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Fantasy CricketThe principle is that, your chosen players score fantasy game points based on their real life performance in given competitions. The fantasy team with most points at the end of the competition is the winner. This adds another dimension to your enjoyment of cricket. You can play in a mini league with your family, friends or colleagues, or take part in national or international leagues. These competitions are usually online or in selected newspapers. Entry is either free or at a small cost, and winners of the major leagues can often win substantial prizes – but you’ll need to be very good to do this. You select your team from player listings provided by the competition organisers. This listing should detail the player’s past performances as well as updates of their current fantasy points scores. Your first team selection will be based on past performance, then your team management will be based on current form. 
This isn’t as easy as it sounds. Players have a rating system, so that the best players have the most rating points. But, the maximum rating points for your whole team will be capped, which prevents you from picking all the best players. The skill is in recognizing those players who are coming into form, but still have low ratings.Here are a few examples of fantasy cricket games. Be very aware that they are extremely addictive!
Fantasy Cricket Online caters for three levels of competitor, from casual cricket fans to avid cricket buffs. Your chosen team is entered into three competitions (Gold, Silver and Bronze), each one needing a different level of skill and input. The gold competition lets you choose a squad of 16 players, which you manipulate throughout a UK season. Each of your selection decisions is critical, and the most skilful and dedicated managers usually do the best. The silver and bronze competitions need progressively less input. The Daily Telegraph offers newspaper and online fantasy cricket. Teams must include five batsmen, four bowlers, one all rounder and a wicket keeper. Past competitions have included the UK County Championship, which allows up to two overseas players per team. These players are often good fantasy points scorers, but fantasy managers have to take account of their availability, which is often limited by international commitments.
CricketWeb runs free online fantasy cricket based on international test matches, ODIs and Twenty20 fixtures. Your team can be truly multinational, and the rules for team composition are different for test matches and one day matches. As with the Daily Telegraph, you must nominate a captain – not for team leadership, but to score double fantasy points for your team. If you win more than two gold medals, you’ll qualify for the CricketWeb Hall of Fame! Cricinfo and Sky Sports run fantasy competitions similar to those above. But, for a different kind of challenge, you could try the Cricket Stock Exchange. This is an online trading game that works like a stock market. “Shares” of cricketers are listed, and fantasy managers can buy or sell these “player stocks” using “virtual cash”. The stock price of players depends on their current performance. Your place in the competition depends on the total worth of your portfolio. However, the game is temorarily offline, in preparation for the Twenty20 World Championship in September 2007, so watch this space. You don’t have to be a serious fantasy fan to enjoy fantasy cricket. Just running a mini league for your own family can be great fun. But, there are also lots of opportunities if you fancy taking on the world!
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