Gameplay is obviously most important, but stuff like having accurate bats, kit and stumps does very much add to the immersion, which adds to the overall gameplay experience. I think it's especially important in a cricket game compared to other sports such as football because the game is generally played with a camera at much closer quarters to the action, especially if you use the 'Close' or 'Pro' cameras in DBC, meaning the quality and content of textures is very apparent compared to some other sports games.
These same people saying 'gameplay is everything' would probably jump at the chance of applying these mods to their console versions if it were possible... Seems like denial to me, dismissing something as unimportant that you can't have - I did it myself when I was on the 360 between 2007-2013.