Ashes Cricket

Ashes Cricket on PC is a cricket simulation from Big Ant Studios focused on the Australia versus England rivalry, realistic batting and bowling, and a career path from junior cricket to the international stage. The current Steam listing still uses the name Ashes Cricket; it has not been renamed to Cricket 26. Those are separate entries in Big Ant Studios' cricket line, so buyers should not confuse the older Ashes Cricket release with the newer Cricket 26: The Official Game of the Ashes.

Batting, Bowling, and Match Control

Ashes Cricket is built around timing, shot selection, and reading the delivery rather than relying on a simple arcade button press. Its batting system supports true 360-degree shot placement, letting the batter attack gaps around the field according to the ball's line, length, and height. Players can also choose a batting style and adjust how aggressively they approach an over.

Bowling is equally important. The bowler selects deliveries, placement, and intent while trying to create pressure through movement, pace, spin, and field settings. Fielding remains part of the complete match experience, although career players can focus more narrowly on their created cricketer instead of controlling every player in every passage of play.

The presentation uses selectable match cameras and a full on-field cricket perspective. It suits players who enjoy constructing an innings, setting up a batter, and managing the changing rhythm of a long match rather than chasing constant action.

Career Progression and Ashes Content

The central single-player attraction is the career mode. You can begin as an established star or create a junior player and work through club cricket toward domestic and international selection. Career progression connects individual performance with selection ambitions, giving batting, bowling, and all-rounder roles different priorities.

Players who prefer the headline rivalry can enter the officially licensed men's and women's Ashes tours featuring Australia and England. The game uses photogrammetry for the Australian and English squads, while selected star players were motion-captured to support more distinctive batting and bowling animations.

Ashes Cricket also includes standard cricket match structures and competitive play outside the featured rivalry. Its appeal is strongest when you enjoy the sport's tactical pacing: protecting a lead, changing the field, preserving wickets, or attacking before the opposition settles.

Creation Tools and Community Content

The Cricket Academy gives the PC version a broader content model than its licensed teams alone suggest. Players can create and edit cricketers, teams, stadiums, logos, umpires, and competition formats, then upload community creations for others to use.

This matters because the official licensing is concentrated on the Australian and English Ashes squads and venues. The Academy can expand the playable cricket world with custom teams and user-made assets, although the quality and authenticity of that additional content depend on what the community has created.

For a newer comparison within the same developer's catalog, modern cricket simulations such as Cricket 26: The Official Game of the Ashes offer a different feature set and should be treated as a separate game rather than an upgrade or renamed edition of Ashes Cricket.

Multiplayer and PC Features

Steam lists online PvP, online co-op, shared or split-screen competitive play, and shared or split-screen co-op. That gives Ashes Cricket several ways to play with another person, from a local match on one PC to online cricket against or alongside other players.

The Steam version also supports Steam Remote Play Together, Steam Cloud, Steam leaderboards, achievements, and Family Sharing. A controller is required according to the storefront listing, making a gamepad the intended way to handle batting, bowling, fielding, and menu navigation on PC.

The additional Cricket Academy content requires a free Ashes Cricket Academy account. The Steam listing identifies English as the interface and full-audio language, with no additional subtitle languages listed.

Who Should Play Ashes Cricket?

Ashes Cricket is a good fit for players who want a serious cricket simulation with a dedicated career structure, licensed Australia and England squads, and enough creation tools to fill gaps in the official roster. It rewards patience. A well-placed defensive shot or carefully built bowling spell can matter more than spectacular individual moments.

It is less suitable if you want a fast arcade sports game, a broad modern licensing package covering every major competition, or a purely management-focused experience. The career mode puts you on the pitch, and the full-match structure can feel demanding when you are responsible for long batting, bowling, and fielding sequences.

Players interested in another Big Ant Studios sports simulation can compare its career progression and creation tools with career-driven sports games such as AO Tennis 2, although the moment-to-moment mechanics are built around tennis rather than cricket.

Content Model and Storefront Status

Ashes Cricket is a paid PC game rather than a free-to-play title. The base package includes its licensed Ashes material, career mode, multiplayer options, creation tools, and Steam features. The storefront does not present a season-pass structure or a catalog of paid DLC packs for the game.

The most important purchasing detail is the naming distinction. Steam continues to list the game as Ashes Cricket, while Big Ant Studios' later cricket releases use numbered Cricket branding and expanded subtitles. Searching for Cricket 26 will therefore lead to a newer standalone product, not a renamed store page for this game.

Ashes Cricket FAQ

Is Ashes Cricket still called Ashes Cricket on PC?

Yes. The current Steam storefront listing uses Ashes Cricket. It has not been rebranded as Cricket 26, and Cricket 26: The Official Game of the Ashes is a separate later entry.

Does Ashes Cricket have a career mode?

Yes. You can play as an established star or create a junior cricketer, then progress from club cricket toward domestic and international selection.

Are the Australian and English teams licensed?

Yes. The game features officially licensed Australian and English men's and women's Ashes squads, with photogrammetry-based likenesses and motion-captured star players.

Can two players play Ashes Cricket on PC?

Yes. Steam lists online PvP, online co-op, shared or split-screen PvP, and shared or split-screen co-op. Steam Remote Play Together is also supported.

Does Ashes Cricket support custom teams and stadiums?

Yes. The Cricket Academy allows players to create and share players, teams, stadiums, logos, umpires, and competition formats through the online community.

Does Ashes Cricket require a controller on PC?

Yes. The Steam listing states that a controller is required. English is listed for the interface and full audio, and additional Cricket Academy content requires a free Ashes Cricket Academy account.