Not scoring twelve an over? Then you're rubbish!
Of course, Codemasters being Codemasters, they did change it. Now it is not only possible, but normal to score 500 every innings at 13 or 14 an over. At the start of your innings your top order batsmen are simply too good. I slapped a six straight back over Shoaib Akhtar's head off a good length, off stump 97mph ball. Frankly if you dont score at 12 an over, you should probably take up another hobby.
But it gets worse. LBW decisions are even more atrocious than they were on the last game. Now nothing will get given, until you suddenly get struck on the thigh pad with a ball that has spun back from a mile outside leg stump. Then the umpires stick up the finger of death.
The fielding is abysmal. Catching the ball is impossible, and occurs seemingly at random. Stop the bar in the middle and your fielder generally drops it. Stop it at the end, and he generally drops it. You seem just to get about 1 out of 10 attempted catches, no matter what you do. This makes batting even easier, as you can slog with barely any chance of being caught.
The throwing is nearly as bad. It is possible to run a quick single to first slip without any risk of being run out, simply in virtue of the fact that, having dived for it, he has to go through the rigmarole of standing up bringing his arm back, and throwing it. By this time, if the batsmen have not run, they must have fallen asleep instead.
To make matters worse, overthrows have been included. They happen at least twice an over, and are liable to occur unless you stop the bar dead in the center. Which you wont. Ever. Because it moves at the speed of one of the sixes you tonked out the ground earlier.
The fielders must, frankly, be braindead. They make no effort to move to the ball, and often run the wrong way. Your outfielders dont actually move at all until the ball has swept past your inner circle of fielders. Which is infuriating, because your inner circle couldnt stop an old lady in a wheelchair.
All in all, this game is an embarrassment. I adore cricket, and have done for most of my life. Yet this rewards simple minded hammering of the "slog" button, which sees the ball go for six time and time again, or fall into and then out of the hands of the hapless fielders in quick succession.
The only reason that this did not get ones across the board is that it is more enjoyable than my revision for my finals. Quite frankly, dont buy it.