Ashes Cricket 2009 coming to the crease August 7

It has been a busy week for Codemasters, having already announced release dates for Dirt 2 and Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising. Now, as the real-life Ashes takes place at Lords, the publisher has announced that Ashes 2009 will be released simultaneously on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, and Wii on August 7.

Ashes 2009 is being developed for the Xbox 360 and PC by Melbourne-based Transmission Games, which was behind the less-than-well-received Brian Lara 2007 Pressure Play on the PSP. The game is promised to feature "all the drama" of the Ashes series, as well as regular test matches, one-day internationals, and 20-over games. There will be 18 stadiums from 12 countries, including The Melbourne Cricket Ground, The Gabba, and all the venues for the 2009 Ashes series. The Wii version is being developed in England by Gusto Games, the studio responsible for the 2006 and 2007 console ports of the Championship Manager series, as well as 2006’s disappointing ProStroke Golf - World Tour.

Newcomers to cricket will be pleased to find tutorial modes presented by real-life cricketing legends Sir Ian Botham and Shane Warne, who will also be providing commentary for the game alongside Ian Bishop and infamous outspoken ex-England captain Tony Greig. The 360, PS3, and PC versions of the game will feature full online multiplayer, with the Wii edition only having local multiplayer.

The game includes official licences for the Ashes name, as well as the English and Australian teams, and Codemasters has released a new video to show off the licence featuring the heroes of the recent Cardiff test, James Anderson and Monty Panesar, as well as captain Andrew Strauss and the enigmatic Kevin Pieterson. The Baggy Green end is being held up by Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke, and Mitchell Johnson. Interested gamers can check out the video below or read GameSpot's latest hands-on.