I think BA have misrepresented the step up in difficulty from first class to international level. In real life, the step up in difficulty comes down to the fact that you're playing against the best of the best.
Facing Dan Vettori at domestic level is still the same as facing Dan Vettori at International Level. At international level they don't use different super balls or play in magical conditions that makes it harder to get bat on ball.
Often at international level the pressure to hold your spot in the side, and being able to adapt to testing conditions overseas (pitches, weather) is often the difference between flourishing in domestic ranks and floundering at international ranks (eg: Graham Hick, the Indian Cricket team playing anywhere outside of the sub-continent).
I think that instead of increasing the difficulty as you step up to international level, instead there should be some onus on playing to keep your spot in the side to replicate real life. That is where the pressure to perform comes from, and performing under this pressure separates the best from the rest.
Unfortunately once you make it to the test team there is no incentive to keep performing, cos you never get dropped. There are also no special milestones to strive towards eg: man of the series awards, world cups, international rankings system. And when you play a test series in the sub-continent or in England you're just as likely to play on hard, pristine pitches in dry conditions as you would be playing in Australia. This is what the game misses. ICC did all of this well. Even SWC 99 had playing conditions that typical of the location where you played.
And this is another reason why, along with the other shallow features of career mode (no customisation, injuries, form, team changes, distinguishable pitch effects, weather effects that replicate weather conditions typical of world regions) that I don't go near the mode with a ten foot pole. Id rather replicate a test series or competition using the other modes where I can customise team line-ups based on performance and customise playing conditions.
