Cricket fans aren't exactly spoiled for choice when it comes to iPhone simulations of the sport. To all those waiting for a sensational cricket game to come along, I'm afraid, Cricket Twenty20 isn't it.
Cricket Twenty20 is a simulation of the 20-overs version of the sport. You take control of an entire team, controlling the bowlers, batsmen, and fielders using a different control system for each. Bowling is the easiest of the three disciplines. You just choose the type of ball you want to bowl (spin, fast, or swing) then tilt the iPhone left or right to control its direction. Batting is slightly harder, requiring you to draw the path you want to hit the ball, and getting the timing just right in order to crack it to the boundary.
The control of the fielders in Cricket Twenty20 is very frustrating. You need to select a fielder then click on where you want him to run to (i.e. the ball). Because everything is so small, it's very difficult to get the guy to actually go to the ball and, meanwhile, the opposing team are racking up runs as you flounder around trying to tap on the tiny ball. The irritation doesn't stop there because when you finally have the ball in your hand, trying to throw it to another fielder or to the stumps is a nightmare. You're supposed to just click where you want him to throw it but, in my case, he normally ended up throwing it over the boundary!
In terms of its graphics, Cricket Twenty20 is far from impressive - the sprites are very small and there are no amazing special effects or cut scenes when you hit or six or take a wicket. Perhaps the worst thing about the whole game though is the incessant dance music that plays during matches. It is just about the worst music you could think of to use in a cricket game, and it takes all of the relaxation out of it. Worse still, I tried to turn the music off in Cricket Twenty20's options menu and it didn't work.
Other things I didn't like about Cricket Twenty20 were that it doesn't include real player names, it's low on player and match stats, and it is prone to crashing.
Despite all these flaws, playing Cricket Twenty20 can still be an enjoyable experience. The feeling of swinging the ball onto the stumps to bamboozle the batsman, or hitting the perfect shot to score a six is immensely satisfying.
If the developer of Cricket Twenty20 managed to address all of these shortcomings listed above I would be a happy man, and fans would finally have an iPhone cricket game that's worth playing.
