CRICKETARENA

The loop

Every ball is really bowled and really hit. The bowler picks a delivery and a line; the batter picks a shot and, more importantly, when to play it. Contact quality comes from timing, shot choice, and whether that shot suits the ball. Then the ball genuinely flies — fielders chase it, catch it, or watch it clear the rope.

Time to think

Before every ball you get a few seconds with the field in front of you and the bowler still at the top of his mark. That is when you look for the gap and set your shot. The bar counts down; tap the field to start early, or let it run out and the bowler comes in anyway. Change the length of that window under Settings.

Batting — one dial and an intent

There is no menu of shots. The slider is your Aim: swing it from square leg round to point. Then pick what you are trying to do — BLOCK, DRIVE along the ground, or LOFT over the top. Between them they describe every stroke in cricket, and the name of the one you have dialled in is shown above the slider.

Then time it: the timing ring closes on the impact spot — play as the ring meets the circle. Tap anywhere on the field, hit Space, or press PLAY.

The skill is making the aim agree with the ball. Square shots need a short one to work with; driven shots need it pitched up; the off side needs width. Aim square at a yorker and you will get nowhere near it, however well you time it. And aim at a gap rather than at a fielder — that is what the seconds beforehand are for.

Grades: PERFECT · GREAT · GOOD · EARLY · LATE · MISSED. Miss, and the ball can bowl you, trap you lbw, or have you stumped — and the bigger the swing, the more often the edge carries.

Bowling — the same idea

The slider is your Length, from a yorker at the toes to a bouncer over the shoulder. Alongside it, pick a style — Pace, Slower or Spin — and a line: Leg, Stumps or Off. The marker on the pitch shows exactly where you are aiming.

Hit Bowl, then stop the moving pin inside the green band. Land it in the band and the ball goes where you asked; miss and it sprays, which is how wides and half-volleys happen. Change your length — the computer notices what it keeps getting hit for.

Controls

• AD or ←→ — aim, or move the line
• WS or ↑↓ — block / drive / loft, or the length
• Space — start the ball, play the shot, bowl and release
• 123 — bowling style

On a touchscreen, drag the slider with one thumb and tap anywhere on the field with the other. It plays well in either portrait or landscape.

1v1 on one device

Player 1 uses WASD and Space. Player 2 uses IJKL and Enter. Either player can use the on-screen sliders instead.

When the bowling player is choosing, a curtain hides the screen so the batter cannot peek. Tap Ready when the batter has looked away.