Cricket 2005 Review

Being a cricket fanatic from the West Indies, I have been waiting for a decent cricket since the original brian lara cricket on the megadrive. Having played cricket 2004 and being dissapointed, I was hoping that this year EA would fix the faults of the previous versions. I've read the other reviews of Cricket 2005 on the forum and most people claiming it to be a deep cricket sim. I have to agree that some aspects of the game are very realistic, i.e bowling and batting, but where is the fun. Cricket isn't the easiest sport to convert into a good game, EA have had many attempts. When I think about cricket, I think about Shaob Akhtar bowling a perfect yorker uprooting a tailender middle stump or Brian Lara going on a rampage against spin bowling. None of this is in cricket 2005. Many people have complained about the batting, I can see what EA are trying to do in terms of realism but sacrificed the excitement of the sport. The bowling is my biggest problem, making a game difficult doesnt make it a cricket sim. Think about the pro evo soccer series which is both fun and realistic. Playing a test match in this game is like watching paint dry. I'm not expecting a wicket to fall in every over or a four to be hit every ball but where is the near edges, close LBW decisions. What is the point of having all these special deliveries when none of them ever effective.
It's not all bad though, on a positive side the graphics in this game is very good, players do look lifelike and the stadiums are accurately modelled.
Overall this is a decent game but in no way is it the perfect cricket sim because it lacks the excitement and intensity of real cricket. EA take notes!