Codemasters has today announced that online gameplay will be a feature in the upcoming Brian Lara's International Cricket 2007 for Xbox 360 and PC. The PlayStation2 version will not have online functionality, though it will feature offline four-player modes.

The game will include 16-player online tournaments covering the ICC World Cup 2007, the ICC Champions Trophy 2006, leagues, and leaderboards - even a Spectator mode for up to eight players.

John Jennings, Executive Producer of Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 said, "We're proud that Brian Lara International Cricket 2007 is again raising the bar for cricket video games by being the first and only title in the genre to offer full online play on Xbox 360 and PC. It's something that the fans of the sport have been crying out for; we've listened and we're only too happy to be the first able to deliver. It's been exciting and challenging but, through the efforts of our in-house cricket team, we're once more looking to set the a new standard for cricket video gaming."

Taking advantage of the voice chat capabilities of Xbox Live, players of the Xbox 360 version will be able to take part in a cricketer's second favourite pastime, Sledging, insulting their opponent in the hope of distracting them. Codies makes it clear however that it doesn't condone such actions, though they were more than happy to supply a few favourites from recent years - not that we can repeat many of them here...

Brian Lara's International Cricket 2007 is set for release during March 2007 on Xbox 360, PlayStation2, and PC; we'll have more news shortly...