Don Bradman Cricket 14 lets you share a cricket team with a friend instead of only facing each other. You can play online or offline as two players against AI, or split into pairs for a two-versus-two match. That gives you a small-group sports match: you bat, bowl, field, and try to outscore the opposing side together. The game requires a controller, and its Steam version needs an internet connection when it starts, even if you plan to play locally.
One match, a whole team to run
Cricket plays out in alternating innings. One side bats and tries to score runs; the other bowls and fields, aiming to limit the score and take wickets. Once both sides have had their turn, the team with more runs wins. The length and rules can vary: a T20 match is relatively compact, one-day formats last longer, and a Test match can stretch across multiple innings and days. Don Bradman Cricket 14 lets you play those formats and adjust match types, so a quick game and a drawn-out contest can feel very different.
When you and a friend share one side, you are working toward the same score or defending it together. The batting pair at the pitch gives co-op an obvious point of contact: one batter faces each delivery while the other waits at the opposite end. Between balls, the pair must judge whether a shot is safe enough to run, or whether staying in place is smarter. A fielder who gathers the ball and throws accurately can turn a tempting single into a run out. Those short exchanges give the batting innings more texture than simply swinging at every delivery.
The fielding side has a different rhythm. A bowler tries to land the ball where it can beat the batter or tempt a risky shot, while the field is arranged to cover likely scoring areas and catch edges. The ball can move off the pitch, and a late or poorly timed delivery may give the batter room to attack. If the ball travels into the outfield, fielders must chase, catch, slide, or throw toward the stumps before the batters cross for another run. The game gives you direct input through much of this sequence, though you can also change how assisted the fielding controls are.
A wicket changes the pressure. A bowler may dismiss a batter by hitting the stumps, drawing a catch, or forcing a mistake while the batters run. The Big Ant Review System lets you challenge an umpire’s decision; replays can show details such as a thin edge or a ball passing close to the bat. It is one more shared decision point, because an innings can swing on whether a batter is safe or the fielding side has earned an out.
Controls put you in the middle of the action
The game uses a controller-first setup, and batting takes more than pressing a single shot button. Your left stick moves the batter’s feet and changes their position in the crease; your right stick controls the shot’s direction. The timing and placement of those inputs influence whether the batter defends, leaves, or drives the ball into a gap. Several shot styles add options for different deliveries, but there is no pitch marker that tells you exactly where the ball will land. You have to read its line and length as it approaches.
Bowling also uses the sticks rather than a simple targeting reticle. You select a delivery type and length, then time the run-up and release to control where the ball goes and how it moves. Fast bowlers and spinners call for different timing and inputs. Small differences can change a yorker into a full toss or send a ball wider than intended. The first few overs can feel like learning a new control language, especially if your friends are used to sports games that present a more obvious aiming guide.
Fielding keeps you involved after the batter makes contact. You can move toward the ball, try to catch it, dive or slide to stop it reaching the boundary, then choose whether to throw toward the striker’s or non-striker’s wicket. Manual fielding gives you more direct control; assisted settings hand more of those actions to the AI. That choice is useful for a group with mixed familiarity, though it also changes how much each person is doing on a delivery.
Your tasks follow the phases of cricket: batting partners run between wickets and build an innings, then your side takes its turn bowling and fielding. In co-op, you share responsibility for the same team.
Co-op formats and friendly matches
You can play online and offline two-player co-op against AI, or use two-player-versus-two-player co-op, with a pair sharing each side. That puts four human players into one match. You can also play ordinary versus matches, locally or online, where friends control the opposing side instead of AI.
For an online session with a specific friend, create an Online Custom Match, choose its format, and invite them through Steam. Online sessions use Steam accounts. Quick Match searches for the first available online game. Custom matches also let you choose formats created in the Cricket Academy, the game’s editor for teams, players, umpires, competitions, tours, and rules. You can save an online match and resume it later by agreement; after a disconnect, the game can offer a save-and-continue option. Custom matches suit a planned group session better than hoping Quick Match finds the exact kind of cricket you want.
For local play, the game requires a controller and supports shared/split-screen play. Steam Remote Play Together can stream a local match to friends: one person owns and launches the game, while the others can join without their own copy. Remote Play Together does not raise the game’s own player limit. The Steam version is Windows-only.
There is one awkward distinction in the word “offline.” You must connect to the internet to boot the Steam version, but you can disconnect once you reach the main menu. That means local co-op is not the same as a fully offline launch: you still need an internet connection to get past startup. If that sign-in or update check fails, a local match may be out of reach until the game lets you through.
The online pool can be quiet, making a custom match with a friend more predictable than relying on Quick Match to find people playing the same format.
A long schedule or a compact fixture
A cricket match can be as short or as involved as you choose. T20 limits each side to twenty overs, which tends to keep the fixture focused on quick scoring. One-day matches offer more room for an innings to develop, while Test cricket can run through multiple innings with changing weather, light, and pitch conditions. The game lets you set custom match types and adjust details such as overs, wickets, innings, time of day, weather, and pitch. Your group can take a short fixture when you have a little time, or use a longer format when you want to settle into a full contest.
The pitch can change as a match goes on. Weather and time of day influence the conditions, and the surface wears as play continues. A grassy or dry pitch, its hardness, and its wear state can affect the ball after it bounces. The result is a match where an early plan may need to change as the pitch deteriorates or rain interrupts play. This is one reason the longer formats appeal to cricket fans: a decision about how to score or bowl can matter differently late in a match than it did at the start.
AI difficulty has several settings, from Rookie through Legend, and online co-op has its own difficulty choice. The game rewards learning the controls and reading the situation, but its challenge can be uneven while you are still getting comfortable. Batting, bowling, and fielding all offer depth, though the controls take practice and the presentation is rough around the edges. PC stability can be uneven, with crashes and freezes on some systems.
Career and customization around the match
The co-op draw is a shared match, but the game has other ways to set up what you play. Career mode follows one created cricketer from a rookie season toward higher-level teams and international selection. You can choose a role such as batter, bowler, all-rounder, or wicketkeeper, then build skills through appearances. Practice nets let you work through batting and bowling controls without the pressure of a full match.
The Cricket Academy extends the match editor. You can create players, teams, umpires, tours, competitions, and custom match types, then share or download community-made teams and players through the online Academy. The community catalogue can help your group find a familiar lineup, though what is available may change over time.
The scale of customization comes with a learning curve. Each batter’s stance and movement, each bowler’s run-up, the field, pitch, and match rules offer more detail than a quick arcade match. If one friend wants to focus on batting shots while another likes setting fields and bowling, the same fixture moves through both kinds of play. If your group wants fast scoring without spending time learning analog-stick timing or cricket terms, the controls may take patience before a match feels comfortable.
Don Bradman Cricket 14 is a fit for friends who enjoy cricket’s back-and-forth structure and want to control more than just the batter. You can share an innings against AI, take on another pair in a two-versus-two mode, or arrange a custom online match with a friend. The controller requirement, internet check at launch, quiet online pool, and uneven PC stability are worth weighing before planning a long session. If those conditions work for your group, the game offers detailed batting, bowling, and fielding inside matches you can shape to your own pace.