Riley Meredith has taken 223 wickets in senior cricket across the formats recorded in the CricMind database — 222 of them in T20 cricket, from 161 matches. That is the figure that defines his career: an out-and-out fast bowler whose value has always been measured in wickets taken at the top and the death of a twenty-over innings, not in runs or longevity in the longer formats.
Few fast bowlers move between as many dressing rooms as Meredith has. His T20 record has been built for Mumbai Indians, Hobart Hurricanes, Hyderabad Kingsmen, Welsh Fire and Somerset, and he has also represented Australia in One-Day Internationals. This feature breaks down what the numbers say about the type of bowler he is. His full profile lives at Riley Meredith's career page.
Riley Meredith Career Stats by Format
| Format | Mat | Runs | Avg | SR | HS | 100s | Wkts | Bowl Avg | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T20 | 161 | 85 | 6.54 | 81.70 | 19 | 0 | 222 | 22.28 | 8.54 |
| ODI | 3 | 2 | 2.00 | 50.00 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 127.00 | 7.06 |
Source: CricMind global cricket database (Cricsheet ball-by-ball archive). T20 includes all recorded T20 matches.
The Headline: 222 T20 Wickets at 22.28
Meredith's T20 record is the core of his career, and it is a substantial one. In 161 matches he has bowled 3,476 balls — just under 580 overs — and conceded 4,946 runs for his 222 wickets. That gives a bowling average of 22.28 and an economy rate of 8.54 runs per over.
The more revealing number is the one that sits between those two: his strike rate. Dividing balls bowled by wickets taken gives a wicket roughly every 15.7 deliveries — a little more than once every two and a half overs. Across 161 matches that works out to about 1.38 wickets per game.
That combination — an economy in the mid-eights paired with a strike rate under 16 — describes a specific kind of T20 fast bowler. Meredith is not a container. He is a wicket-taker, a bowler captains hand the ball to when they need a breakthrough rather than when they need to choke the scoring. The trade-off is built into the numbers: the extra pace and attacking lengths that bring the wickets also leak boundaries when the batter gets it right.
Why the Economy Rate Needs Context
An economy of 8.54 can look expensive in isolation. But T20 economy depends heavily on when a bowler is used. Fast bowlers who take the new ball in the powerplay, when only two fielders are allowed outside the circle, and who return at the death, when batters are swinging at everything, will almost always concede more per over than a spinner bowling through the middle overs.
The test of a strike bowler is whether the wickets justify the runs. At an average of 22.28, every wicket Meredith takes costs his side a little over 22 runs. In a format where a par first-innings total sits well above 150, that is a rate of return most franchises would happily accept from a specialist fast bowler.
A Franchise Career Across Four Countries
The breadth of Meredith's T20 career is unusual. The database records him playing for five different T20 sides:
- Hobart Hurricanes — his home side in Australia's Big Bash League
- [Mumbai Indians](/teams/mumbai-indians) — the five-time IPL champions
- Hyderabad Kingsmen — in the Pakistan Super League
- Welsh Fire — in The Hundred
- Somerset — in English county T20 cricket
That spread matters for interpreting his numbers. His 222 wickets were not harvested against a single league's batting line-ups or on one type of surface. They were taken on the bouncier pitches of Australia, the flatter, high-scoring decks of the subcontinent and the seaming English conditions of county and Hundred cricket. A bowling average of 22.28 compiled across that range of conditions says more about a bowler's adaptability than the same figure from one competition.
It also reflects how the modern T20 market works. Fast bowlers who can genuinely hurry batters are scarce, and teams across the world's leagues compete for them. Meredith's record is the record of a bowler who has been wanted in many places.
The ODI Record: A Short Window
Meredith's One-Day International record is brief: three matches for Australia, 108 balls bowled, one wicket for 127 runs. His ODI economy of 7.06 sits above the format's typical rate, and an average of 127 from a single wicket is not a meaningful indicator of quality — three matches is far too small a sample to judge a fast bowler in fifty-over cricket.
What the ODI line does confirm is that he reached international level. Australia's fast-bowling depth is among the strongest in the world, and even a short run in the national ODI side marks a bowler as one of the country's leading pace options. For a fuller picture of how fifty-over records compare, see CricMind's ODI hub.
The Batting: A Genuine Tail-Ender
Meredith's batting numbers tell a clear story. In 161 T20 matches he has batted only 28 times — fewer than one innings in five matches — scoring 85 runs at an average of 6.54 and a strike rate of 81.70. His highest T20 score is 19, and he has hit seven fours and one six. In ODIs he batted once, making 2 not out.
That is the profile of a specialist bowler picked entirely for what he does with the ball. Teams have rarely needed him to bat, and he has rarely been asked to. The low number of innings is itself a data point: it shows he has usually batted at the very bottom of the order, behind batters and all-rounders who soaked up the available deliveries.
What the Numbers Show
Put together, Meredith's statistics describe a consistent and recognisable cricketer:
- A strike bowler first. A wicket every 15.7 balls in T20 cricket is the defining trait.
- Runs are the price of wickets. An economy of 8.54 reflects attacking pace bowled in the hardest phases of an innings.
- Adaptable across conditions. Wickets in Australia, India, Pakistan's league and England, for five different sides.
- An international-level quick. Three ODIs for Australia confirm his standing in a deep fast-bowling pool.
- A pure specialist. 28 innings in 161 T20 matches leaves no doubt about his role.
For context on where 222 T20 wickets sits among the game's leading bowlers, explore CricMind's all-time cricket records.
FAQ
How many T20 wickets has Riley Meredith taken?
Riley Meredith has taken 222 wickets in 161 T20 matches, at a bowling average of 22.28 and an economy rate of 8.54, according to the CricMind database built on the Cricsheet ball-by-ball archive.
Which teams has Riley Meredith played for?
In T20 cricket he has played for Mumbai Indians, Hobart Hurricanes, Hyderabad Kingsmen, Welsh Fire and Somerset. He has also played three One-Day Internationals for Australia.
What is Riley Meredith's bowling strike rate in T20 cricket?
He has bowled 3,476 balls for his 222 T20 wickets, which equates to a wicket roughly every 15.7 deliveries — a strong strike rate for a fast bowler in the format.
What is Riley Meredith's highest score?
His highest T20 score is 19. He has batted 28 times in 161 T20 matches, scoring 85 runs at an average of 6.54, reflecting his role as a specialist fast bowler.