Brian Lara Cricket

Brian Lara Cricket is a cricket simulation developed and published by Codemasters, released for the PlayStation in December 1998. Endorsed by West Indian cricket star Brian Lara, it is the sequel to Brian Lara Cricket ‘96 and was also released in Australia and New Zealand as Shane Warne Cricket ‘99.

Three PAL variants have been catalogued for the UK market, all in Full Jewel PAL cases and in English. The Original release carries a standard case hologram, while the No 1 Bestseller Codemasters re-release carries a Hologram B on the case, and the Value Series No 1 Bestseller release returns to a standard hologram. All share serial SLES-00759. The No 1 Bestseller and Value Series pressings do not have recorded release dates, reflecting their status as later budget re-releases following the game’s commercial success.

The UK-only distribution and the Codemasters budget re-release tiers are characteristic of the publisher’s approach to successful sports titles. The three-variant UK set is an interesting completionist challenge, with the Value Series and No 1 Bestseller pressings offering distinct packaging from the Original.