Your players

Every player has a card that tells his story: what he can do, what he could become, and how he's feeling today.

OverallA one-number summary, from 1 to 100.

PotentialThe highest overall he can reach.

50 skillsIn six groups. These decide every ball.

ConditionForm, stamina and morale, day by day.

The player card

Tap any player to open his card. The tabs are Overview, Skills, Career and Contract.

• Overall is a quick summary of his ability, from 1 to 100. It's exact on every card, yours or a rival's.
• Potential is the highest overall he can reach. You see it exactly for your own players, and as a range for everyone else's. It never falls, and young players who play regularly can raise it.
• Growth tells you when he'll get there: an early bloomer, standard (peaks in his late twenties) or a late bloomer.

A team's strength shows as AVG OVR: the average overall of its senior squad.

Skills

Each player has 50 skills in six groups. The Skills tab shows them all, and the card lists his strongest.

• Batting
• BowlingPace or spin
• Fielding
• Keeping
• Mental
• Fitness

Roles

• Batter
• Wicketkeeper
• Pace bowler
• Spin bowler
• Pace all-rounder
• Spin all-rounder

Traits

Some players are born with a trait, such as Power Hitter, The Wall or Ice Cold. Each one gives a small boost to the skills it names, in matches. You only see traits on your own players: a rival's stay hidden until he's yours.

Form, stamina and morale

• Form follows results, and drifts back towards normal over time.
• Morale is his mood. It pulls his form up or down, and it slides if his manager stays away. See Morale and talking to players.
• Stamina drops with every match and recovers every day, faster for young legs. A tired player is worse at everything, and more likely to get hurt.

Injuries

Pace bowlers get hurt most. A Physio Centre at your ground cuts the risk. An injured player's card shows when he's due back, and he can't train or play until then. Even when fit again, he may be a little below par at first.

Growing, peaking, fading

Players age a year every season, so careers move fast. Young players improve quickest, and playing counts for more than training. Most peak in their late twenties and slow down in their thirties. In the end every player retires: his fitness gives out, his form goes, or age catches up with him.

Squad rules

Your squad holds 17 to 25 players, including at least 2 wicketkeepers, 5 batters, 5 bowlers and 1 all-rounder. A sale or release that would break those rules is refused. Your academy is separate, with its own 12 places.