Codemasters has announced the next installment in its popular Brian Lara Cricket series - dubbed Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 and due for release next March, the game will officially feature the ICC Cricket World Cup 2007. Scoop:

Thanks to the official ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 content, Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 will feature licensed players, including world cricket stars Andrew Flintoff, Ricky Ponting, Mahendra Dhoni, Muttiah Muralitharan and of course, Brian Lara himself.

In addition to players, the game will lead with a dedicated ICC Cricket World Cup 2007 mode featuring all the official teams, stadia, kits and equipment of the tournament. Further modes include a fully licensed ICC Champions’ Trophy competition and exhibition matches including One Day Games, Test Matches and exciting 20-over run fests.

When you want to get competitive for real, Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 will deliver with online competitive play on PC (LAN and online) and Xbox Live.

Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 will add extra depth to the series’ complete batting, bowling and fielding experience whilst retaining its trademark accessible playability. The acclaimed batting play will see the introduction of subtle edges, sweepshots and the ability to use your feet to dance down wicket and smash the ball over the boundary for six.

Bowling will see a much improved set of delivery types, thanks to changes in the way the ball swings in the air and reacts off the pitch, showcasing Shane Warne’s huge variation of spinning deliveries and Steve Harmison’s raw pace and even reverse swing as the ball degrades. In Fielding, there’s a new reflex-testing slip catch system and players can now be run out at both ends and be stumped by alert wicket keepers.

A striking advancement is the photo-realistic visuals being created for the title. Hundreds of real player likenesses are being modeled in high detail, complete with animated facial expressions to capture the intensity and emotion of international cricket.

Stadia, including all eight official World Cup venues, are also being created with a new level of textured detail and will make use of proprietary shader technology for realistic, subtle and changing lighting effects, such as time of day and weather.

The game will be hitting the pitch on PS2, PC and Xbox 360. Further information, including screenshots, can be found on the game’s official website.