Downloadable is a good sign, games are usually cheaper that way and if it is going to push the online angle, especially if there is a online match-making system like Battle.net, then there's a lot more incentive to actually buy it than previous games.
Many hugely popular games these days are designed exclusively for online play; World of Warcraft or Everquest in the RPG area, but also shooters like Team Fortress, Counterstrike, Quake Wars or the Battlefield series. Many more games have been made on their online play quality, such as Starcraft, the Command and Conquer series or Diablo II. AI has been without doubt the failing point for cricket games and to negate that by simply making it irrelevant is an efficient step.
Not every game can pull all the licensing to sucker people in, so for this game, maybe the "purists" (I tend to imagine a purist is a white haired chap) really have already made their decision. All the more reason to do something different and try to attract gamers rather than cricketers.