Since EA Sports gave up on the cricketing game franchise, there was a void left in the cricket-loving fraternity. Fans who grew up with the games were in awe and jealous of how far theFIFAfranchisegrew to be and its lucrative career modes. Fans of the game would have dreamt of representing their favorite teams with a last-ball finish in the world cup final, bringing fame and glory to their nation’s name.
RELATED:Beginner Tips For Cricket 22
Cricket 22from Red Ant Studios is probably the game that comes as close to wearing the jersey of the dreams. ButCricket 22does not make it look simple. One needs to get into the bone of the game to get it to the biggest stage, and it does take a bit of time and effort to get there.
Filling Out The Profile
In order to make the career mode more personal, the game provides enough space for the players to provide light on their capabilities, strengths, and weaknesses. On the first day at the academy, the player is asked to provide a brief by the coach, which would play a significant part inselecting the perks.
A batsman must fill in the batting archetype from a list of available roles.
Big Hitter
For a batsman who loves to go aerial and hit monstrous sixes than to play along the ground.
Steady Builder
For a batsman who takes time to settle in but gains confidence to slow towards the end.
Shot Maker
For a batsman who likes to get creative with his shots and cover all of the 360-degree scoring angles.
Focused
For A batsman who likes to score along the ground with traditional play
Defensive
For a batsman who is more focused on a defensive approach and plays a long inning. Usually works well for test matches.
On the other hand, a Fast or a medium-fast bowler would need to choose a profile from select options.
Swing
For a bowler who swings the ball in the air both ways.
Seam
For a bowler who bowls seam up balls that cause trouble to the batsmen upon pitching.
Pace
For a bowler who likes to threaten batsmen with a serious pace of upwards of 145KMPH
Precision
For a bowler who likes good line and length more than anything else.
Consistency
For a bowler who would want to keep the consistency of his deliveries going well.
Picking The Weakness
Once the required profiles are complete, the next step would be to choose the weaknesses - with the bat or the ball. In the case of an All-Rounder', the player must choose the weakness in both departments.
In terms of batting, players would need to pick up one of the select weaknesses provided by the game. This is an area that the career player would have trouble dealing with as a batsman.
Weakness against pace bowlers
Control
Weakness with shots played. Has chances of miscuing one every now and then
A Jack of all trades
Spin
Trouble tackling the turning ball.
Similarly, in case of the player being a fast bowler or an all-rounder who bowls fast or medium fast, players would need to pick a weakness from the select options provided by the game. It is to be noted that picking the weakness would have consequences whilepicking perkslater in the game.
Inability to put on right into the block hole
Lack of variation with the slower ball
A jack of all trades
Understanding The Perks
The game provides seven open slots for perks. All perks in the game are available, and there are no unlockables. Each perk can be assigned only once, and the player would need to find thedesired perk based on the profile createdand the strengths and weaknesses set.
The perks are divided based on the batting and bowling parameters. The batting perks are available to a profile created as a batsman, and the same goes for bowling. Both lists of perks are open only in case of a profile has been created as an All Rounder
Boosts drive skills
Pull out the Hook
Boost the Hook and Pull Shots
Boosts the footworks Skills
Boosts the Running speed
Boosts Skills while playing traditional shots
Plays the backfoot shots well
Plays the frontfoot shots well
Playing the slogging style suited for T20 Cricket
Gets confidence under pressure
Boost skills for powerful shots
Patiently builds an innings
Plays slogging game in all formats
Good defense skills
Good footwork while playing shots and running
Boosts all skills as mentioned above
Skills to effectively use pace with good line and length
Skills that work with death over bowling
Skills that work well during the powerplay bowling
Boosts a wide variety of pace bowling techniques
Boosts skills useful for a partime bowler
Boosts swing skills
Boosts inswing skills
Boosts the slow ball skills
Boosts Leg Cutter Deliveries
Finding The Right Perks
Before assigning the perks, it is wise to remember the strengths and weaknesses set before this stage. Then, players can have two choices: build on the strengths or find perks that can nullify the weakness. In the case of building on strength, players can abuse the perk slots to the maximum byassigning perks that suitthe batting archetype and powers.
For example, a batsman’s profile built on the “Big Hitter” archetype can have the slots filled in with - Body Builder, Power Hitter, Slogger, Pure Power, Batting Master, and T20 Slogger. These perks all match the profile of the batting archetype, but on the flip side, his weakness would remain untouched.
On the other hand, it would be wise to reserve the first slot as an equalizer for players looking to nullify the weakness. For example, opting for the Shoe In perk would work best as an equalizer for a batting profile, with Spin as a weakness. Batsmen with good foot movement tend to do well with spin.
Cricket is a game of mind and heart, andCricket 22stays true to it. There is no right or wrong way to play the game as long as the players remain faithful to the rule book. While considering the game gives the players a chance to blend into the game’s digital world, players can choose what best works for them and what doesn’t. If not red ball cricket, there are always shorter formats!
Cricket 22is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
