Brian Lara game mode details
And shots. Stay inside!
With just over a month to go until it trots out from the pavilion, Codemasters has revealed the various game modes that will make up Brian Lara International Cricket, and released a new promotional trailer that you can grab from the "downloads" sections of the official website.
You can find some brand new screenshots of the Xbox version of the game here. It's also due out on PS2 and PC - all three landing on July 21st.
As you might imagine, there's a mixture of quick-fire and more extensive gameplay options, ranging from Exhibition mode to customisation options that let you create your own cricketer using kit from real manufacturers and even custom teams, cups and leagues.
As well as one-day internationals (with up to 50 overs - allowing for a bit of 20-20 action) and five-day test matches, BLIC also features a little Double Wicket effort which is said to be a very accessible and customisable game with two cricketers on each side.
If you fancy getting a bit more involved there's a Tournament option featuring ICC's Cricket World Cup and Champions Trophy - both under license - as well as World Tour, a Double Wicket Tournament, and World XI Series - the latter making use, as you might imagine, of teams using specially selected line-ups from different continents and even hemispheres.
Beyond that there's a Challenge mode, which Codies says is for "showing off", playing in one of ten classic cricketing scenarios, joining the game at a critical point and trying to match or even exceed the feats of real-life players over the years; or perhaps going for World XI or Classic XI challenges, pitting your selected team against Codies'.
You'll also be able to coach yourself in the comprehensive Nets facility, which trains you in bowling and batting and also deals with the subtler side of cricket, refining your square cuts and whatnot, and finally there are facilities to create your own custom players, giving them a focus on bowling, batting, or opting for an all-rounder, or whatever takes your fancy.
Rounding the whole lot off, there's even a Pavilion area for admiring your trophies and classic snaps drawn from cricketing history. Mind you, we'd probably prefer to be outside. Virtually outside, that is, playing Brian Lara Interaction Cricket. The real outside scares us.