ICC World Twenty20
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| ICC World Twenty20

If the branding boys and girls are to be believed, Twenty20 is cricket getting sexy.

Gone are the stained white kits, breaks for tea and jam tarts, and polite clapping from the crowd that we've all become accustomed to within the standard game. Twenty20 comes packed with cheerleaders in short skirts, raucous crowds, and teams playing entirely naked.

Okay, the latter might not be true, but Twenty20 is most definitely an attempt to push cricket out to a new audience, placing it in direct competition with the model-cum-superstars that populate Premiership football.

The sheer number of rules that dominate any form of cricket - naked or otherwise – is what truly separates it from football, however. No doubt aware of the potential to harm its own appeal, Jump Games's take on the sport is having none of it – this is about as simple as cricket can possibly get.

One touch fits all

Though enthusiasts might weep in unison at the thought, ICC World Twenty20 is a plain old case of toss and thwack, with very little time dedicated to the various nuances that, in real life, separate the wheat from the chaff. If Twenty20 cricket really was this simple, it wouldn't be hard to imagine England coming out on top each and every time the tournament rolled into town.

Nonetheless, this will be as close as many of us get to following in the footsteps of Collingwood and co, and ICC World Twenty20 allows you to play out both the tournament itself and one off matches in full. Both offer the same experience, with your entire input – whether bowling or batting – boiled down to the pressing of a select band of number keys at various intervals.

When batting, you can either use the default setting – where the shots are chosen for you, and tapping the '5' key when prompted is your only input – or you can switch to manual.

In this mode, keys '2', '4', '6' and '8' correspond to one or more shot each, with the game determining just which one you execute based on both your positioning and timing.

Matching up your shots with the pitch of the ball initially takes some getting used to, but once you've got it pinned, the game as a whole tends to fall into place.

Balls to cricket

Making runs is then a question of hitting the '5' key as often as you dare. Hit it mid way through a run, however, and your players will desperately dash back to their original positions.

Bowling is arguably far simpler. Using the same number keys, you can initially position a marker, with the '5' key then determining both the swing and speed of the pitch. The field reacts automatically, letting you watch your rival get run or caught out if he dares to take you on.

As such, it's entirely possible to breeze through – and indeed, win – a match with the most minimal of effort. But that doesn't mean it isn't fun to do so.

Watching ICC World Twenty20 in action is not without its charm. While it's perhaps overly simplistic in parts, it's certainly more likely to win over newcomers than any dedicated but ultimately dull full-on cricket sim.

ICC World Twenty20

Taking a much more relaxed view of the sport, ICC World Twenty20 offers easy cricket for all, but runs the risk of leaving hardened fans out in the cold
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Keith Andrew
Keith Andrew
With a fine eye for detail, Keith Andrew is fuelled by strong coffee, Kylie Minogue and the shapely curve of a san serif font. He's also Pocket Gamer's resident football gaming expert and, thanks to his work on PG.biz, monitors the market share of all mobile OSes on a daily basis.