Islamic Insights | Inspired by the Holy Quran and AhlulBayt

There is this little website I found that has kept me busy during these boring summer hours: StickCricket.com.

Controls

The controls of the game are very easy; all you have to do is use your left and right arrow keys to hit the ball in those directions, up to hit it straight down the middle, and down to duck away from an oncoming high bowl. (I've never actually been hit by a high bowl but it gives you a sense of security!) Basically, you play shots using the four keys to bat against a variety of different bowls. The result of the shot usually will depending on your timing, so the better you time the pressing of the key, the more points you'll receive.

Points

Points are the same as real life cricket. If you can hit the ball over the line, you get 6, if the ball bounces over the line you get 4, and finally, anything less then that can result in a 3 or 2.

Mind you, this game is harder than it looks, as the ball spins randomly. And as impossible as this is to believe, the outfields are known to "catch the ball" too. I was really bewildered when the little stick figure jumped up and grabbed a sure 2 or 3.

Types of Games

There are six options for the type of game you want to play: Training, Slog, Head to Head, Premier League, World Domination, and Super 8.

Training

This, as the name implies, is the training portion of the game. It has two sections. One is practice, where you get used to the controls of the game and get practice on the timing. The other is performance, where you test you skill as a batter.

The skill is easy at first but then becomes almost impossible to finish, or at least for me it was.

I would suggest trying out the practice session, or at the very least taking a shot at the skills challenge, before venturing on to the other five games. It'll making you look more like a hero!

Slog

This is very straightforward: basically, you choose how many overs you want to play. Once you have selected your overs, you have to get as many runs against a variety of different bowlers within the give overs. It's a lot of fun and is the most basic from of the game.

Head to Head

I have never tried this because it is only available at certain times. If anyone knows what it is, please feel free to comment below, but I think it's where you play against other people.

Premier League

This is the setup to Super 8 and World Domination. You can choose to face any team at any time and win as many matches as you can.

World Domination

This game is very simple too; you choose a team, and then go around the world beating all or as many of the teams as you can. Hence the name World Domination, but it's easier said than done!

Super 8

This is the stage of the World Cup, where the top eight teams have to battle it out in order to win the Cup for their country, and so this is really hard! You have to be very good in order to win this Cup. (I obviously am not.)

If you have lots of time to kill, or are obsessed with cricket, this is the game for you. You don't have to pay anything. You don't have to download anything, you don't even have to register, and it's simply an online game. But if you want them to keep track of your score and save games (they can get long), then it would be a good idea to register. You don't give much: just your first name, last name, country location, DOB, and an email address, and you are ready to embarrass your rival team!