Top 5 Best Cricket Games Of All-Time

In this article, we’ll be continuing our series of gaming countdowns. This time, we’re counting down the Top 5 Cricket Games Of All-Time.

Over the last 40 years, we have seen well over 20 Cricket games released on PC, MS-DOS or consoles. Cricket games have come in various forms throughout the years and have ranged from some average titles to fantastic games.

Over the years, we’ve played every console of PC based Cricket game, including the very early titles such as Graham Gooch’s Test Cricket and International Cricket. Now, without further adieu let’s countdown the Top 5 Cricket Games Of All-Time.

Super International Cricket was released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) and was the successor to International Cricket. Despite International Cricket having much fanfare in Australia (which was the only country of release), Super International Cricket added elements that were missing in its predecessor.

The game was extremely well rounded for the time, with fielding options and the ability to choose where your deliveries would land. Super International Cricket was a success upon release.

Shane Warne Cricket ’99 was one of those late 90’s games that let itself down in the graphics department, but made up for it in the gameplay department. Shane Warne Cricket ’99 was the first Cricket game to feature on a Playstation console, releasing in 1998 on PS1 and PC. The game allowed you to play ODI & Test matches, as well as options to play series, competitions and classic matches where you were required to try and change the past. Shane Warne Cricket ’99 was called Brian Lara Cricket ’99 outside of Australia and New Zealand.

Cricket 2005 was the best of the Cricket games developed by EA Sports. The game was fully licensed across the board, which was great for playing full World Cups. My favourite aspect of Cricket 2005 was the ability to create a player, use them in tournaments/series and watch their stats build over time. Cricket 2005 has been criticised for some for its difficult gameplay, but as someone who put numerous hours into mastering the game, i can assure you, at its peak it more than earns its place in the Top 5.

Ashes Cricket was developed by Big Ant Studios as a successor to their successful Don Bradman series. The Don Bradman series revolutionised the way you play Cricket games through an intricate bowling, batting and fielding system that revolves around the thumb sticks. This updated gameplay brought a whole new dimension of skill and fun back to Cricket games and was further accentuated through the delightful Ashes Cricket game.

The game was made specifically for the 2017-18 Ashes Series and was unfortunately only licensed for Australia and England. But thanks to the Internet and clever little designers, the fan hub allows you to update player names, likenesses and uniforms. The career mode within the Big Ant series is by far the most successful and enjoyable of any Cricket game yet.

Cricket 97: Ashes Tour Edition features at the top of this list for one very simple reason: It features the best gameplay of any Cricket game, ever.

Cricket 97 was a revolution of design and gameplay and, to this day, remains an extremely enjoyable game. The manoeuvrability of the Batsman and Bowlers at any stage of the delivery is something that no game has been able to match before and after. Whilst the graphics don’t hold up by modern standards, they were state of the art at the time of release. Richie Benaud’s commentary is also a highlight of the game. His quips and wonderful voice just add to the spectacle of the game.

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