EA has announced Cricket 07, the latest in its popular sports franchise. Out this November for the PS2 and PC, the game will make use of the “groundbreaking” Century Stick control system and will feature a more natural camera perspective.

“This is the cricket game for both hardcore and casual cricket gamers alike. It is accessible for the new user and full of the subtleties and nuances that make the great sport of cricket so unique,” said Justin Forrest, producer, EA Canada. “Our new, innovative ‘Century Stick’ control system will change the way all fans approach gameplay as you’ll now have full control over foot choice, shot selection, shot power, and shot direction - it’s never felt this close to actually wielding a bat before. You won’t experience cricket this authentic without putting on your whites and walking down the pavilion steps yourself.”

Cricket 07 also features a new Quickplay cricket setting that lets players crank up the game speed, ease back the difficulty setting and join the excitement of Limited Overs or fully-licensed Twenty20 extravaganzas by playing a fast-blast match of hard-hitting sixes - or slow the pace down, slide the difficulty up and steel yourself for a five day Test. For a sustained challenge, gamers can choose from a complete schedule of Australian State and English County tournaments or lead the charge in this year’s eagerly anticipated Ashes campaign in the 3-mobile Series Down Under.

Surprisingly, the game is in development at EA Canada in Vancouver, British Columbia. Look out for the game this November.

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.