Cricket 07 is the last and the best release of the EA Sports cricket series. Released in 2006, this game is still a quite popular game a decade on, thanks to third-party mods and patches.
Users can play with 18 international teams in Cricket 07, while the game also features teams from English County cricket and Australian state cricket. The game comes with player customisation and creation mode, which is a relief considering EA did not have licensing for most of the teams in the game. Generic player names and statistics are similar to real life players.
Also Read: 5 most skilled batsmen in EA Cricket 07
The game also features an ‘Ashes mode’, where you can play scenarios with either England or Australia, unlocking in-game Ashes movies on completion.
Here, we list down the five best bowlers in Cricket 07, and their real life counterparts.
#5 J Krumble (Anil Kumble) - 90
J Krumble or Anil Kumble, is the only Indian bowler in this list. J Krumble’s bowling accuracy rating is at 90 and the leg-spinner is the best bowler in the Indian team’s roster.
Anil Kumble, or ‘Jumbo’, as his teammates called him, is the third highest wicket-taker of all time. His most remarkable feat was in 1999 against Pakistan where he took all 10 wickets in a single inning.
J Krumble, in Cricket 07, has taken 329 wickets in 264 ODI matches. His best bowling in an innings in ODI’s is 6 wickets for 12 runs at an economy rating of 4.30 runs per over.
The leg-spinner had a bag of tricks which included the leg break, googly, top spinner, and zooter. His special bowling attributes include ‘Work Horse’, similar to the real Anil Kumble, who largely depended on variation of pace and accuracy in his bowling, rather than spin.
#4 Shadid Akhti (Shoaib Akhtar) - 92
Shoaib Akhtar is the fastest bowler in cricketing history and holds a record for the fastest delivery at 161.3kmph. He is nicknamed ‘Rawalpindi Express’, as a tribute to his hometown and his aggressive bowling style.
Shadid Akhti is the Cricket 07 equivalent of Shoaib Akhtar and all his bowling attribute ratings are above 90. His bowling accuracy rating is at 92, ranking him fourth on this list. The Pakistani pacer was a quick bowler who had the standard deliveries, out swinger, in swinger, leg cutter, off cutter, yorker, bouncer and slow ball.
The right-handed fast bowler’s special bowling ability in Cricket 07 is that of ‘Partnership Breaker’ and ‘Strike Bowler’. He has taken 186 wickets in 120 matches, with the best bowling in an innings of 6 wickets for 16 runs. Shadid Akhti has an economy rating of 4.59 runs per over.
#3 Shane Bond - 94
Shane Bond is considered New Zealand’s best fast bowler after Sir Richard Hadlee. The pacer was able to bowl at an average speed of 145kmph with his fastest recorded delivery clocked at 156.1 kmph in 2003 World Cup against India. His bowling accuracy rating is 94 in Cricket 07.
Bond in Cricket 07 is the best bowler in the New Zealand roster with a flair for standard deliveries, out swinger, in swinger, leg cutter, off cutter, yorker, bouncer and slow ball. The right-handed fast bowler’s special bowling ability is ‘Partnership Breaker’, ‘Strike Bowler’, ‘Miser’ and ‘Workhorse’.
The Kiwi fast bowler’s in-game statistics include 87 wickets in 384 ODI matches, while his best bowling in an innings was 6 wickets for 19 runs at an average economy rate of 4.22 runs per over.
#2 Shaun Pollock - 94
Shaun Pollock was an all-rounder and South Africa’s first bowler to take over 400 wickets in Test cricket. Shaun Pollock’s Cricket 07 counterpart is the best bowler in the South African squad. His bowling accuracy rating is at 94.
Pollock’s bowling attributes in the game are all above 90, except for slow bowling where his rating is a mere 47. The South African pacer in Cricket 07 has standard deliveries, out swinger, in swinger, leg cutter, off cutter, yorker, and bouncer. His special bowling abilities in the game include ‘Partnership Breaker’, ‘Strike Bowler’, ‘Miser’ and ‘Workhorse’.
The right-hand fast bowler has the lowest (best) average economy rating, 3.76 runs per over, among all the other bowlers in this list. His best bowling in innings is 6 wickets for 35 runs and has taken 348 wickets in 259 ODI matches.
#1 M Murgalidaron (Muttiah Muralitharan ) - 94
M Murgalidaron, or Muttiah Muralitharan, is the best bowler in Cricket 07. His bowling attribute ratings are off the charts with bowling accuracy at 94, and spin at 99.
Muralitharan is considered the greatest spin bowler of all time, while also holding the record for most wickets in both Tests as well as One-Day cricket. Murgalidaron from Cricket 07 is also the best bowler with a flair for the off break, arm ball, doosra, full fight, and teesra. His special bowling abilities include ‘Partnership Breaker’, ‘Miser’, ‘Trickster’ and ‘Work Horse’.
M Murgalidaron has in-game career statistics of 369 wickets in 238 ODI matches. His best bowling in innings is 7 wickets for 30 runs at an economy rating of 3.79 runs per over.
