Cricket 22 is more elaborate, and with it comes several choices of batting styles for players, but which ones are the best?
Cricket 22 is new and more elaborate than ever before. The game from Red Ant studios in Australia took the game's development too seriously. It was probably the first time a cricket game hired a professional cricket to mimic batting and bowling styles to be used in a game. Australian cricketing superstar Glenn Maxwell was roped to motion capture batting and bowling styles for the game.
Players can choose from a range of 6 batting styles in Cricket 22, and since cricket is a number game, they are all named… well, by numbers. The batting styles 1 to 4 have been brought over from the previous games and aren't quite different from each other in ways, maybe barring a few animation updates in the current version.
The Style 1 has a very compact and old-school technique to the drives and cuts, more like a homage to the great Don Bradman himself. It's not to be forgotten that the franchise initially started with his name. The batsman bends down to the pitch of the ball, playing close to the body with minimal gap between bat and pads.
Style 2 gets into modern-day cricketing leagues with a bit of a flair. The old school cover drive is now more of a front foot swat with a large gap between the bat and leg. It is more of the times when opening batters took aggressive routes relying on their bottom hand strength more than their feet movement.
Style 3 goes back to the gentleness of a proper middle-order batsman. The drives are well-timed pushes and nudges. The arm doesn't extend out fully, but the timing relies entirely on transferring body weight from leg to hand. One can compare the stance to the great Sachin Tendulkar, who used a heavy bat and has one of the most pristine straight drives in history.
Style 4 is an extended version of Style 3, literally! The style has the batsman come forward to go back depending on the ball bowled but doesn't stop halfway with the shot. In addition, the batsman is no longer jabbing the ball but extends his arms to an entire to complete a full swing of his bat to make a complete arc like a golf swing.
Style 5 was introduced in Cricket 19 and was the most beloved by fans who played the game. The style takes after Australian Legend Steven Smith, who redefined batting prowess with his style of play. The batsman can be seen shimmying across the stumps to reach the ball and play shots with high bat speed. Steven Smith is considered an all-time great in test match cricket, and the style stays true to his nature and is best suited for ground shots and a balanced state of play. Although the game circumvents real-life possibilities with this style, it looks best when the players take a more grounded approach than an aerial power hitting.
Style 6 is exclusive of Cricket 22, and truth be told, nobody has an idea what or who it takes after. The batsman can be seen playing cricket shots with a lazy approach shaking his body and hands before making contact with the ball. Although fans took to like the style, it still takes away the professional stance and style of the game. But, this is a video game, and anyone can be anybody, even if it is a sports game.
Cricket 22 is now available for PC, Xbox and Playstation.
