Zapak.com launches online cricket

New Delhi: There is a good news for all those cricket fans who could not find time to walk to the nearest playground to play their favourite game.

Now the action has shifted to the Internet where they can be a part of the action sitting right in front of their computers.

On Tuesday Anil Ambani-owned Reliance ADA group's Zapak Digital Entertainment Limited formally launched India's first full-feature online multiplayer cricket game in New Delhi.

So cricket has moved from the big stadiums, narrow by lanes and small parks into the cyber space.

Former India skipper Kapil Dev and former opener Navjot Singh Sidhu will help Zapak promote the online game.

The game does not require the installation of any new software and can be played free by visiting www.zapak.com.

Kapil was quick to praise the development in technology and their use in the cricket field.

"It is wonderful to see Sreesanth bowling in slow motion. It is nice to see how the seam hits at a particular angle. It he can do it three times in six balls, he is going to be a world beater," Kapil said.

Sidhu said that the children are going to find the game very exciting.

"If you prevent them, then they will do so when you are not there," he said.

Reliance Entertainment's president Rajesh Sawhney said that they developed the game with consulting any cricketers.

"Our animators had seen one thousand days of matches and kept their experience in mind while coming out with the cricket games. We already have over 300 of them and another five hundred are being added," Sawhney said.

He said that cricket is a passion in India and not just another game.

"Online gaming is a nascent concept in India. We are today offering games across various genres to suit the requirements of all age groups. Cricket is not just a passion, but also a religion in India. It presented us with a huge opportunity. Today we have launched the world's first full feature online multiplayer cricket game," he said.

Online gaming is likely to touch $7billion mark by the end of 2008 and by 2010 there will be more then 20 million broadband subscribers.