Cricket (video game series)

Lore & Background

The EA Cricket series began with Cricket 96, a sequel to Super International Cricket on the SNES, developed by Beam Software and published by EA Sports. It was released as Ian Botham's International Cricket 96 in Europe. Despite improved graphics, the early games forwent official team and player licensing, though many in-game players had recognizable real-life counterparts. Cricket 97 featured cricketer Michael Atherton on the cover and commentary by Richie Benaud and Ian Botham. ICC Cricket World Cup England 99, developed by Creative Assembly, was the first game directly associated with the International Cricket Council. Cricket 2000 was based on the 1999 Cricket World Cup and officially licensed by the ICC, with commentary by Richie Benaud and David Gower. Cricket 2002 was developed by HB Studios for PlayStation 2 and Windows. Cricket 2004, also by HB Studios, featured all international teams from the 2003 Cricket World Cup and domestic teams of Australia and England, and included a player creation system and an Autoplay feature; its graphics were awarded 'Worst PlayStation 2 graphics' by IGN. Cricket 2005, developed by EA Canada and HB Studios, was released on Xbox, PlayStation 2, and Windows with three region-based covers (Adam Gilchrist, Daniel Vettori, Andrew Flintoff) and was the last game to have all real player names. Cricket 07, also by EA Canada and HB Studios, featured Andrew Flintoff on the cover, commentary by Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud, improved player control, and a section dedicated to The Ashes. Mobile entries Cricket 10 and Cricket 11 were published in 2009 and 2010 respectively.

Reader's Guide

The EA Cricket series is significant as a long-running cricket video game franchise published by EA Sports from 1996 to 2007. It began with Cricket 96 for MS-DOS and continued through multiple platforms including Windows, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, and Xbox. The series featured notable cricketers such as Michael Atherton, Adam Gilchrist, Daniel Vettori, and Andrew Flintoff on covers, and commentary from Richie Benaud, Ian Botham, David Gower, and Mark Nicholas. Key developments include the first ICC-licensed game (ICC Cricket World Cup England 99), official licensing for Cricket 2000, and the introduction of player creation and Autoplay in Cricket 2004. Cricket 2005 was the last game to include all real player names. Cricket 07 introduced a dedicated Ashes mode. The series also expanded to mobile phones with Cricket 10 and Cricket 11. The legacy includes both critical recognition (IGN's 'Worst PlayStation 2 graphics' for Cricket 2004) and commercial release across multiple regions with region-specific covers.

Did You Know?

• Cricket 2005 was the last game in the series to have all real player names.
• Cricket 07 introduced a section dedicated to The Ashes.

Origins and the Unlicensed Years

The EA Cricket franchise traces its roots to 1995, when Beam Software crafted Cricket 96 for MS-DOS PCs under the EA Sports banner. This title served as the PC successor to Super International Cricket, which had previously appeared on the Super Nintendo. In European markets, the game carried the name Ian Botham's International Cricket 96, lending it a recognizable cricketing voice. Despite graphical improvements over its predecessors, the series at this stage operated without official team or player licensing. Players nonetheless encountered in-game athletes who bore striking resemblances to real-world cricketers. The follow-up, Cricket 97, arrived in early 1997 with staggered releases across Australia, the UK, and the broader European market. It placed Michael Atherton at its center and enlisted the legendary voices of Richie Benaud and Ian Botham to deliver match commentary, signaling the series' growing ambition to capture the authentic atmosphere of the sport.

The ICC Partnership and Official Licensing

A significant turning point came with ICC Cricket World Cup England 99, developed by Creative Assembly and released exclusively for PC. This title marked the first direct association between the series and the International Cricket Council, the sport's global governing body. The following year, Cricket 2000 solidified that partnership by securing full official ICC licensing. Released in July 2000 for both Windows and PlayStation, the game drew its content from the 1999 Cricket World Cup and featured commentary from Richie Benaud alongside David Gower. This era represented a maturation of the franchise, moving from unlicensed approximations of real players toward officially sanctioned representations of international cricket. The expansion to the PlayStation platform also broadened the series' reach beyond the PC-only audience that had defined its earlier entries, positioning it as a more mainstream sports title within the EA Sports catalog.

The HB Studios Era and Creative Peaks

From 2002 onward, HB Studios took the helm of development, bringing their experience from the EA Rugby Series to the cricket franchise. Cricket 2002 launched for PlayStation 2 and Windows, establishing a new creative direction. Cricket 2004 expanded the roster to include every international team that competed in the 2003 Cricket World Cup, along with all domestic teams from Australia and England. The title introduced a player-creation system and an Autoplay feature that let users skip anywhere from five to one hundred overs, or jump to the next wicket or the end of an innings. However, the game's visual presentation drew sharp criticism, with IGN awarding it the distinction of Worst PlayStation 2 graphics. Cricket 2005, co-developed with EA Canada, broadened the platform lineup to include Xbox and introduced three region-specific box covers featuring Adam Gilchrist, Daniel Vettori, and Andrew Flintoff. It would prove to be the final installment to carry the full roster of real player names.

Final Entries and the Mobile Afterlife

The series' concluding chapters saw Cricket 07 developed by EA Canada and HB Studios, published in November 2006 for Windows and PlayStation 2. Andrew Flintoff graced the cover art, while Mark Nicholas and Richie Benaud returned to the commentary booth. The title emphasized refined player controls and simplified stroke mechanics, and it introduced a dedicated section centered on The Ashes, the historic rivalry between England and Australia. After a brief pause, the franchise resurfaced in a drastically different form. Cricket 10 appeared on mobile phones in October 2009, followed by Cricket 11 in 2010, both published by EA Sports. These handheld entries represented a far leaner interpretation of the series compared to the full console and PC titles that had defined its earlier years. The EA Cricket franchise, which had spanned from 1996 to 2007 on major platforms, thus concluded its primary run, leaving behind a legacy of evolving cricket simulation across multiple generations of hardware.

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