Play Brian Lara Cricket 96 (March 1996) Online

Brian Lara Cricket 96 came out for the Sega Genesis, or Mega Drive depending on where you lived, in March of 1996. It was developed by Audiogenic and published by Codemasters, arriving late in the console's life when sports games were really starting to figure things out. This one was a clear step up from its predecessor, offering a more complete package for cricket fans who had been waiting for something with more depth.

You control either a batsman or a bowler, with the main objective being to outscore your opponent or bowl them out. The batting involves timing your button presses to direct the ball into gaps in the field, while bowling requires you to select a type of delivery and aim its line and length. The fielding is mostly automated, but you can manually dive to stop a boundary, which adds a nice bit of reactive tension. The pacing is deliberate, mirroring the sport itself, and the difficulty can be steep if you misjudge a shot. It feels genuinely satisfying to build a long innings or to finally take a wicket after a tough spell.