Top 5 cricket games on mobile

The Cricket World Cup is once again upon us, with holders Australia already demolishing the opposition for fun, and England scraping victories against the small nations like they deliberately want us all at home to sweat buckets.

For most outside the Commonwealth the game can seem a little baffling (and, dare I say it, dull), but even those not under/once under the Queen’s rule should find plenty to enjoy about this selection of the top five mobile cricket games.

The latest entry into Jump Games’s excellent series of cricket games (alongside Ashes 2011 and ICC World Twenty20), ICC World Cup 2011 isn’t that different from earlier outings, but it is bang up-to-date with current events.

It’s also bang up-to-date with its gameplay, offering up a game of cricket that’s both instantly recognisable and easy to play. Fans of the sport should make this title the first one they pick up when looking for a mobile version of the gentleman’s game.

EA Cricket 10 - EA Mobile

It may not be up-to-date any more in terms of squads, but EA Mobile’s most recent drive on the mobile cricket ground still ends up hitting the boundary.

Managing to narrowly scoop the ‘most pretty’ award out of the games on the list, EA Cricket 10 backs up these eye-catching visuals with some almost golf game-like controls that help capture the uncertainty of striking, bowling, and fielding using purely a power-bar interface.

Two for ones are almost always not as good value as they look, but Sky Sports Cricket Pack 2009 is one of the few exceptions to the rule.

The two games on offer are Michael Vaughan’s Pro Cricket ‘08 and Flintoff’s Power Play Cricket - each focusing on a different element of the game, either of which should appeal to both newcomers and veterans of the sport alike.

Vaughan is the thoughtful, more complex option with an in-depth tutorial provided by the virtual ex-England captain, while Flintoff is a quick shot of pure cricket adrenaline. Both, however, are great examples of the how to approach the sport on mobile.

The West Indies legend that is Brian Lara lends his name to this classy cricket title from Glu, a quick-hit slice of willow on leather that rids the game of the slowdown time between balls and overs for a faster, smoother game of cricket.

It also offers up one of the easiest ways of enjoying the game, the controls kept deliberately simple and intuitive to the degree that anyone can try to beat Mr Lara’s world record stay of 501 runs not out.

The more experienced cricket fans may not agree with this simplicity, but those looking for an entertaining game on the go can’t go too far wrong selecting this one for the squad.

Bored of all those ‘normal’ cricket games? How about one that involves elephants walking on the pitch or batting in a concrete back-alley?

The second title in our list to bear the Flintoff name is about as far removed from the game we all know and love without changing its name, packed with silly cartoonish characters based vaguely on real cricketers, and including the ability to earn a ‘super shot’ by striking an innocent animal passing by.

Those who wrote angry letters to The Times when Twenty20 was announced must have steam coming out of their ears by now.