Cricket 07
| EA SPORTS Cricket 07 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | HB Studios |
| Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
| Platform(s) | Windows, PlayStation 2 |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Sports |
| Mode(s) | Single player, Multiplayer |
Cricket 07 is a cricket simulation computer game from EA Sports and developed by HB Studios. It is available for Windows and PlayStation 2.
The game was released in the UK on 24 November 2006 and in Australia on 14 November 2006. The cover of Cricket 07 features England and Lancashire cricketer Andrew Flintoff, and the Australian release cover pictures the Ashes urn with the Australian and English flags behind it. It was the last cricket game by EA Sports.
Gameplay options
Cricket 07 features a number of game types, including limited overs matches (50, 20, 10 or 5 overs), 4-day first-class matches and full-length test matches.You may select different pitches and different weather conditions in different venues.[1] Several international venues are available, including the Eden Gardens in India or Lord's in England. The venues vary in conditions and pitch type, and these can be changed by the player.
Game modes
The game gives players the option of entering different international and national contests, including full seasons and tournaments.But no Home Team tours available except Australia and England in Ashes.
International
- World Championship: Control up to 16 international teams playing Limited Overs cricket for the World Cup trophy.
- World Series: Control three to five teams playing in a day/night tournament in venues around Australia.
- Knockout Cup: Control eight teams playing in a limited over tournament to win the trophy.
- Test Series: Choose two teams to contest a series of one to six Test matches.
- Tour: Select a team and engage in a series of Tour, One Day, and Test matches with the host nation's teams. The tours are-
- Long Australia Tour
- Long England Tour
- Short Australia Tour
- Short England Tour
- Sub-Continent Tour
- Caribbean Tour
- South African Tour
- New Zealand and Zimbabwe Tour
- One-Day Circuit Tour
Australian State
- State Season: The six state sides compete over an entire season.
- Pura Cup: Australia's four-day, two-innings tournament.
- One Day Domestic Series: Australia's 50-over One Day competition.
- KFC Twenty20 Big Bash: Australia's Twenty20 competition, where teams are divided into two pools of three.
English County
- County Season: The 18 county teams play a full season of first-class cricket featuring all four competitions.
- Liverpool Victoria County Championship: England's four-day, two-innings, divisional tournament.
- NatWest Pro40: England's 40-over, One Day tournament between two divisions.
- C&G Trophy: A Limited Overs tournament with the winners of the North and South divisions playing for the trophy.
- Twenty20 Cup: England's Twenty20 competition.
The Ashes
Players can compete for The Ashes between England and Australia. The following options are available:
Ashes 2005 scenarios
Players choose a team and play out scenarios from the 2005 Ashes series. On completing challenges, players are able to watch highlights videos in the Extras section.
2005 npower Ashes series
Players choose either England or Australia and take them through all the warm up matches, ODIs and Test matches in the 2005 Ashes series.This is created as a balance in the form of an England-hosted tournament.
2006-07 3 Mobile Ashes Series
Players choose either England or Australia and take them through all the warm up matches, ODIs and Test matches in the 2006-07 Ashes series. This is created as a balance in the form of an Australia-hosted tournament.
Features
The best feature of Cricket 07 was improved player control and easy stroke play. Introduction of Ashes section was also an attractive feature. There was also an addition in commentary department as Mark Nicholas had joined Richie Benaud.
Despite of very easy game-play, certain flaws were quite predictable. Play exhibited by PC was so lethargic that even if the PC needed 20 runs off 4 balls, it would exhibit a defensive play which was frustrating for the controller.
Some flaws in the game-play include:
- Decisions of Umpire are horrific, particularly the wide balls, missed lower shots caught at mid-off and wicketkeeper and the lbw decisions, and it is next to possible to get lbw decisions bowling from the batsman's leg side.
- Fast bowlers like Brett Lee and Shoaib Akhtar can consistently bowl at 160 km/hr, but not for created fast bowlers. Fast medium bowlers rarely goes over 135km/h, even when they can.
- No side-arm action from Lasith Malinga
- Created players will go bald when they have any headwear on.
- When the ball hits the pads of batsman, falls in front of the wickets and batsman attempts a run; wicketkeeper doesn't move, rather a fielder from short third man comes to pick the ball. In the mean time run is successfully completed.
- When a flight ball is bowled with the Off spinner and aimed directly at the stumps,the ball goes over the head of the batsman and hits the stumps and make him out.
- Sometimes the ball goes through the wickets or the wicketkeeper and it may also go for a boundary.
- The batsmen are given stumped out, even after getting back into the crease after attempting to play the ball coming down the crease.
- Non-striker's batsman cannot be given out even when the umpire said he was out, or when the striker smashed a straight drive into the opposite wicket, and running out the non-striking batsman.
- There should be rain in Sri Lanka,England and Bangladesh Duckworth-Lewis system in the game.
- Reverse swing special delivery is not available for fast medium pace bowler, even when they can in real life, but it is ineffective anyway, even against tailenders.
- Slower ball special delivery is not available for fast bowlers, even when they can in real life, when they can bowl even slower than if the bowling meter is empty (Brett Lee).
- Some bowlers will have deliveries missing from their repertoire (many Australians and English bowlers cannot perform swing bowling), even when they can, but it cannot be edited.
- Stuart Broad can bowl a yorker at least 10km/h faster than normal (over 140km/h, topping out at 145km/h), even on a slow wicket when most fast-medium bowler cannot. His fastest normal deliveries cannot top 140km/h, when he can only rarely do so.
International Teams
Australia
Bangladesh
Bermuda
Canada
England
India
Ireland
Kenya
Namibia
Netherlands
New Zealand
Pakistan
Scotland
Sri Lanka
South Africa
United States
West Indies
Zimbabwe
Licensing
EA Sports lost the licensing for most of the teams for Cricket 07. Only Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand licensed player names and kits. All other team names are generic, however can be edited in the Team Management option or with a roster.
References
- ↑ Cricket 07 by EA Sports on PC, instruction booklet.
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