Cricket board games

[Stefano]

Hello, there.

Is anyone of you interested in cricket board games? There are some very interesting products which can offer as much entertainment as videogames.

I recently bought Minden Cricket and I find it quite interesting. You will receive the game charts (rules, rating for each player, specific charts for different events on the pitch). Then you will need 2 dice and a 52-card deck (no jokers). Then, you start playing.

The game is very accurate. For example, great batsmen (Tendulkar, Ponting, Bradman) will score many more runs than decent batsmen. And bowlers will hardly score more than 10 runs. Lots of elements are considered:

- Bowlers. You will not use a spinner at the beginning of an innings. Instead, you will use a fast bowler, who can get some effect from the new ball. With the old bowl, spinners are much more effective than fast bowlers.

- Batsmen. Every batsman has the most suitable rating for his characteristics. Shahid Afridi (for example) can score 36 runs in one over, but he can be out the very next one. Rahul Dravid (instead) will not score many runs in one over, but you will have much trouble to get his wicket. Do you want your batsmen to be aggressive? Your run rate will definitely go up, but be careful... you will be more prone to lose your wicket! Do you want to bat defensively? Fine! Not too many runs, but your wicket will be more protected.

- Pitch. The pitch is flat.... Lots of runs for the batsmen, lots of trouble for the bowlers. Pitch with cracks.. Problems for the batsmen. There are 12 pitch cards, all of which describe a particular pitch.

- Weather. If it rains, the pitch will be wet.

And many other rules and options. So, the final outcome is an extremely accurate game. Obviously, there is the random effect: if you are unlucky with the cards and with the dice, even Bradman can be out for a duck (although, that will not happen that often). While if you are lucky, even Glenn McGrath can score a 50!!

It can be difficult at the beginning. It takes some time to understand the rules; some people may even consider these kinds of games boring. However, once you overcome the initial difficulties, the game becomes a gem. It is like watching a cricket game (in your mind). And everytime you draw a card or you throw the dice, you will see the players shouting for an lbw or hitting the ball out for a six.

If you read the rulebook, it says that you only need 2-3 hours to complete a test match. However, if you want to be extremely accurate, you definitely need more time. Usually one day of play lasts 90 minutes.

Now I am about to start a project about the 1948 Australia tour to England (Bradman and the Invicibles). It will not only consist of the 5 test matches, but also of the matches against the counties. It will take me lots of time (22 games: 5 tests + 17 county games), but I hope to finish it in 5-6 months! And I'm also curious to see whether Don Bradman will pass the 100.00 mark!

Do you know any other board games? Here you can read an interesting review on cricket board games.

[Mike Filroy]

Sounds interesting...Might have to give it a try. Thanks for this!

[Jager]

Minden looks like a great idea actually. I think I'll give it a shot soon, cheers

[Stefano]

There are several nice cricket board games. I think the most famous (and the most realistic) is International Cricket by Owzat Games. But it is also extremely long! You need at least 10 hours to complete a test match. Minden is less complex. I complete a test match in around 5 hours.

This is my review for Board Game Geek.
Minden Cricket - A review | Minden Playing Card Cricket | BoardGameGeek

I have completed my 1948 Australia Tour to England (Bradman and the Invicibles). I have played 29 games (5 tests + 24 non test games). I have attached two files: one with the scores, one with the statistics. Enjoy!

[stumpski]

I had this one, back in the day. Many hours of fun from that, although I suspect it got thrown out a few years ago. For a bit less than £20 I might be tempted tbh.