cricketer's bowling average is calculated by dividing the numbers of runs they have conceded by the number of wickets they have taken . The number of runs conceded by a bowler is determined as the total number of runs that the opposing side have scored while the bowler was bowling, excluding any byes, leg byes, or penalty runs . The bowler receives credit for any wickets taken during their bowling that are either bowled, caught, hit wicket, leg before wicket or stumped . </P>

Who has the best bowling average in test cricket