I'd say the game has gone backwards from DBC 14. The severe gameplay issues and bugs (thanks to the game being greedily released 6 months before it was ready) will hopefully be resolved in the months to come, but the graphics are terrible. The grass and trees might look better, but the players look way too cartoony and unrealistic. This site makes a good comparison of the graphics from both games:
I'll Play It Anyway, But Don Bradman Cricket Has Issues | Kotaku Australia
But I can't blame Big Ant alone for the state of this game...
The next part is just my personal opinion... Over the course of the game's development, I feel that many Planet Cricket regulars have misled Big Ant to a great extent, continually reassuring them that everything looked fantastic and top-notch, when they clearly didn't. Worse, anyone questioning the quality of any aspect was immediately ganged upon and ridiculed, while his negative feedback got shot down and dismissed by the usual suspects. And now the harsh truth is coming from reviews on other sites, from both critics and users.
This should be a lesson for Big Ant Studios, to not take the loud voices of a few as facts in the future. Instead, try to learn more from the ones that didn't like certain aspects of the game, and see how you can address them. For now, enjoy the 54% rating on Steam.
P.S. Please don't think that patch 4 is a favour you are doing for the fans (again, as the sycophants would assure you); if you don't release it, the fans simply won't buy the next instalment.