One of the most requested additions since the launch of Cricket Match Center has been more historical eras.
Today we're excited to introduce a brand new playable year: 1981.
This isn't just a new set of player names. It's an entirely different era of Test cricket.
Meet the Legends
The new 1981 database includes many of the game's greatest players:
- Ian Botham
- Viv Richards
- Richard Hadlee
- Imran Khan
- Sunil Gavaskar
- Dennis Lillee
- Javed Miandad
- Clive Lloyd
- Allan Border
- Michael Holding
Whether you want to relive the famous 1981 Ashes, dominate with the mighty West Indies pace attack, or build a series around some of cricket's greatest rivalries, 1981 offers a very different challenge from our existing eras.
More Than Different Players
One thing we've wanted to avoid is making every historical year feel the same.
As part of this update, we've introduced era-based tuning to the match engine.
Cricket in 1981 was different. Scoring rates were generally lower, sixes were rarer, bowlers had a greater influence on matches, and long, patient innings were often the key to success.
Our goal isn't to perfectly recreate every historical scorecard. Instead, we're trying to capture the feel of the era.
A score of 280 in 1981 should feel different from 280 in 2010.
Growing Historical Cricket
With 1981 now available, Cricket Match Center currently supports:
- 1981
- 1993
- 2001
- 2005
- 2010
Each era includes its own player database and is gradually receiving its own balance and historical tuning.
This is only the beginning.
We're continuing to expand both the number of historical eras and the depth of the simulation as Cricket Match Center grows.
As always, thank you to everyone who plays, tests, reports bugs and shares feedback. Every update is shaped by the community.
Happy simming!
The Pavilion Games Team